Re: Depeche Mode and others ...

[bw16+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Brian Lee Welcker)]

>    I haven't heard anything about the new Depeche album, but New
> Order's Substance was a real let down. A compilation is the last
> thing that band needs.  There were on Fact 100c and Fact 150c over
> and over again. What they could really stand to do is write a new
> song. Maybe a whole darn album. But not to be radical, they could
> make it another 12" single, with a flip side single.

I must disagree with you on that point. The _Substance record (and
especially the CD) were very much necessary. New Order have had a
different "philosophy" than most groups about the relationship between
singles and albums. Most bands release a single from an album to
increase the sales of the album. New Order, however, see the single as
a distinct musical format. Until _Lowlife, New Order had never put a
single on an album, and even after that, the singles were different
than the album cuts. When referring to Fact 100c and Fact 150c, you
are speaking of the cassette versions, which are not the original
albums. The _Substance collection collects of these excellent songs
together in a digital format. This is important because it reproduces
"Ceremony" (The best Joy Division song) and "In A Lonely Place" which
were only available on low-quality 7". I also doubt that you would
bother to get the Factory Benelux versions of "Murder" or "Thieves
Like Us". Furthermore, the album DOES have a new song, "True Faith",
produced by Steven Hague (of Pet Shop Boys fame), and its new B-side,
"1963". The album demonstrates how New Order have escaped the shadow
of JD and become the best pop band in the world.

Brian
CMU