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Released: 2008-11-11 Rating:  More Details: Low-Life (2 CD Collector's Edition) Low-Life (2 CD Collector's Edition) @Amazon Low-Life (2 CD Collector's Edition) @aStore |
Album Description
Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of this 1985 album from the Manchester quartet, one of the most successful and consistent bands of the '80s and beyond. After the suicide of vocalist, Ian Curtis, the three surviving members of Joy Division regrouped under the band name New Order, adding Gillian Gilbert on keyboards. The rest, as they say, is history. Disc One in this package contains the original album in its digitally remastered glory. Disc Two is filled with eight non-album singles, B-sides and remixes. This is as great as it gets! Rhino UK. 2008.
With the 1985 release of Low Life, New Order put forth their most commercially accessible effort to date. While some of the dark-wave drippings of their Joy Division roots are evident, high energy progressions, which would carry them for years to come, began to emerge here. Hits like "Perfect Kiss" and "Sub-Culture," with their synth hooks, club-stomping accents, and visceral lyrics, helped bridge the gap for growing synth-pop audiences who bolstered their success. Other refined techniques on the album became standard New Order conventions: sweeping analogue rolls, live and sequenced drum percussion, tight bass melodies, and edgy guitar leads. Sustained by a peerless level of emotional involvement, the vocals and lyrics further entice the listener with the obliquely nuanced style of Bernard Sumner. Standing the test of time, this release is a must-have in order to understand the origins of introspective pop-wave culture. --Lucas Hilbert
Tracklisting:
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:
1. The Perfect Kiss
2. Sub-Culture
3. Shellshock
4. Shame of the Nation
5. Elegia
6. Let's Go
7. Salvation Theme
8. Dub Vulture
Customer Reviews:
good material - bad remastering
See the two newest reviews (other than this one). The consensus seems to be that there is a major but quick flaw on the first disc and many problems on the bonus discs.
Great Album - Flawed Master 
This is one of my favorite albums of all time but I have to jump in on the remastering issues. I just bought this yesterday and I have the same flaw on the song Sunrise that the previous reviewer reported. I'll take his word for the exact time of the flaw but there is definitely a remarkable volume drop in the right channel in the middle of the song. The right channel corrects itself pretty quickly but when I heard it I thought something was wrong with my CD player. This is a very noticeable flaw. I even pulled out my Retro box set to listen to the song there to see if the flaw was part of the original master. The Retro version is fine as is my old copy of the CD. Is there anyone out there who bought a copy of this reissue that doesn't have that volume drop on Sunrise?
NO MASTERING PROBLEMS!
Attention buyers, the negative hype is surrounding the UK edition released in September. Rhino cleaned up the problems. In fact, I think disc 2 sounds AMAZING! I hear NONE of the problems stated in the prior review. I think that review is based on the UK edition, not this one. YAY!
Loaded with errors
The MUSIC on these New Order reissues get a 5/5, easily. However, there were far too many egregious mistakes made in the creation of the discs themselves to give them a pass. Only the first discs were re-mastered though they still have some problems, it is the bonus discs that are an absolute mess.
Warner Music/Rhino know about these problems, but there is yet no word on any forthcoming fixes. So I'd hold off until these issues are addressed.
Noted below are the specific problems with the Low Life reissue:
Low-Life (1985) Digipak spine says "1983"
1. Love Vigilantes 4:19
2. The Perfect Kiss 4:50
3. This Time of Night 4:45
4. Sunrise 6:01 - Sudden volume drop in right channel at 2:36
5. Elegia 4:55
6. Sooner Than You Think 5:11
7. Sub-culture 4:58
8. Face Up 5:06
Overall: the album tracks "sound like they've been mastered from the Centredate cd's and not the masters themselves" "this release is a massive disappointment. I would advise to NOT buy it - "Sleeve notes full of errors" "Did anyone proof read these?"
Low-Life - bonus disc
1. The Perfect Kiss 8:50 - Dubious sound quality, clicks, 'crackles', and pops at 0:07, 0:11, 0:16, 0:20, 0:23, 0:25, 0:30, 0:42, 0:50, 0:54, 1:08, 1:19, 1:23, 1:28, 1:32, 1:38, 1:56, 2:12, 2:32, 3:01, 3:03, 3:10, 3:11, 3:15, 3:24, 3:29, 3:40, 3:54, 3:57, 4:52, 4:59, 5:04, 5:06, 5:11, 5:13, 5:15, 5:18, 5:20, 5:27, 5:41, 6:08, 6:09, 6:37, 6:42, 6:44, 6:47, 6:51, 6:56, 7:12, 7:47, 7:49, 8:10, 8:15, 8:20, 8:36, and 8:38.
2. Subculture 7:27 - Glitches "run the whole way through it", namely at: 0:02, 0:04, 0:07, 0:08, 0:23, 0:48, 0:56, 1:24, 1:32, 1:58, 2:09, 2:47, 2:50, 3:13, 3:52, 3:55, 3:57, 3:59, 4:30, 4:35, 4:48, 4:55, 4:57, 5:04, 5:18, 5:46, 5:49, 6:38, and 6:52.
3. Shellshock - Plays the Substance edit, not the full 12" version. sounds messy, more bass but also no presence"
4. Shame Of The Nation
5. Elegia 17:30
6. Let's Go - "Clicks" at 1:24 and 3:23(at 1:31 it sounds like the tape slowed suddenly)
7. Salvation Theme 2:16
8. Dub Vulture 7:56 - Has "rumble" as if it were taken from vinyl. Clicks and pops at 0:07, 0:09, 0:14 ....
Overall, "mastering for the bonus tracks is on the loud side" and clipping may be present. "The tracks on the bonus disc sound mostly awful". "I just can't believe this release passed the quality control of band, management and label."
O.K., but far from their best 
For those fans more into New Order's 80's techno-brit-pop sound, I suppose "Low-Life" might be a favorite. To me though, the band really came into its own with the lusher and more layered sounds of "Republic," "Get Ready," and "Waiting for the Sirens' Call," N.O.'s last three albums. While "Sub-Culture" is certainly one of their dance classics, it really doesn't have the resonance of "Age of Consent" or "Blue Monday." "Love Vigilantes" and "Perfect Kiss" are certainly fun, but hardly stand out. The other tracks (other than "Elegia" and "Sunrise," which are discussed below) hardly make an impression. In general Bernard Sumner's vocals and lyrics on "Low-Life" are sub-par.
There are two songs on "Low Life" I like quite alot. The instrumental "Elegia" strongly reminds me of the soundtrack from the "Phantasm" movies, and that, by itself, is enough for me to really like the song. What truly puzzles me though is that the other reviewers don't unanimously acknowledge what is clearly the best song on the album by far: the amazing "Sunrise." Finally we hear what the boys can sound like playing real instruments -- scintillating guitars, riveting bass-line, real drums, and Bernard Sumner singing with soul. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the song's obvious connection to The Cure's monumental "A Forest." Surely the opening notes are a dead giveaway that the comparison is meant to be made.
With these earlier albums, those with my taste heard alot of potential in New Order, but may have been somewhat put off by the all too frequent reliance on 80's styled synthesizers and drum machines. But the best was yet to come, as Bernard Sumner continued to grow into his role as the creative force of the band, both musically and lyrically.
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related blog:
New Order - Low-Life (2 CD Collector's Edition) ~ 11/11/2008
With the 1985 release of Low Life, New Order put forth their most commercially accessible effort to date. While some of the dark-wave drippings of their Joy Division roots are evident, high energy progressions, which would carry them ...
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