Substance, by Manchester-based band New Order, contains a collection of all their singles up to 1987, with a large number edited and remixed especially for the release. It was released under Factory Records, founded by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. Every song on Substance is amazing in its own way, making it an incredible listen whether you pick out songs to listen to or allow each track to blend smoothly.
The album opens with Ceremony, which was written by the late Ian Curtis, which is more guitar and bass focused to honour the music style of Joy Division. It provides a transition into New Order through the cut to Everything’s gone Green, displaying the band’s signature melodic, electronic sound.
One of the best songs on the album is next, Temptation. It’s one of the band’s bestselling singles and solidified their shift towards electronic music with their use of sequencer patterns reminiscent of early electro disco. Additionally, New Order made it clear they were here to contribute to the alternative dance scene with the format of this vinyl on release- spacing between grooves on 12-inch records allows mastering engineers to cut the record and with deeper bass and longer playing times as DJs can mix parts of tracks more easily.
The fourth track on substance is arguably the most famous 7 minutes, and 29 seconds of music ever produced in Manchester, Blue Monday. The title itself is a random phrase Stephen Morris pulled from a Kurt Vonnegut novel, Breakfast of Champions. It’s widely acknowledged as the biggest selling single in the UK, and it’s clear why. The opening beats provide a catchy rhythm instantly, with the drums, bass line and synthesiser all coming together to create an unforgettable dance riff, and Bernard Summer’s stream-of-consciousness singing fitting perfectly.
Skipping down to one of my favourites again, the Perfect Kiss was originally released on New Order’s third studio album, Lowlife, released May 23, 1985. It was the band’s first song to be included on a studio album, as well as simultaneously being released as a single. It’s a masterpiece of 80s synth-pop, featuring an array of instruments, ranging from choppy guitar rhythms and synthesized bass to sequenced synths and the notorious frog croaks during the breakdown at the end.
Over the next stretch of songs, New Order proved how effortlessly they could balance dance-floor momentum with emotional detachment and political unease. Subculture glides forward on shimmering synth textures and restless grove, while Shellshock uses funk-driven rhythms and fractured vocals that create an equally euphoric and anxious atmosphere. ‘State of the Nation’ was arguably the bands most overtly political song, commenting on the hardships and deprivation experienced under Maragaret Thatcher’s government.
Though Bizarre Love Triangle is often hailed as the groups defining pop masterpiece, I have to argue the last track on the A side of this album is perhaps the best song New Order released: True Faith. Originally released as a standalone single by Factory Records to accompany their compilation album Substance, it explores drug culture and dependency, framed by an energetic beat, managing to be an ethereal dance track whilst making striking commentary on the heroin crisis of the 80s.
This album was originally released on 2 CD’s, with disk one containing the band’s A-side singles (mostly in their 12’’ versions), and the second disk containing the B-sides corresponding to those singles, as well as some newly recorded versions of older tracks such as Temptation and Confusion. The first track of the B side ‘In A Lonely Place’ is a dark, echo-laden and mournful track that captures the gothic transition period following Joy Division, perfectly emulating the eerie soundtrack of a good thriller in my opinion.
The B-side takes the listener through a journey of New Order experimenting with new ideas through their instrumental pieces, such as ‘The Beach’ and ‘Confused. The band’s experimentation, and Factory Records commitment to release tracks that were out here is shown especially through ‘Murder’, made in collaboration with New Order and DJ Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson, made up of disturbing samples from Caligula and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The band chose to end the album with the track 1963, for which lyricist Bernard Sumners created a conspiracy theory at the time that it details an alternate reality where JFK ordered a hit on his wife to get with Marylin Monroe. Though it was a crafted joke to sell the record, the song still provides an amazing end to the album with a brilliant danceable rhythm to end the album on a high, despite the dark messaging of the song in classic New Order style.
Overall, Substance is a clear 10/10 album, featuring era-defining A-sides, as well as allowing the listening to truly hear the deep creative brilliance of one of Manchester’s most influential bands. If you enjoy the sound of this album, I highly recommend checking out Depeche Mode, Underworld, or LCD Soundsystem
