"Movement" - 7/10
1981
Factory
Recommended tracks: Dreams Never End, The Him, Chosen Time, Truth
Many fans see Movement as something of a benchmark and a key period in which the band tried to move on from Ian Curtis' sad premature passing (musically at least) and from in-house producer Martin Hannett, who himself was beginning to detach himself from Factory and reality. Although lacking in stone-cold classics, much of Movement is a transitional stepping stone towards the following glory years, utilizing new technologies and intensive machine-like drumming from Steven Morris throughout. There are occasional nods to JD material ("Doubts Even Here", "Truth"), but most of this album finds a band tolerating Hannett at his least receptive, although he did notably teach them the art of using a mixing-desk - a skill that all four members squirreled away for future reference at Hannett's expense.
"Power, Corruption & Lies" - 8/10
1983
Factory
Recommended tracks: Pretty much all of them, except the dreary We All Stand
Where Movement feared to tread, PCandL stomped robotically and relentlessly. From the opening bars of album starter "Age of Consent", you can tell New Order are ready to rock and make a statement of intent. The song's pretty synth hooks and ankle-deep bassline became something of a signature track for New Order, along with the Kraftwerk-esque "Your Silent Face" and proto-disco epic "586", the bastard son of "Blue Monday" in all but title. "Leave Me Alone", the album's closing paean to solitude, is perhaps the most organic song on here (less electronics, more in the way of guitars and bass), while "We All Stand" is as limp as a shot dog and almost as painful to listen to - a rare case of New Order failing to deliver. They more than make up for it with the rest of the album, which arguably disproved Hannett's initial gripes with band and label about money being wasted - every conceivable synthesized toy, newly-acquired and of the age, made an appearance somewhere on Fact 75.
"Low-Life" - 9/10
1985
Factory
Recommended tracks: All of them, even Face Up
Even before this record was slipped from its sleeve, the mysterious anonymity exuded by PC&L was cast aside with "Low-Life", which, shock horror, featured black and white portraits of all four band members. For the first time, the album also featured two tracks issued as singles, the glorious "Perfect Kiss" and the misfiring clutter of John Robie's ropey remix of the otherwise superlative "Subculture". In fact, Factory could have released all but the final song as singles - Low-Life is unashamedly commercial without being irksome or twee and ranks as one of New Order's greatest albums. The instrumental "Elegia" showed the band at their most thoughtful and it soundtracked the beginning of many a New Order gig back in the '80s. If you can seek out the 17 minute version, do.
"Brotherhood" - 6/10
1986
Factory
Recommended tracks: Bizarre Love Triangle, All Day Long, Weirdo, As It Is When It Was
After two groundbreaking albums on the bounce, Brotherhood came as something of a disappointment. Functional indie-pop and meandering rock appeared to have consumed the same band that had just issued a decent single in "State of the Nation" (not included here, naturally) and one of their most glorious signature songs, "Bizarre Love Triangle" (included). But it's not all calamitous - side two boasts the aforementioned BLT, plus the poignant and grandiose "All Day Long" (with some of the best synth flourishes ever) and the rather more agitated "Angel Dust", which always seemed to sound better when presented as its instrumental twin, "Evil Dust" (only issued as a rare b-side or compilation track). The album's closing song "Every Second Counts" reveals the band's more childish nature with singer Sumner collapsing into giggles as he croons the most banal of lyrics, "every second counts/when I am with you/I think you are a pig...." - you can guess the rest. All in all, without side two's opening trio, Brotherhood might have been a stinker. Instead, it's not a bad album.
"Technique" - 8/10
1989
Factory
Recommended tracks: Mr Disco, Round and Round, Run 2, Vanishing Point, Loveless
After being dispatched to Ibiza at enormous expense, New Order returned 2 years later with an album comparable with their best work. Technique came clothed in a multi-coloured angel-clad sleeve that gently echoed the hallucinogenic times and acid-house movement of the late '80s. Technique was New Order's last Factory album and, as such, is a fitting swansong. Packed with potential club-belters and sunshine-soaked anthems, there is little to dislike, although the closing songs on each side of the vinyl don't rank as their best (although I'll admit that 20-plus years on, "Dream Attack" sounds like a keeper). The singles brought about varying fortunes - "Fine Time" (pill-popping house banger - good), "Round and Round" (Pet Shop Boys-esque stomper - minor hit) and "Run 2" (great song but brought about the attentions of John Denver's lawyers and a writ - bad, the single was withdrawn). A safer bet might have been the huge "Vanishing Point", already modified for a TV drama "Making Out", or the heavenly "Mr Disco". Whatever, Technique is good enough to play all the way through without hitting the skip-button/lifting the needle.
