West End Mystery

What do these six images of the Collector's Edition of "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys have in common? If you can't spot the problem, don't worry as it probably takes quite specialist and nerdy knowledge to discern what is going on.

The answer is that for all of these records, the 'wrap around' sleeve has been applied incorrectly. This single wasn't issued like this, but the owners haven't been able to work out how to put them back in the sleeve properly. If you search for images of "Pet Shop Boys West End Girls 10 inch" almost every picture looks like this. I'm not sure why it is so difficult to fold the sleeve correctly, but almost everyone seems to get it wrong. Apart from causing me some mild annoyance, this isn't an issue as how people chose to store their records is no concern of mine.

However, if you advertise your record for sale as "mint", "still sealed" or "never opened" using images like these - I know you're lying. This is quite a collectible record for Pet Shop Boys enthusiasts and people will pay anywhere between £25 and £75 for a copy in good condition. So if you're looking to buy this record and the sleeve doesn't look like image to the right, then it is not "mint" and has definitely been opened.

I bought my copy of this 10" twenty tears ago from a well known online retailer (I still have the receipt and cringe at the £85 price tag - but hey, the postage was only £1.85). Even though mine was sold as mint and shows no signs of wear whatsoever, it was nineteen years old when it came into my possession and I have no way of knowing what truly happened during those years. In fact, when I look closely at the photo I just took, I can see the catalogue number is upside-down, which suggests the sticker has been re-applied the wrong way round. So my copy might not be mint either, but at least I don't have a strip of the inner photo showing through the front - which is more than 99% of people selling them can say.

One record at a time: 271. New Order - Substance

I think I own a version of this compilation on CD somewhere, but this new vinyl edition only came into my possession in 2023. Like many albums that have been repressed recently, it was released to capitalise on consumer demand that was driving second-hand prices of the original record ever upward. Whilst fairly costly, this double LP is an essential purchase as it brings together all of the band's 12" singles released between 1981 and 1987; many of which were not included on albums. In typical New Order fashion, the true nature of this release was confused by including re-recordings of two songs, edits of a handful of others and mixing up the names of two of the b-sides included on the cassette and CD editions.

This vinyl only contains the twelve a-sides and, as it moves in chronological order, the re-recording of "Ceremony" starts us off. I think it is fairly well known that this song began life as a Joy Division composition and it is sounds predictably atmospheric and moody; pop music this is not. The New Order back catalogue is not easy to navigate and the inclusion of "Everything's Gone Green" could be based on any number of factors. Yet it is important this song is included as, not only is it very good, but it is clearly a moment in which New Order emerged from the shadow of Joy Division. "Temptation" has a very distinctive vocal that seems to be perfectly complimented by the rattling guitars and the synth sequences - I like this track very much and it fully justifies its seven minute length. Next up is the classic "Blue Monday" that I don't have to describe here - suffice to say this track was a seismic shift in electronic music and we wouldn't be where we are today without it. 

"Confusion" on the other hand is not a track I enjoy. The vocals are terrible, the melody is naive and the production a cliche. Everyone is trying too hard on this song and it ends up sounding manufactured and artificial. Normal service is resumed with the majestic duo of "Thieves Like Us" and "The Perfect Kiss" which would surely be on any 'Best of" mix tape you might feel compelled to make. "Subculture" and "Shellshock" are disappointing and sound a little insipid for me. "State of the Nation" is OK but the real highlights are the last two tracks "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith". 

I first heard "True Faith" when the video was played on a TV programme I was watching. This track sounded perfect to my ears and my sole reason for borrowing the cassettes of "Substance" in 1987 was to hear this song. But when I played the album I didn't have the patience to wade through tracks with guitar and out of tune vocals to get to the big prize; so I gave up. When I did finally go back to New Order in the early nineties, I realised that some of these tracks are cornerstones of electronic music and this is an essential album. 4/5

One record at a time: 270. New Order - Brotherhood

"Brotherhood" has somehow come to be regarded as an illustration of the two sides of New Order: the rock and the electronic. This is a recent common or garden repressing that has a cheap flimsy inner bag and average sound quality, but it is still sold at a premium price.

