100 songs
9.5 hours of music
It's been both mine and Bruno's sincere pleasure to compile this virtual box set. There will be some additional materials for those of you who've been assembling the mini sleeves - a booklet and some packaging suggestions/instructions.
To date, Ceremony has logged the most downloads at just under 2000. London/Warners, are you listening? There is a market for a carefully curated box set.
We'll be taking a break for a few weeks, returning after the holidays to tackle 9 Joy Division singles:
1. An Ideal For Living
2. A Factory Sample
3. Transmission
4. Licht Und Blindheit (Dead Souls/Atmosphere)
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart
6. Komakino
7. She's Lost Control
8. Atmosphere (1988)
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart '95
2. A Factory Sample
3. Transmission
4. Licht Und Blindheit (Dead Souls/Atmosphere)
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart
6. Komakino
7. She's Lost Control
8. Atmosphere (1988)
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart '95
Each of these will include bonus tracks, some of which have never been heard by a wide audience.
Outstanding effort! Thank you so much for all the time and effort spent on this project. Truly awesome.
ReplyDeleteCant' wait for the Joy Division (I'll have to 'though!)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant job on the New Order.
Well done. Hope it gets an official release. You should start a petition!
as far as i'm concerned you may continue with all the london stuff too, or, also great, some rarities, like the christmas flexi by new order. that would make the project even better - but i must say: a great project so far, sir.
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, thank you. I do hope the powers that be are watching and listening and get their fingers out and get someone to contact you. If they don't, I want to know why.
ReplyDeleteOnce again Bruno, £50, thank you for a labour of love.
Looking forward to the new year and 9 Joy Division singles.
it was like i was in my teens all over agian
ReplyDeleteGuys,
ReplyDeletethanks a mill for the amazing effort. As someone else who was totally disapointed with the reissues - i have to say cheers! It's been a absolute pleasure over the last few months waiting for each new upload. Rediscovering all these tunes has been brilliant. As someone who has recently bought the Kraftwerk Catalogue Boxset, I hope the record company are taking note - done properly with love and dedication (like you guys have shown) people will fork out the hard earned cash for a boxset that does this music justice. You say that 2000 people downloaded Ceremony, then if this was advertised widely a limited box of 5000 would completely sellout.
Can't wait for the Joy Division uploads. Thanks again.
Thanks for all the NO remasters!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to those by JD...
Thanks for all your dedication and hard work so far!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! This is really first-rate work, and very much appreciated. Can't wait to hear whatever you tackle next.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant work, gentlemen. A thousand thank-yous.
ReplyDeleteAwesome work. It felt like Christmas everytime there was a new single. Joy Division can only be better.
ReplyDeleteMakes me glad they invented the internet - a huge thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you * infinity
ReplyDeleteI haven't commented much but I did want to extend my gratitude for this project. New Order have always been a stronger singles act than an album act for me, and the backlash against the official reissue campaign brought some discomfort. (I haven't heard any of the "remasters", so I'm taking the masses at their word.) I look forward to the Joy Division singles and anything else you decide to bring our way. Enjoy the holidays.
ReplyDeletehttp://myspace.com/soundawakeradio
Respect for a job well done! Looking fwd to the JD singles
ReplyDeleteCan only agree with all the comments so far, thanks for all your hard work, You've had me grinning like a fool several times over the last couple of months. It's just a tragedy that record companies don't put this much care and attention into their reissues as a matter of course
ReplyDeleteincredible piece of work.
ReplyDeletei'd agree that if there is the opportunity, it would be great to ccntinue on with london singles too.
thank you so much
Much as I would love this to have an official release, the idea of those scumbags who made such a mess of the CD Reissues ealier this year making a penny (or dime for our friends across the pond)out of other people efforts makes me in some ways want this project a well kept but widely spread secret. Distribute it as you would a chain letter (only without the requests for money or the threat that your family will perish). Roll on JD singles and as much respect as this limey with bad teeth can give, Seriously though, Thanks very much for your labours (yes there is a u in it, sorry can't help myself)
ReplyDeleteAs there's 20 singles I'll write the 20th comment! Truly outstanding - and especially thanks for the extra effort made in the work on the tracks you weren't particularly keen on - I especially felt for Bruno when he was working on "World In Motion"!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing work. Puts the so-called industry professionals to shame.
ReplyDeleteFantastic stuff, thank you so much for providing these, it's like 1989 all over again, going into Selectadisc and slowly hoovering up all of the back catalog 12' vinyl.
ReplyDelete"They think it's all over...well it is now."
ReplyDeleteAnd thankfully not. In a year where I lost 60 dollars because I was intent on seeing Bad Lieutenant open in Chicago (they did not obtain a visa and Ticketmaster wouldn't refund), I was reminded of how inspirational these singles were initially. Like many who were treated to these gems, I have spent in the thousands on NO/JD LPs, 12" singles, cassettes, et. al. over the years only to be disappointed time and time again by what the band has offered this decade, willfully and forced.
