AMG Review of Low-life [Collector's Edition]

John Bush
All Music Guide

New Order's third LP, Low-life, was, in every way, the artistic equal of their breakout, 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies. The point where the band's fusion of rock and electronics became seamless, it showed the bandmembers having it every way they wanted: heavily sequenced and synthesized, but with bravura work from Bernard Sumner's guitar and Peter Hook's plaintive, melodic bass; filled with hummable pop songs, but still experimental with how the productions were achieved. The melodica-led pop song "Love Vigilantes" was the opener, similar as a standout opener to "Age of Consent" from Power, Corruption & Lies. Next was "The Perfect Kiss," one of the first major New Order singles to appear on one of their contemporary albums. (The band being newly signed to Warner Bros. in the United States, it made perfect sense to include such a sublime piece of dance-pop on the LP.) Even as more and more synth-heavy groups (like Eurythmics and Pet Shop Boys) began approaching New Order's expertise with the proper care of electronics in pop music, the band still sounded like none other. "This Time of Night" and "Elegia" evoked the dark, nocturnal mood of the album's title and artwork, but none could call them mopey when they pushed so hard on "Sunrise." "Sub-Culture," tucked in at the end, has the feel of a lost opportunity; remixed for the single, it became much better. But there was no mistaking that New Order had caught lightning in a bottle, and they looked to be a burgeoning phenomenon for years. [Rhino's 2008 remastering of New Order's first five albums, subtitled The Factory Years, provided complete remastering of each original LP plus a bonus disc that included a good sampling of the band's non-album material contemporary to the album. For Low-life, that included the extended single version of "The Perfect Kiss," a remix of "Sub-Culture," "Shellshock," an extended version of "Elegia," and two tracks from the #Salvation soundtrack, "Let's Go" and "Salvation Theme."]