Opening track "Paradise" is reminiscent of the band's early singles where their post-punk sound incorporates enough synths and melody to be really exciting. Unfortunately the second track "Weirdo" leans more towards a traditional rock sound and is a bit dull as a result. I can almost see Hooky grinning in the studio as I listen to this. "Broken Promise" has a pulse but no real melody and "As It Is When It Was" has neither. The more effervescent "Way of Life" finishes off a competent if slightly dull side one.

As the familiar synth bass of "Bizarre Love Triangle" kicks in, I instantly feel more comfortable in a world of glossy synth-pop driven by sequencers and drum machines. The infectious melody and disjointed (but strangely inspiring) lyrics combine to create a classic in the New Order back catalogue. The next song, "All Day Long" can only be described as epic. One of the elements that sets this album above its predecessors is Bernard's improved vocals because not only are they increasingly in tune, but as this song demonstrates, they are also better timed to compliment the strict rhythm of the TR-808 beat. 

After two appealing and largely commercial songs, New Order seem compelled to indulge the intrusive voices that tell them to create noisy, meaningless rock (far be it from me to pick sides and imply there was one particular member of the band that drove this) with "Angel Dust". The final track, "Every Little Counts" is a seemingly light weight ditty where Bernard begins laughing towards the end of the song. When I first heard this album in my youth the laughter felt a bit like the band where mocking their own material and it didn't sit well with me. Thankfully I am a little more accepting now and overall, this album is better than I remember it being. If "Angel Dust" and "Paradise" could swap places this would allow me a clear run at one side of the record and an option to pick up the 'rock' side in the unlikely event I wanted to hear it. Like many New Order albums this record swings between mediocre compositions and electronic finery, you just have to take the rough with the smooth. 3/5

One record at a time: 269. New Order - Low-Life

The original pressing of this record came with a semi-transparent "onion skin" sleeve that allowed the owner to swap the image showing on the front. Alas, a great many of these original sleeves are now torn and a good second hand copy is hard to come by. As a consequence of this sleeve fragility, I am playing a recent repressing with a standard cardboard sleeve and a flimsy inner bag that I was given as a Christmas present.

"Love Vigilantes" is a bizarre opening track that sounds like a pub band playing John Denver. The lyrics could be considered naive at best and the delivery is almost laughable. And yet, you can't help continuing to listen with the same morbid fascination that drives people to watch a car crash - we're intrigued to see just how bad things turn out. We instantly jump from the ridiculous to the sublime with the introduction of lead single "The Perfect Kiss". This track is fantastic eighties synth-pop and is head and shoulders above everything else on this record. The lyrics are nonsensical and I know purists bemoan the fact that the album version is heavily edited from the original; but for the more casual fan like myself, this still hits the spot. "This Time Of Night" is fairly standard indie/dance fare which is nice enough without really setting the world on fire. There's some overly long post punk rock in the form of "Sunrise", but it's not one I enjoy.

On the flip side we have instrumental "Elegia" which is a sombre tribute to former band mate Ian Curtis. As the track plods along in a fairly skeletal fashion, it is easy to tell it was intended to accompany visuals where it would have benefited from some added stimulus. "Sooner Than You Think" recycles the sonic palette used on "The Perfect Kiss" and sounds pretty good despite Bernard's best efforts to scupper it with inept vocals. The version of "Sub-Culture" presented here is far superior to the slightly kitsch disco versions John Robbie created for the single release. I think a good part of the reason I don't like this song is because I have always been more familiar with the single remixes where everything sounds forced and disjointed. The the album version is better as its raw energy sounds honest and less contrived. Things finish off with "Face Up" which seems to have set out to be a hi-energy stomper, but as Hooky and Bernard are playing and singing in completely different keys, things turn out as a real mess. 2/5

One record at a time: 268. New Order - Power, corription and Lies

My first experience of New Order was listening to a borrowed cassette of "Substance" in 1987. At first I was struck by the 'indie' nature of the music and disappointed it wasn't the slick synth-pop of their latest hit single. In fact, I struggled to find the new single on either cassette as there were no track names that sounded even vaguely like: "I used to think that the day would never come, I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun". 

