Honestly, if you were a music fan in 1987, you probably remember that chunky double-disc case with the minimalist typography. It was everywhere. New Order’s Substance wasn’t just a compilation; it was basically a survival kit for anyone trying to navigate the weird transition from post-punk gloom to the neon-soaked dance floors of the late '80s. But here’s the thing: most people think they know the New Order Substance songs inside out, yet there’s a whole layer of technical weirdness and "happy accidents" that make this record way more complex than a standard Greatest Hits.
It was an accident. Total accident. Stephen Morris has even said as much in interviews. Factory Records was constantly bleeding money, and they needed a way to monetize the band's habit of releasing massive 12-inch singles that never actually appeared on their studio albums.
Why the 12-inch Versions Matter
If you grew up listening to the radio, you heard the "edit." But the real Substance experience is the sprawl. New Order was a singles band that didn't play by the rules. While other groups were trying to cram hooks into three minutes, Bernard Sumner and the crew were busy letting a drum machine run for eight minutes while Peter Hook played lead melodies on a bass guitar.
Take "The Perfect Kiss." On the original CD version of Substance, they actually had to shave off about 44 seconds of the climax just to make it fit on the disc. Imagine that. In 1987, digital storage was so tight that one of the greatest synth-pop endings of all time had to be butchered. It wasn't until the 2023 remaster that fans finally got the full-length version restored to the tracklist.
Then you've got "Blue Monday." It’s the best-selling 12-inch single ever, but on Substance, it feels different because it’s surrounded by its siblings. You start to notice how the "Blue Monday" bassline was basically a Frankenstein’s monster of influences—part Sylvester, part Donna Summer, and part Ennio Morricone.
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The 1987 Re-Recordings: Better or Worse?
This is where fans usually get into heated debates over a pint. For the Substance release, the band decided to re-record "Temptation" and "Confusion."
Why? Because they felt the 1982 and 1983 originals sounded too "muddy."
The 1987 version of "Temptation" is the one most people know—it’s cleaner, the "Oh, you've got green eyes, oh, you've got blue eyes" line is crisper, and it has that driving, polished energy. But if you talk to the purists, they’ll tell you the original 12-inch from '82 has a certain "cavernous" soul that the re-recording lost. It’s a trade-off. You get production value, but you lose a bit of the Manchester rain, if that makes sense.
"Confusion" '87 is an even weirder beast. The original was a gritty, plodding New York electro track produced by Arthur Baker. The version on Substance sounds like it’s trying to be Kraftwerk's Electric Cafe. It’s shiny. It’s digital. It’s... controversial.
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The Mystery of the Mislabeled Tracks
If you own an original pressing, you might have noticed some confusion with the B-sides. On the second disc (or the second cassette), there are two tracks: "Mesh" and "Cries and Whispers."
For years, these were swapped.
Labels were wrong. Sleeves were wrong. Even the early iTunes releases just lumped them together as "Mesh (Cries and Whispers)." It’s a very Factory Records mistake—the kind of beautiful chaos that defined Tony Wilson’s label. "Mesh" is this driving, almost gothic piece of post-punk, while "Cries and Whispers" is more atmospheric. If you're looking for these New Order Substance songs today, make sure you're actually listening to the one you think you are.
A Tracklist That Changed Everything
The sequencing of Substance is chronological, which lets you hear the band literally learning how to use their gear in real-time.
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- Ceremony: The bridge. It was a Joy Division song, but it became the New Order starting gun. The version on Substance is the 1981 re-recording with Gillian Gilbert, which added that essential second layer of guitar and synth.
- Thieves Like Us: This is often cited as the "end" of their post-punk era. After this, the acoustic drums started to fade out, and the sequencers took over the heavy lifting.
- Bizarre Love Triangle: Basically the perfect pop song. Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner were obsessed with the New York club scene, and you can hear it in the way the Fairlight CMI sampler is used here.
- True Faith: The "new" song for the compilation. Produced by Stephen Hague, it was their bid for American stardom. It worked. But it also marked a shift toward a more "produced" sound that eventually led to the internal friction that tore the band apart.
The 2023 Expansion: What's Different?
If you're diving into the New Order Substance songs via the recent reissue, you're getting a lot more than the original 24 tracks. The 4CD deluxe edition is a beast. It includes "Dub-vulture," "Bizarre Dub Triangle," and a live recording from Irvine Meadows in 1987 where they played the whole album in order.
Listening to the live disc is a revelation. It reminds you that despite all the sequencers and "hideously expensive" gear—some of which Bernard apparently built himself with a soldering iron—they were still a rock band at heart. There’s a story Bernard tells about a drum machine they used that worked perfectly until you shone a flashlight at it. Then it would just freeze. That’s the energy of Substance. It’s high-tech music held together by tape and stubbornness.
How to Experience Substance Today
Don't just shuffle it on Spotify. You lose the narrative.
If you really want to understand why these songs matter, listen to them in their original 12-inch glory. Notice how "Sub-culture" feels almost like a Hi-NRG anthem compared to the moody "Leave Me Alone" from the albums. Substance proves that New Order was two different bands: a gloomy, introspective guitar group on their LPs, and a revolutionary, floor-filling powerhouse on their singles.
Next Steps for the New Order Fan:
- Compare the '82 and '87 versions of Temptation. Listen for the "cavernous" reverb in the original versus the pop polish of the Substance version.
- Hunt down the 12-inch mix of Sub-culture. The John Robie remix on Substance is legendary for its "soulful" female backing vocals, which actually annoyed Peter Hook at the time because he thought it sounded too commercial.
- Check the labels on your B-sides. If you have the CD, verify if you’re listening to "Mesh" or "Cries and Whispers" by checking the tempo—"Mesh" is much faster.