Simply put, your Recycle project was the best digital offering found anywhere in the past decade. I'm very glad that there's more to come. Thanks!
Thanks for all this - amazing work - and I've loved the commentaries as well, really helps with sorting out the remixes, etc. Great job!
ReplyDeleteReally, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for all of your hard work on this project. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about next year's JD project as well. It's not that I don't already have every version of everything you've posted (sadly obsessive high school/college years), but I just so appreciate the noble vision of putting these all together into one great set that a larger audience can finally enjoy. And since the artwork was such a hugely important part about this whole collection, I especially appreciate the team's effort to provide all of that as well. It really makes a big difference. Thanks again for such a great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your efforts and I can't wait for the JD material.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great work! The heart and soul (pun intended!) put into this project breathed new life into these great songs, especailly the earlier tracks. The improvement in the digitizing of some of these songs was so great, it was like redisovering this music all over again. Looking forward to the JD singles and future projects!
ReplyDeleteCurious, all these remastered tracks would make a great remastered SUBSTANCE comp, any plans for that? It was the very first New Order release I ever owned and it has a warm place in my heart even though it's not a studio album. Didn't it make a the top 1000 albums to hear before you die list or something? Hmm, updated artwork would be nice though :-)
ReplyDeleteWell done guys, I wish I knew how you did it
ReplyDeleteThanks again. This has really sparked my interest in New Order, leading me to buying more than a few of their albums. I'd love an official release of these... or at least a remastered 6/7 CD set with all these songs remastered at full CD quality!
ReplyDeleteYour efforts are appreciated. Enjoy your break!
Just another thank you. This project promised a huge amount, but you guys exceeded all reasonable expectations. Really looking forward to the Joy Division releases!
ReplyDeleteFantastic work, thanks, and more to come!
ReplyDeleteFantastic..can't wait for Joy Division. Thanks so much for all your amazing work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for what you've accomplished here -- what a wonderful thing!
ReplyDeleteI was just checking my playlist in iTunes...does anyone else have 99 songs instead of 100 like me? Did I miss a download somewhere?
ReplyDelete@Ahoyskin:
ReplyDeleteCeremony=5
Procession=2
Everything's Gone Green=3
Temptation=4
Blue Monday=3
Confusion=5
Thieves Like Us=4
Murder=2
The Perfect Kiss=8
Subculture=5
Shellshock=5
State Of The Nation=4
Bizarre Love Triangle=5
True Faith=8
Touched By The Hand Of God=6
Blue Monday 88=6
Fine Time=6
Round & Round=8
Run 2=4
World In Motion=7
Some of the best viny transfers I've EVER heard in my life. Well done!!!
ReplyDelete@50
ReplyDeleteMuch obliged for the breakdown! It was my own dumb fault.
Absolutely amazing work, thank you both so much! Will the JD singles get the same artwork treatment? Be interesting to see what you guys do with Licht & Blindheit and Komakino if so :]
ReplyDelete@Anonyno - yes, the Joy Division singles will have full artwork, with some accommodations.
ReplyDeleteAnother lurker saying thank you! A labour of love that has clearly been appreciated by all who've downloaded and taken the time to comment. Look forward to the Joy Division (and New Order London Years material?)
ReplyDeleteGreat if afterwards the various concerts could be improved!
ReplyDeleteWould there be any chance at all of doing something with the full andience recording of Ceremony from the 02/05/1980 Birmingham concert? Or is it beyond repair?
ReplyDeleteAppick
Well, I just got my New Order replacement discs in the mail today and I'm pretty disappointed. They really fucked up the bass levels on these corrected discs. I'm comparing Confusion to the original faulty disc as well as the work of this project and it's pretty obvious. Muddy stuff. It actually is worse, believe it or not.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for all of this. It says a lot about the state of the industry that the fans are left to do all of the dirty work in preserving this music.
Only just discovered your site and had to add my voice to the chorus of approval! You guys deserve a medal for this, you've made me listen to some of my favourite records in a new light and it feels fantastic. Looking forward to the "virtual box set extras", I doubt I'll be disappointed :-)
ReplyDeleteBut what about New Order Christmas Flexi? (Rocking Carol/Ode To Joy)?
ReplyDeleteWhy wasn't it included in the remastering project?
Fab
@bibit - that wasn't really a single. 4400 were pressed and they were given away as freebies. It'll appear later in the expanded listening collections.
ReplyDeleteOh too bad, that flexi really needed a cleaning.. maybe one day?
ReplyDeletethanks for the answer
Fab
Waiting anxious for Joy Division Singles + Bonus ;)
@bibit - Bruno has already cleaned it up and it sounds fantastic. Like I said, it'll appear here later.
ReplyDeleteThank you so so much. This is really wonderful. I made a half-assed attempt a few years ago, for my own enjoyment, and while I tracked down nearly everything you list here and ripped it from vinyl, etc., my mastering skills are pitiful compared to Bruno's.