The style of the music on "Substance" was inconsistent and everything sounded vaguely out of tune to my young ears. At the time I felt New Order were just too enigmatic and they clearly weren't a band for me.

Over the next few years I had various brushes with New Order but I didn't purchase any of their music until 1994 when "The Best Of " was released. By this time I was earning a meagre wage and felt I could afford to take a punt and finally work out what this band were all about. Thirty years later I still don't think I fully understand New Order, but I have a much greater appreciation for their music and have gone on to purchase a good chunk of their back catalogue.

"Power, Corruption and Lies" is the second album released by the band in 1983 and I purchased this modern repress in 2021. I may have mentioned previously that one of my pet peeves is record labels that don't clearly state which side of the record you are looking at. This particular record is guilty of this offence and, as I lay it on the platter, I make a mental note to deduct half a point for the infraction.

Compared to their first album (which was recorded in a very particular set of circumstances) the music on this record is slightly less morose. Whilst "Age of Consent" and "We All Stand" still rely on Hooky's distinctive bass and Stephen's manic drumming, everything feels buoyant and spirited. 

The first substantial use of electronic instruments comes on "The Village" which has a brilliant Moog Source bassline bubbling under Bernard's vocal, along with loads of other synth arpeggios and textures. "5 8 6" starts as a weird experimental piece before suddenly bursting into life with a very familiar sound.

The best track on the album is "Your Silent Face" which features the immortal line "You've caught me at a bad time. So, why don't you piss off?". The synth lines on this track are almost perfect and it matches contemporaneous masterpieces like "Temptation" in quality. "Ultraviolence" mixes snippets of DNA from "Blue Monday" with the maudlin sensibilities of Joy Division to good effect. "Ecstasy" is a largely instrumental piece that uses an electronic bassline and some nifty vocoder to encapsulate the change of direction this album represents. Final track "Leave Me Alone" sounds more like one of the traditional band recordings we heard at the start of the album. It's not a bad song, but as the album has gradually progressed into an electronic sound, it feels a retrograde step to end up exactly where we started.

When discussing this album, the elephant in the room is the omission of "Blue Monday". Not including one of your biggest hits and a seminal moment in electronic music on the album is the kind of illogical thing many artists did in the eighties. Yet, it is probably for the best that it isn't on here as "5 8 6" and "Ultraviolence" have strong similarities and would have paled in comparison. Even the best songs on this record like "The Village" and "Your Silent Face" might not shine as brightly if the 'biggest selling 12" of all time' was included; so lets accept the album as it is. 3/5

One record at atime: 266. Naked Eyes - Burning Bridges

This isn't the first time I've messed up the order of my reviews and I am sure it won't be the last. For some reason this record was filed incorrectly and I only discovered it at the back of the shelf today. I wonder how many more I might have missed over the last couple of years...

As I pore over the sleeve of this slightly yellowed original LP, I notice it is produced by Tony Mansfield. I immediately associate Tony with two things: a-ha and the Fairlight CMI. Whilst the credits tell us Fairlight was used on here, it isn't that obvious and the final sound is lush and varied.

The more you look at them, the more imposing the credits for this album get. As well as Fairlight it uses a NED Synclavier 2, PPG Wave, an OBXa, Prophet 5 and an Emulator. If these instruments weren't impressive enough, I then notice it was recorded at Abbey Road and mixed at Pete Townsend's Eel Pie Studios. EMI clearly threw a lot of money at this project back in 1982 - I can't imagine how much it cost to put together. Personally, I think the money was well spent and every penny can be heard in the finished product.

The opening track "Voices in my Head" sets the stall out early with its unashamed synth-pop styling that is infused with rhythm and infectious hooks. I love the organ solo in the middle of this song and the various synth textures that rattle around augment Pete's vocals nicely. The opening of "I Could Show You How" features a great synth melody and there are analogue percussive elements running throughout the song that make me think Rob Fisher and Tony Mansfield must have been some sort of synth programming geniuses. 

