Substance (New Order album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Substance
Type = Greatest hits
Artist = New Order


Released = 17 August 1987
Recorded = 1981-1987
Genre = Techno, Alternative, House
Length = 146:48
Label = Factory - FACT 200
Producer = New Order
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:qh9gs33ba3dg link]
*Robert Christgau (A) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=new+order link]
Last album = "Brotherhood"
(1986)
This album = "Substance"
(1987)
Next album = "Technique"
(1989) |

"Substance" is a 1987 double compilation album by New Order, consisting of all of the band's singles at that point in their 12-inch versions, together with their respective B-side tracks. The then newly-released non-album single "True Faith" is also featured, along with its B-side "1963". The collection was released on vinyl, double CD, double cassette and Digital Audio Tape.

Album details

While "Substance" presents a sizeable collection of singles, there are many omissions and differences to be found from the original single releases:
* The versions of "Temptation" and "Confusion" were re-recorded in 1987 especially for "Substance" and the original versions do not appear.
* "Ceremony" is the version recorded after Gillian Gilbert joined the band. The original trio version — the first New Order recording following the dissolution of Joy Division — would not be re-released until the "Singles" collection in 2005.
* "Procession" and "Murder", despite being A-side singles, are only present on the second B-side half of "Substance".
* "Shellshock" and "Hurt" are both edited by a couple of minutes each on all versions of the album. "The Perfect Kiss" has around 40 seconds edited on the CD version, but the full unedited version is included on the vinyl LP version of the album. The version of "Sub-culture" featured is not the full 12" version. Rather it is an edit that was previously included on Benelux editions of the single.
* "Cries and Whispers" is incorrectly labelled as "Mesh" on all versions, and only on the cassette version does the original "Mesh" actually appear, itself mistitled as "Cries and Whispers" (to add to the confusion, the iTunes Store release, based from the CD version, labels the song "Mesh (Cries and Whispers)").The standard tape version, due to the extra space befitting the format, also contains extra tracks in the form of "Dub-vulture", "Shellcock", and "Bizarre Dub Triangle", as well as the original "Mesh". Only on the limited edition cassette version does "True Dub" appear, as the last track on the second tape. On all cassette versions, "Murder" is after "Thieves Like Us" on the first cassette, whereas on the CD/DAT versions it is a track on the second half of the album.

Track listings

LP version

* "True Dub" is only available on a limited edition version of the "Substance" cassette.

* On all versions, "Cries and Whispers" is mistitled as "Mesh", and vice versa, "Sub-culture" is mistitled as "Subculture" and "The Perfect Kiss" is mistitled as "Perfect Kiss".

Video release

A video version of "Substance" appeared in 1989 on VHS; it was released on LaserDisc in Japan in 1991. The cover is similar to the LP, except "1987" is replaced by "1989" and different background colours are used; the Factory/Qwest release has a grey background, the Japanese VHS release, blue and the LaserDisc, turquoise. The video includes linking sequences which are animated to the accompaniment of instrumental sections from "The Happy One", an otherwise unreleased track from the "Technique" sessions.

Video song listing

#"Confusion"
#"The Perfect Kiss"
#"Shellshock"
#"Bizarre Love Triangle"
#"True Faith"
#"Touched by the Hand of God"
#"Blue Monday 1988"