Low-Life [Definitive Edition]

by New Order

Overview

New Order's third LP, Low-Life, is, in every way, the artistic equal of their breakout, 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies. Building on the genre-hopping brilliance of the two singles they released in between -- the Arthur Baker-produced electro track "Confusion" and the dramatic synth rocker "Thieves Like Us" -- Low-Life marks the point where the band's fusion of rock and electronics becomes seamless. It's heavily sequenced and synthesized, but with bravura work from Bernard Sumner on guitar and Peter Hook's plaintive, melodic bass taking a lead role. The record is filled with hooky, hummable pop songs, but just as important are the experimental techniques that the band and engineer Michael Johnson employ. The melodica-led pop song "Love Vigilantes" is a perfect opener, a surprising bit of songcraft -- for the first time Sumner's lyrics tell a story -- with the kind of melody that's built to be a timeless earworm. "The Perfect Kiss" is almost the equal to that track melodically; however, the skittering beats, gleaming sequencers, and electronic handclaps point more forcefully toward the dancefloor. After this one-two punch, New Order filter in tracks like "This Time of Night" and "Elegia" that evoke the dark, nocturnal mood of the album's title and artwork; they make a white-hot racket on the hardest-rocking song in their catalog so far, "Sunrise," which is an amazing showcase for Hook and Sumner at their electric best; they add popping dance tracks ("Face Up" and "Sub-Culture," which was later improved by a slick remix); and, on "Sooner Than You Think," they show off an almost bouncy, light side of the group. Sumner's openhearted vocals and intimate lyrics here and throughout show the band coming out of their shell and connecting on a broader emotional level. By the end of Low-Life, there's no mistaking that New Order have reached a peak, experimenting with their sound and their style, yet keeping every moment wrapped in an unmistakable humanness. ~ John Bush & Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2023
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0825646253012
Rank:	41662

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Love Vigilantes
2. The Perfect Kiss
3. This Time of Night
4. Sunrise
5. Elegia
6. Sooner Than You Think
7. Sub-Culture
8. Face Up

Disc 2

9. Love Vigilantes [TV Pitch Instrumental Edit Mono]
10. The Perfect Kiss [Writing Session Recording]
11. Untitled No. 1 [Writing Session Recording]
12. Sunrise [Instrumental Rough Mix]
13. Elegia [Full Length Version]
14. Sooner Than You Think [Album Session Unedited Version]
15. Sub-Culture [Album Session Early Instrumental Version]
16. Face Up [Writing Session Recording]
17. Let¿¿¿s Go [Album Session Instrumental]
18. Untitled No. 2 [Writing Session Recording]
19. Sunrise [Writing Session Recording]
20. Love Vigilantes [Writing Session Recording]
21. Sooner Than You Think [Writing Session Recording]
22. Skullcrusher [Demo]

Disc 3

23. Confusion
24. Love Vigilantes
25. We All Stand
26. As It Is When It Was
27. Sub-Culture
28. Face Up
29. Sunrise
30. This Time of Night
31. Blue Monday
32. As It Is When It Was
33. Everything¿¿¿s Gone Green
34. Sub-Culture
35. Ceremony
36. Let¿¿¿s Go
37. This Time of Night
38. The Village
39. The Perfect Kiss
40. Age of Consent
41. Sunrise
42. Temptation
43. Face Up
44. As It Is When It Was
45. Sunrise
46. Face Up

Disc 4

47. Let¿¿¿s Go
48. The Perfect Kiss
49. Age of Consent
50. State of the Nation
51. As It Is When It Was
52. The Village
53. Sub-Culture
54. Atmosphere
55. Blue Monday
56. Thieves Like Us
57. Temptation
58. Confusion
59. Elegia
60. Sub-Culture
61. The Village
62. Sunrise
63. We All Stand
64. As It Is When It Was
65. Love Vigilantes
66. 586
67. Age of Consent
68. Temptation
69. Ceremony
70. The Perfect Kiss

Disc 5

71. Love Vigilantes
72. The Perfect Kiss
73. This Time of Night
74. Sunrise
75. Elegia
76. Sooner Than You Think
77. Sub-Culture
78. Face Up

Album Credits

Performance Credits

New Order   Primary Artist
Peter Hook   Vocals (Background)
Bernard Sumner   Vocals

Technical Credits

Michael Johnson   Engineer
Stephen Morris   Composer
John Robie   Composer
Peter Hook   Composer
New Order   Composer,Producer
Gillian Gilbert   Composer
Bernard Sumner   Composer
Frank Arkwright   Engineer
Trevor Key   Photography