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Joy Division and New Order LPs through the Ages
Unknown PleasuresUnknown Pleasures by Joy Division
Buy new: £7.79 / Used from: £4.36
One of the most brilliant albums to ever come out of England. With Martin Hannett's production, Joy Division created a bleak, dark--yet coherent journey into the soul of post-modern Britain.
CloserCloser by Joy Division
Buy used from: £4.79
Some hail it as a better effort than Unknown Pleasures, but I find it less coherent with some songs unlistenable (24 Hours for example)--some gems (like Colony) do persist of course.
MovementMovement by New Order
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £3.87
Movement wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't that good either. At least it gave us Chosen Time, a completely ignored NO classic.
StillStill by Joy Division
Buy used from: £3.75
Criticized at the time for supposedly cashing in on Ian Curtis' death, Still was a necessary effort to make JD outtakes and B-sides available to fans.
Power Corruption and LiesPower Corruption and Lies by New Order
Buy new: £6.87 / Used from: £4.00
Synthpop and art collide with this effort--New Order's most "electronic" effort to date (see 5 8 6) and a complete sea change from Movement.
Low-LifeLow-Life by New Order
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £2.96
Brief--only eight tracks--modern classic with New Order ditching the mostly electro PCL formula for a mix of synths and guitar rock. Still as fresh today as it was then.
BrotherhoodBrotherhood by New Order
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £2.73
In typical fashion, NO ditch the Low-life formula for the inclusion of an entire A-side of guitar tracks. A bit more disposable than the normal NO effort--still contains some gems.
Substance 1987Substance 1987 by New Order
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £3.72
New Order's first must-have essential classic. Not a greatest hits--instead a collection of 12 inch A and B sides--but still reads like a greatest hits package, for a career then only 6 years old.
Substance 1977-1980Substance 1977-1980 by Joy Division
Buy used from: £3.94
Factory apply the successful Substance formula to Joy Division, successfully not repeating too much ground from Still.
TechniqueTechnique by New Order
Buy new: £7.78 / Used from: £4.69
The greatest New Order album to date. Technique proved New Order could absorb new trends (in this case, acid house), and still be THE trendsetter.
One True Passion: V2.0One True Passion: V2.0 by Revenge
Buy new: £8.98
The first NO solo project to reach the market had interesting ideas but suffered from overly melancholic melodies and poor, derivative lyrics from Hooky.
ElectronicElectronic by Electronic
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £2.27
Long in the making, Barney and ex-Smith Johnny Marr disappointed some critics by not strongly following with more in the vein of Getting Away With It. A few classic tracks but rather dated now.
Gun World PornGun World Porn by Revenge
Buy used from: £0.20
Revenge try to catch the wave of grunge guitar rock with this EP which basically everyone has forgotten (with good reason).
RepublicRepublic by New Order
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £1.89
The dreaded four-year hiatus ended with this effort which suffered from band in-fighting. Republic was good for Regret and Ruined in a Day but otherwise not up to previous standards.
The Other Two and YouThe Other Two and You by Other Two
Buy used from: £33.94
Steve and Gillian jump in with their solo effort--an afterthought with a few gems like Tasty Fish and Selfish but a lot of instrumental ideas that would have been New Order songs.
The Best of New OrderThe Best of New Order by New Order
Buy new: £5.88 / Used from: £4.12
New Order were in need of Substance 1994 but instead got this, a poor mix of 12 inch singles, lame remixes, and lack of rare B sides.
The Rest Of...The Rest Of... by New Order
Buy used from: £5.52
The dreaded 1990s phenomenon--a remix album! But The Cure's Mixed-Up this ain't. Only the remix of Regret offers anything new.
PermanentPermanent by Joy Division
Buy used from: £1.55
A greatest hits summary of Joy Division that served no good purpose with the existence of Still and Substance.
Raise the PressureRaise the Pressure by Electronic
Buy used from: £1.51
Barney and Johnny return with ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos and it's the same as before, a few good tracks but a lot of filler that sounded dated even in 1996.
Music for PleasureMusic for Pleasure by Monaco
Buy used from: £2.19
Hooky and latter Revenge fill-in Dave Potts come out of nowhere to produce one of the best New Order solo LPs, consistent, fresh, and strong.
Twisted TendernessTwisted Tenderness by Electronic
Buy new: £7.27 / Used from: £0.93
Barney and Johnny go one better, finally delivering on their supergroup potential with mostly guitar-driven songs, enhanced with electronics.
MonacoMonaco by Monaco
Buy used from: £18.64
Totally different from Music for Pleasure and disappointing--adult contemporary light rock.
SuperhighwaysSuperhighways by Other Two
Buy used from: £28.99
The last New Order solo project album ever? More consistent than their first effort, Steve and Gillian still sound like they are pushing potential NO ideas as independent tracks.
Get ReadyGet Ready by New Order
Buy new: £6.37 / Used from: £0.09
The long long long wait is over: New Order returned, if not as good as ever, darn near close. Vicious Streak is as good as anything from the glory days.
International:The Best of New OrderInternational:The Best of New Order by New Order
Buy new: £20.09 / Used from: £5.99
What Best Of should have been...but still not the Substance 2003 needed to tie up 12 inch singles and B-sides.