"A Very Hard Act to Follow" has a very sparse introduction using the detuned clap from a Linn LM-1 and a sample that sounds like it is from the Fairlight. This is another great composition that is full of hooks and melodic elements that prove to be very catchy. There's a cover version of the Burt Bacharach standard "Always Something There To Remind Me" which makes liberal use of Simmons SD1 toms and is a pleasing addition. Once again there is some stunning synth work on "Fortune and Fame" and "Could Be" provides a nice change of pace. In fact the later song is so good it can even withstand a mercifully short saxophone solo (it was the eighties after all). 

The flip side opens with the title track which sounds good but doesn't feature quite as many flourishes as some of the stronger material on the album. Speaking of strong tracks, "Emotion in Motion" is one of my favourites. The synth work on the introduction of this song is sublime and recedes perfectly to allow Pete's cracking vocals room to breathe. As "Low Life" fires up I thought the bassline could almost be the ubiquitous DX7 preset E.BASS 1 but as there is no DX7 on this record, it is probably from the Synclavier. There's another slower track with "The Time is Now" which is good without setting the world on fire.

"When the Lights Go Out" has a fairly standard verse but the chorus blooms with a great melody and analogue synth rhythms that remind me of  "Ice Machine" by Depeche Mode. We go out on a high with the single "Promises Promises" which has fabulous rhythm guitars (courtesy of producer Tony Mansfield) and an infectious melody that makes me want to go back and play the record again. Having played the record again I realise this is only the second time I have done this in listening to over 250 LPs.

In terms of sound reproduction this has to be one of the nicest records I own. Whilst it may not have deep bass and sparkling top end, it is very sympathetic to the material. Despite being forty years old, my copy is in near perfect condition and doesn't make a pop or crackle anywhere. This record seems to have been issued in a polythene lined inner and its sound is testament to a time when vinyl was pressed well.

This record and Naked Eyes are most definitely underrated here in the UK and its a real shame they are not revered more highly. I only became aware of them when "Voices in my Head" was recommended to me on last.fm in May 2011. The band's relative obscurity is probably due to the fact that they didn't tour or play live much; but have no doubt, this album is a synth-pop classic waiting for the world to wake up to its genius. 5/5

One record at a time: 267. New Order - Movement

I saw a television programme recently in which Peter Hook described "Movement" as, "A Joy Division album sung by New Order". There's no doubt that New Order's debut is a transitional piece that ploughs the same furrow as Joy Division rather than offering us something new. 

Here I will be playing a copy of the 2016 repressing which is visually unremarkable, but seems to win universal praise for how it sounds.

The opening track "Dreams Never End" is a relatively primitive band recording involving bass, acoustic drums and guitar. The vocals are provided by Peter Hook as the band hadn't decided who was to be the new singer when it was recorded. The song is relatively upbeat and has some nice melodic elements, but I can't say I enjoy the strange double tracked vocal.

"Truth" is a maudlin drawl that features some primitive synth sounds and a drum machine alongside the usual guitar and bass. There's a four on the floor kick drum to open "Senses" and a rumbling synth that suggests this is going to be something more lively. Stephen's trademark roto-toms come rattling through before we hear Hooky's distinctive high basslines. For me this is one of the first songs that points to the sound the band would later develop. "Chosen Time" is surprisingly rapid in tempo but somehow manages to sound brooding and sullen at the same time. 

"ICB" and "The Him" are reflective pieces but the latter sounds naive in its realisation and I am growing very tired of Stephen's insistent toms by this point. Hooky returns on vocals for the disappointing "Doubts Even Here" and the slightly more upbeat "Denial" finishes things off. The trouble with this album is that it gives me the feeling of what it is like to be a goldfish: thirty seconds after a track has finished I can't remember anything about it. Everything sounds fairly similar with rattling toms, choppy guitars and largely indistinguishable vocals buried in the mix. The real New Order were yet to emerge from the shadows of Joy Division. 2/5