FLASHBACK: New Order 'Power, Corruption & Lies'
We look at the sound defining LP from New Order, 'Power, Corruption & Lies', and how it set them up to be one of the most acclaimed groups of the 1980's.
It was a mean feat, out running the shadow of Joy Division's legacy, but it was a challenge that Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, together as New Order, met head on.
Were they to pick up where you left off? Or were they to reinvent themselves, their sound and their direction? The latter was what they chose: a leap of faith that discarded the safety net of what they had built before them. A jump that saw them become one of the most critically acclaimed and influential groups of the 1980's.
A year after the opening of England's first ever super club (a venture largely funded by New Order), the world famous Haçienda, the band released their sophomore album 'Power Corruption & Lies'. The album was said to be a conscious step away from the sound delivered in their debut LP Movements, which was written and recorded as the trio were still reeling at the death of Ian Curtis.
An increased use of synthesizers and drum machines saw New Order's sound break into dance territory, taking influence from early techno and blending it with their earlier guitar based work.
Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter
Much to the disdain of the buying public, the groups foot finding, sound defining track 'Blue Monday' (the track that became the best-selling independent 12" single of all time in the UK) was not included on the album.
Though, singles like 'Confusion' and 'Thieves Like Us' helped calm fans and further establish the group as a dance music force.
Words by Chevy Long
More From Our Network