"Republic" - 7/10
1993
London
Recommended tracks: Regret, Everyone Everywhere, Spooky, Chemical, World (Price of Love)
Famously, New Order chose to air their stonking then-new single "Regret" on Top of the Pops whilst miming on the set of Baywatch. While minds boggled as Hasselhoffs' briefs burst and bikini-babes giggled at Peter Hook's rocker's mullet, the song soon became one of the band's biggest hits with the resultant album reaching number one, despite not having Technique's club chops or Low-Life's charm. Republic belies the style-over-substance argument (the cover looked like a glossy image from a holiday brochure) by boasting an entire side of memorable tracks such as "World" and "Everyone Everywhere" and a couple of other classy cuts such as "Young Offender" and "Chemical" on side two. Apart from the moody near-instrumental closer "Avalanche", the rest of side two falls someway short of the mark by simply being forgettable. One wonders if in 2013, the band will sanction a 20th anniversary of this one - I hope they do.
"Get Ready" - 5/10
2001
London
Recommended tracks: Crystal, 60 Miles An Hour. Er, that's it
Every band has a tense witching hour and this effort is New Order's. A dark demonic 50 minutes of muddled songs and a propensity to 'rock out' at regular intervals, Get Ready was a title deemed to be positive and was designed to warn the world that Manchester's finest were back, geared up for a new chapter. Instead, apart from sweetening the listeners with the majestic "Crystal" single, the results were perplexing considering the length of the band's hiatus and the various solo-projects previously undertaken (Electronic, Monaco, The Other Two). A few songs gelled ("Someone Like You" and "Close Range"), others didn't (the rest) and overall, Get Ready remains my least favourite New Order album. I've tried with it, I really have, but no amount of guest singers (Bobby Gillespie and Billy Corgan) or blustery production can rescue Get Ready from the back of the racks.
"Waiting For The Siren's Call" - 6/10
2005
London
Recommended tracks: Waiting For The Siren's Call, Turn, Hey Now What You Doing?, Krafty
A lacklustre and anonymous sleeve with the word 'No' on it was never going to entice anyone other than fans to part with their cash for what is still their last studio album. Which is a shame because "Siren's Call" has quite a few redeeming features musically-speaking. The title-track and "Hey Now" are sensitively sung by Sumner and "Krafty" passes muster as a decent first single choice, although second single "Jetstream" (with Scissor Sisters' Ana Matronic) succeeded in being far duller than its title may have first promised. The rest of the album is a blend of decent indie-pop ("Turn" and "Who's Joe?") or take-or-leave-it songs that neither offend nor excite - perhaps that's why many fans shrug when "Siren's Call" comes under critique. I think it's OK.
Compilations
"Substance" - 8/10
1987
Factory
Recommended tracks: Pretty much all of them except Shellshock and a few of the dub versions
New Order's reputation for creating great 12" singles is the basis of Substance, a double album that gathers all of them together, complete with most of the b-sides, some of which are actually as good as the a-sides. The flipsides include "Cries and Whispers", "Lonesome Tonight", "1963" and "The Beach", "Blue Monday's" dubby brother. Some of the instrumentals drag on a bit (who really needs a dub mix of "Shellshock", "Subculture" or "Confusion"?) but, if you bought the CD, you got a near-definitive round-up of a band at their peak. "True Faith" is simply sublime and pointed the way forward for the band by being one of their biggest successes.
"(The Best of) New Order" - 8/10
1994
London
Recommended tracks: do you really have to ask?
Musically faultless but far from being definitive, this 1994 update of New Order's career eschewed 12" mixes for radio-edits, save for the full-length original of "Thieves Like Us" and the curious inclusion of non-single "Vanishing Point". Clearly aimed at a crossover audience with a more casual attitude to the band, (The Best Of) is a decent enough assemblage of Sumner and co's more easy-going classics. It looks great on vinyl, if you can find it.
