On 28th September Rhino Records will re-issue one of the most consistent and influential music catalogues of the 1980s, that of New Order.
All five albums will come with bonus discs featuring extended versions, b-sides and remixes, as well as extensive sleevenotes, including interviews with all four band members.Released in 1981, New Order’s debut album Movement - produced by Joy Division collaborator Martin Hannett - is the sound of a young band testing new waters after the loss of their singer. The bonus disc features alternative versions and b-sides, with examples of transitional tracks, such as In A Lonely Place and Cries And Whispers, and those that point unequivocally forward as Bernard Sumner finds his own vocal personality, such as non-album singles Everything’s Gone Green and Temptation, a song that spanned generations with it’s triumphant standout on the Trainspotting OST.
On 1983’s Power, Corruption & Lies the band established their own unique and innovative identity, perfectly mixing their love of Kraftwerk with New York’s underground club scene - helped to fruition by producer Arthur Baker. The album featured the state-of-the-art dance classic Confusion. The bonus disc features a song that can truly be described as legendary: Blue Monday, the best-selling 12' of 1983 and a song that defines an era. Also featured are instrumental and alternative versions of Thieves Like Us and Confusion.
1985’s Low-Life further proved the band’s talent for creating dance-pop gems, such as Sub-Culture and The Perfect Kiss. A propulsive, smart and edgy album, it combined lush synth patterns and programmed beats with a level of emotion that keeps the music fresh. The bonus disc features extended mix versions of several album tracks as well as the John Robie remix of Shellshock - the song that brought the band to prominence in the US after it appeared on the Pretty In Pink OST.
Just a year after Low-Life, the band released Brotherhood. The album showed the band’s diversity - it’s one of the least synthesized albums in their catalogue - and their ability to write hook-filled songs, such as the Bizarre Love Triangle single. The bonus disc features extended versions of album tracks, as well as the 1988 version of Blue Monday and Shep Pettibone Remix of True Faith, as well as the True Dub version.
In 1988 the band travelled to Ibiza, and the island’s Baleric and Acid House scenes heavily influenced their 1989 album Technique. Yet again showcasing their talent for writing brilliant left-field pop songs, the album further blurred the line between electronic dance and alternative pop. The driving singles - Fine Time, Run, Round & Round - helped make Technique the band's most dance-oriented record yet, though rockier album tracks - Love Less and All The Way - revealed the band’s on-going versatility. The bonus disc features b-sides and extended versions of album tracks, as well as remixes, including Fine Time (Silk Mix) and the 1990 England World Cup anthem, World In Motion (Cabinieri Mix).
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