ReplyDeleteYour skills, generosity, patience and dedication are a wonderful gift to everyone.
Thank you so much for this hard work, I thought I myself would end up doing this, but you guys are far more professional than anything I've thought. Don't release FLAC files, let the record company do the right thing, approach you and pay you for this hard work - I hope all these restorations get released on CD.
ReplyDeleteRhino/London reissues are a dirty shame. Peter Hook's excuses for not taking a front seat position are also something of a great deal of shame. (The entire band attitude as a whole has not been cool).
As for AAC files, they are just fine. You did the right thing, they are the inevitable successor of MP3. Thanks for the 256VBR bitrate setting, which is fair enough in this game.
Just one more thing,
ReplyDeleteCan you guys advise which ALBUM PRESSINGS are the ones fans should be getting from New Order? We have tons of album pressings, from different labels and different countries and that alone is a whole mess.
Take for example:
1) Low-Life (SON16, Polish) which would be equivalent to the Factory CD, has emphasis applied and it's too bright. The channels are not perfectly centered as well.
2) Low-Life (Centredate CD) is the most botched release, the channels are far more unballanced, and all the sound leans more to the right.
3) Low-Life (Rhino, Reissue) from the above, this is the one who is perfectly centered, but probably this comes from a vinyl master, with proper equalizations done, etc. There is also an epic flaw in Sunrise at 2'36".
Could we make a list of what pressings or "pressing clones" for New Order albums? This alone would be a great response to the flawed reissues.
@ DjB® - we haven't done any sort of comparison for the vinyl LPs yet, but were we to "remaster" them the same as we've done with the singles, they'd be taken from original Factory pressings. Those would be the final mixes approved by the band. Any master tapes sent to the other labels (like Qwest in the US) could possibly have additional emphasis or EQ added before going to press.
ReplyDeleteLet me ask a couple of people I know who would have done this and ask for their opinions.
I asked Bruno and he confirmed what I suspected:
ReplyDelete"The general rule is "country of origin". Wherever an act is from, the first pressings from that country usually best reflect how they intended the music to sound, since that is the one which the artist and producer would've been directly involved in. Once the tapes get shipped around the world, or records are reissued and re-cut, there usually isn't the same level of care involved.
There *are* exceptions. But with JD/NO, the best sonics are likely to be the Factory UK copies.
Sometimes you can find better quality vinyl, particularly with Japanese editions. However, the mastering often does not reflect the original intent of the artist."
Thanks for your valuable input! When you have time, would you be able to fix attrocities like Depeche Mode "Playing The Angel" CD, but sourced from vinyl? I don't know if you're a DM guy too, probably you may have a few records from them, but this particular one left us with a bitter taste due to the harsh stupid mastering Emily Lazar/NY applied to it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way I think restoration like yours and Bruno's are a door to CRUSH the loudness wars we all hate to the bones. I particularly think that we as a community should do everything possible to battle this cancer in music!
I don't do the restoration - Bruno does, and I can tell you right away that he'll say no. We're both DM fans, but his focus is on out-of-print material (mostly disco/70's funk) that will be lost to the sands of time unless preserved. Mute certainly has the master tapes for Playing The Angel, so you should petition them directly.
ReplyDeleteWhen can we hope to hear these "merveilles". The wait is unbearable (!!!!!!!)
ReplyDeleteI ususlly d/l and run, but I really thought I should write a comment on the site/work/music. Just fantastic! I have been listening to the tracks for a few weeks and they sound incredible. On the iPod, through the car stereo (when the kids are not with me) and I remember how much I love this band and these singles. I am looking foward to the extended listening collections when the appear. I can't say enough about the sound quality here.
ReplyDeleteI too would like to say thanks for the hard work you have done. I can tell it's a real labour of love. And the artwork! Top notch restoration! Is there a possibility that you would create slipcase sleeves for the earlier singles? I printed out, cut out, and pasted together some of the later singles sleeves and got such a giddy joy out seeing them all lined up... Has anyone got any pictures of what the whole set would look like? I wish you continued success! Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThank you £50 and Bruno for the masterful job you have done on the rich New Order singles collection. This labour of love was not only a reward for the fan but it seems it was also one for the creators. I hope the record label or the band gets wind of the this and taks up the challenge to give the Factory Singles Box a proper release in the future.
ReplyDeleteThank you once again! Rob
Thank you so much. What an incredible collection of vinyl. So many of these mixes could not be found anywhere.
ReplyDeleteWow. I'm late to the party, here, but wow. Thanks so much for doing this. Incredible work, guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for doing this project. I loved these singles when I first heard them during my high school and college years. Thanks to you, I now I get to fall in love with them all over again.
ReplyDeletea question : is there anything on the bonus discs of the 2008 reissues that hasn't been covered here?
ReplyDelete