Product Description

New Order always shone brightest as a singles band, and this stellar two-disc set collects most of the a- and b-sides from singles released between the band's inception and 1987. "Ceremony", a leftover from the band's past as Joy Division,opens the proceedings. It is followed by 150-odd minutes ofmaterial that, through the 1980s, set the standard for dance music. Classics like "Everything's Gone Green", "Perfect Kiss" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" appear next to alternate versions of the stunning "Temptation" and "Confusion". Also included is "True Faith", which, along with "1963", was recorded especially for this collection. Opening the second disc is another Joy Division leftover, "In a Lonely Place", a haunting epitaph for the former band.
"Procession", "Mesh" and "Hurt", all great evocations of loss and healing, lead into "The Beach", an instrumental (and far superior) version ofthe dance classic "Blue Monday". "Murder" is New Order's creepiest moment, with its sampled "I hate them!" from the film "Caligula" and assorted samples of HAL, the computer from the film 2001, descending into insanity. SUBSTANCE is not only the sound of an evolving band, but the sound of an evolving musical style that has influenced countless other artists.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Ceremony
2. Everything's Gone Green
3. Temptation
4. Blue Monday
5. Confusion
6. Thieves Like Us
7. Perfect Kiss
8. Subculture
9. Shellshock
10. State Of The Nation
11. Bizarre Love Triangle
12. True Faith

Disc 2:

1. In A Lonely Place
2. Procession
3. Mesh
4. Hurt
5. The Beach
6. Confusion Instrumental
7. Lonesome Tonight
8. Murder
9. Thieves Like Us Instrumental
10. Kiss Of Death
11. Shame Of The Nation
12. 1963

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2117 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-04
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's a simple concept--the first dozen singles by New Order collected, a couple of them rerecorded--but it's also a totally entertaining seven-year history of the band that married British post-punk alienation to the relentless hedonism of the dance floor. The band's hits were always deeply unconventional (like the haunting "Blue Monday", essentially a seven-minute drum machine test with a short lyric that alluded to the Falklands War), but they were brilliant productions, layering dozens of electronic countermelodies and percussion tricks over Bernard Sumner's uncertain warble and Peter Hook's lead bass parts. Though they're audio snapshots of the dance beats of their time, they've held up both as club classics and as idiosyncratic rock songs. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Not for me but good all the same
I bought this album for my wife as part of a birthday present. I'd not been a great New Order fan at the time of their rise to power - possibly still a bit miffed at the demise of the 'Division'. However, I have listened to it and my opinion of this group has changed. The orchestration is very good, musical abitilty is far superior to their contemporaries and I would recommend it to anyone with a taste for 1980's/1990's alternative rock/electric music.

A reminder of what we miss today
If ever their was an album to bring back memories of such an experimental time for music, Substance will spring to mind. This was during a time when clubs actually had variety in their music, and New Order were a regular at The Hacienda. The album brings back the sounds of synths, guitars, and other unique sounds, which made New Order one of the most unique sounding bands of the time. Obvious favourites include Blue Monday and The Beach, which both use an unforgettable rhythm that was even used on The Annual vol.1. True Faith is another great song, and is very much feel good, along with the likes of 1963. There are many great tracks on the album, but I felt cd 1 had the most quality to it.
Another great album from an unforgettable era!

1987's comprehensive compilation...
Apparently the reason why 'Substance 1987' was released was down to the fact Anthony Wilson wanted to have a tape to play in his car of New Order's non-LP moments, which sounds fair enough to me. 'Substance 1987' is one of the New Order albums that need to be owned, alongside the decent 'Power, Corruption & Lies' (1983' and 'Brotherhood' (1986) and the excellent 'Low Life' (1985) and 'Technique' (1989). New Order were less interesting afterwards, apart from the odd moment like 'Touched By the Hand of God', 'World in Motion', 'Regret', 'Crystal' & 'Run Wild.' Admit it, it's a sometimes patchy career and their status as pioneers is somewhat over-stated considering such acts as The Human League, OMD, Throbbing Gristle, Soft Cell, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, Ultravox!, Associates, Cabaret Voltaire, This Heat, Psychic TV, Simple Minds & Japan were exploring the territories they supposedly discovered sometime before/at the same time as them.

The first disc focuses on the a-sides (though for some reason a-side and second single 'Procession' turns up on the second disc!)and is largely excellent. The versions of 'Temptation' and 'Confusion' were re-recorded, though I'm not sure why (the originals surfaced on the recent 'Singles'-compilation) and the 12" versions of 'Sub-Culture', 'Shellshock' & 'State of the Nation' are extremely boring (while 'Bizarre Love Triangle' has the same synth-voice as 'I Just Called to Say I Love You'!). Still, hard to go wrong with such classics as 'True Faith', 'Ceremony', 'Blue Monday', 'Thieves Like Us' and 'Everything's Gone Green.' The 12" version of 'The Perfect Kiss' is the best take of that song as is the full length take of 'Thieves Like Us' which is one of the greatest songs of all time (as 'State of the Nation' is surely one of the worst).

The second disc is patchier stuff - instrumental/dub-remixed takes of 'Blue Monday' ('The Beach'), 'Confusion' ('Confused Instrumental'), 'Thieves Like Us', 'The Perfect Kiss' ('Kiss of Death)', 'Subculture' ('Dubvulture'), 'Shellshock' ('Shellcock') and 'Bizarre Love Triangle' ('Bizarre Dub Triangle') are all of academic interest. & 'State of the Nation' doesn't get any better re-titled 'Shame of the Nation', accorded a word change and some cheesy 80s soul vocals that remind you of Living in a Box and Johnny Hates Jazz!

Still...it's not all bad, early tracks like 'Hurt', 'Mesh' and the aforementioned 'Procession' are highlights, while the flip of 'True Faith', '1963' is another of New Order's greatest moments (eventually remixed and released as single in the 1990s). 'Murder' is a great instrumental that samples 'Caligula' and like 1985's 'Sunrise' suggests the Joy Division-sound wasn't completely banished. Fellow b-side 'Lonesome Tonight' is a great tribute to Ian Curtis, despite sounding almost country like 1986's 'As It Is When It Was.' Strangely, the CD-issue of this compilation has opted to keep the superfluous remixes while nixing 'Cries and Whispers' (found on my tape copy of this) - why is that????

The best moment on either of these discs remains another Curtis-associated song - 'In a Lonely Place' (which took its name from a film, as did 'Cries and Whispers', 'Thieves Like Us' & 'Age of Consent') which finds the remains of Joy Division re-named New Order record a song previously demo-ed by JD (see the 'Heart & Soul'box-set). Sumner sounds very much like Curtis as he sings those gorgeously sad-lines ("someday we will die in your dreams" probably one of the greatest lyrics) and the synths sound huge and offer the template The Cure used on 'Disintegration.'

All in all, one to get - though perhaps 2005's 'Singles' is a better buy, even if it offers the 7" versions for the most part? It's a brilliant career, though it should be noted that neither 'Substance 1987' or 'Singles' captures it all, as such tracks as 'Dreams Never End', 'Age of Consent', 'Your Silent Face', 'Love Vigilantes', 'Every Little Counts', 'Touched By the Hand of God', 'Dream Attack', 'Vanishing Point','Guilty Partner', 'Liar', 'Special' and 'Run Wild' aren't included...