"(The Rest of) New Order" - 5/10
1995
London
Recommended tracks: World (Perfecto), Ruined In A Day (K-Klass), True Faith (Pettibone)
A conglomeration of older previously-issued remixes and newer unreleased or promo versions of classics that some may argue do not need remixing, full stop. Rather than improve upon the originals, (The Rest Of) distracts with heavy-handed beats (Biff and Memphis remix of Touched By The Hand Of God) or bangin' breaks (CJ Bolland giving Temptation a right old shoeing) with little in the way of homage. Previously issued and commissioned reworkings are the pick of the bunch here - K-Klass drastically improve the otherwise bland album mix of Ruined in a Day, while Paul Oakenfold turns World into a true contender even if a little overblown. One for the completists.
"International" - 7/10
2002
London
Recommended tracks: All pretty good inclusions, a few omissions
Compiled for the European market that excluded the UK, International is a pretty decent compilation that leans towards both 12" and radio-versions without too much in the way of remixing. The then-current single "Here To Stay" (from the film 24 Hour Party People) appears as the album's closer and newest song, while the notable omission of "Everything's Gone Green", "Temptation" (only on a ltd CD edition) and "Fine Time" (likewise) serves to induce scratching of heads.
"Retro" - 9/10
2002
London
Recommended tracks: All of it
Four CDs (five if you purchased the limited edition) of New Order-porn, although not as much in the way of unreleased nuggets as you might have wanted (you get a welter of those on the fifth CD). Beautifully packaged in an eye-catching sleeve with fans and friends of the band acting as compilers, a premise that couldn't fail. Could it? No - Retro is the best compilation for newcomers and heartily-recommended.
Miranda Sawyer nails the 'Pop' CD, cheekily including the less-than-impressive Brutal for The Beach soundtrack but redeeming herself with just about every decent single the band released.
The 'Fan' CD is the best for choice, all chosen by journo John McCready and inclusive of "Elegia", "Procession", "Sooner Than You Think" and "Cries and Whispers" (and the icky "Every Second Counts" and "Run Wild").
Mike Pickering chose the 'Club' tracks, picking high-quality hard-to-dig-up mixes of "Paradise" (by Severed Heads' collaborator Robert Racic), "Confusion" (by techno-duo Koma and Bones), "Regret" (bonkers dub mix by Sabres of Paradise) and the superlative proto-disco original indie-anthem, "Everything's Gone Green".
Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) picked an assortment of rare live tracks that range from the early ("In A Lonely Place" from Glasto in 1981) to recent ("Turn My Way" from 2001).
The fifth disc unearths the 17-minute original version of the epic "Elegia", rare single flipside "Such a Good Thing" and a '98 rework of "Temptation". Quite why there is a 2-minute extract of "Let Go" from the soundtrack to "Salvation" is anyone's guess, why not the full version?
"Singles" - 8/10
2005
London
Recommended tracks: Just about every 7" version your heart could desire
If you only buy one compilation of bite-sized New Order chunks, make it this one. If you're a collector, rare radio-versions on CD should be a green light to purchase - "Everything's Gone Green", "Thieves Like Us", "Subculture" and an unreleased edit of "Turn" might have most NO pedants in a lather, though thankfully the compilers saw fit to leave "Blue Monday" alone.
"Total" - 7/10
2011
London
Recommended tracks: Rare mixes and a jumble of both bands - what's not to like?
The garish sleeve promised an easy compact slice of both Joy Division and New Order without having to wade through those awkward miserable songs by either band. This is an idea that ought to be reprehensible, but it wasn't on the whole. Collectors had the bait of rare 7" edits of "Perfect Kiss" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" plus a new song, "Hellbent". As it stands, Total is a decent functional summary of both bands, tailored for those with the attention span of a gnat and a hatred of tunes over 6 minutes long.
"Lost Sirens" - 7/10
2013
Rhino
Recommended tracks: I'll Stay With You, Recoil, I Told You So
So then, after months (years?) of speculation and delays, the mysterious Lost Sirens, sister-album to 2005's Waiting For The Siren's Call, finally appeared in 2013 to muted praise. In truth, there are more decent songs than on its predecessor but there are a couple of stinkers - I'll let you find them. The triumphs justify the price of the album though and after a few listens, you begin to wish the band would hurry up and make up - and ducks might hang-glide.