Missed opportunity!

I'm morbidly afraid Warner will go: "The fans want the LP's remastered, so why don't we do a remastered version of International"

After all, they need one compliation CD per album, right....

Agreed Ally. And you take about four or five hundred of them to these summer festivals and just sell the piss out of them. "Sorry folks - sold out of the NO remastered CDs, but they're available at your local Sam Goody's."

Too good of an idea to work.

Indeed. Not exactly a cash cow but i'd definitely be willing to indulge my consumer whore tendencies on a round of well-done remasters/re-releases. Echo & The Bunnymen's recent re-releases were quite stellar with each CD having a very generous amount of bonus tracks consisting of B-sides, rare lives, and even unreleased alternates. The Life at Brian's additions on Ocean Rain were a definite highlight, along with the alternate cut of Villers Terrace and the live of Over the Wall on Crocodiles.

Imagine something of this sort applied on the Order's CDs. Procession, EGG, and the multiple versions of Ceremony or even the original Temptations(!) on Movement; Hurt, Murder, and assorted lives on PC&L.

Low-Life is in need of a remastered production something fierce. Selected Rock Around the Clock tracks could go on Low-Life along with anything else relevant.

Brotherhood could have a few Salvation originals, like Let's Go(instr), Touched, and Skullcrusher.

Along with three excellent B-sides, Technique with a scavenged (Completely rerecorded would be nice, but a pipedream) Happy One. There are plenty of excellent unreleased lives of the 89 US tour that could show up. Run 2 would make sense, but it's impossible right? Thanks, Denver.

It seems pretty self-evident that most hardline completist fans could compile their own renditions of releases like this with a few CD-Rs and their file collections, but it's the remastering that would really make re-releases like this worthwhile.

I completly agree, The Cure has been doing this, & its quite nice. Although New order would sound great with some production & mixing touch ups right? Plus all of those possible unreleased tracks that may exist. Besides it be interesting if they released all of Barneys screw ups.

I think they should take advantage of the publicity of releasing two studio albums in a short period of time, and start releasing their older albums remastered with bounus tracks. If Echo and OMD can do it, why not New Order.

Wouldn't a singles box set with all the 7" and 12" versions be great. I know, keep dreaming.

Ally3000 wrote: International was good only because it was properly remastered. If you could find it for a fiver it was worth it for the superior sound you got, and it gave us the 12" version of Touched.. which while available on the original CD single (which I own) can be tricky for newer fans to find. Also, if you listen to the Retro disc 1 version of Ceremony (supposedly remastered too) there is a bad glitch where the recording vanishes into a murkey noise momentarily then returns. The International version is thankfully pristine and minus the glitch. Incidentally does anyone know if the European version of International including the bonus disc 2 with Let's Go (Nothing For Me), Temptation '87, Fine Time (Silk mix) and the R&R 12" mix was fully remastered too? Or just culled from previous sources without being touched mastering-wise? I have the EU International release somewhere but haven't listened to it in ages.

Retro was boring, nothing we didn't already have. A lazy effort by the band; they were clearly not interested. They should have shelved it or given it over to someone who really cared about a decent boxset and had an extensive knowledge of the discography. As for new editions of the actual LPs, imagine a Movement bonus disc with the 7 inch of Ceremony? A Brotherhood one with all the Salvation goodies and perhaps even the various versions True Faith-87 and Evil Dust?

It needs to happen, dammit.

Ally.

International was not properly remastered. Listen to Blue Monday.

Andy wrote:

Ally3000 wrote:

International was not properly remastered. Listen to Blue Monday.

Which was my original gripe when it came out. Beats missing.

Totally agree with Ally though. Remastering the albums needs to happen. I don't even listen to Movement any more because of the Senses slash.

Ally3000 wrote:

Retro was boring, nothing we didn't already have.

Ally.

snipped to remove half your essay ;)

you're overlooking the bonus disc then i take it?

Er, how about "fuck off, the cunts have cost me a fortune over the years already".

I love the records as they are, warts 'n' all, and frankly I'd infinitely resent a mass of of "re-issue/repackage" bollocks which would serve only to fleece the poor long-serving punter.

For various reasons (theft/damage etc) I've already bought all of their albums at least three times, and I think I'm on about my seventh copy of "Substance". I don't need to buy it again just so's that the snare on "BLT" is slightly more crisp, thanksverymuch.

"Re-mastering" is the equivalent of sending your girlfriend off for a face lift 'cos you're a bit tired of the imperfections. Go stick it up yer arse.

Quite a persuasive argument from the Good Doctor there! I'm afraid I'll have to agree.

All the bloody booklets will do is troll out a couple of the "Phoenix from Joy Division's flames" clichés and repeat the Blue Monday record sleeve story again. There'll be an interview in which Gillian and Steven will be forced to say that they had to pay for their own drinks in the Hac and everyone will talk about how hammered they used to get. Because it's in a tidy cd booklet, the pictures will be no good, and the increase in sound clarity will highlight twice as many imperfections as "hidden gems".

Just to add insult to financial injury, your mate Steve will borrow them all from you to copy them at work and have his car stolen from the car park of the motorway services near Carlisle.

Ally3000 wrote: First off, I thought International was remastered? My mistake if it wasn't but it certainly sounded that way to me and a missing beat in Blue Monday doesn't strictly mean it wasn't. If I listen to the International version of Thieves Like Us vs. the Substance version there is a marked improvement in quality, at least to my ears. It would be a bit odd even for Warners to not give the songs the remaster treatment for such a recent Best of. I'm not convinced the sound wasn't enhanced for that release.

Secondly, I don't really subscribe to the "even if the old albums do sound shit I love them" argument. Remastering is a fairly simple process that gets the best out of the music available and what I proposed wasn't just a simple re-release, but enhanced editions with lost tracks and perhaps even a video or two. The masterings on PC&L, Low-life and Brotherhood are godawful and I'm sure there are alot of people here who would agree. The songs sound tinny, quieter and often lack overall sound depth. I hate listening to an album mastered recently and then putting on my Centredate CD copy of Brotherhood, Low-life etc. I usually have to turn the hifi up three notches just to get the volume to the same level I had with the previous CD. The Centredate CDs sound like shit and need replacing, even if it was a straight remaster with no bonus disc. I only really own one copy of each album (Two of Technique: the Factory CD and the CentreDate plus the Japanese CD of Republic) so I personally wouldn't mind shelling out "reasonable" amounts for new ones.

It boils down to how much you care about the sound of the music. If all you do is listen to your New Order collection through a discman on headphones you probably won't give a toss about this idea, and rightly so. However if you've got a half decent hifi setup and would to hear the 80s albums sounding top notch with all the old vinyl mixes/bsides on similarly mastered bonus CDs then I think this idea is essential.

Ally.

Each to their own, Ally. I'd consider it a rip-off (and maybe even the final betrayal) if they did this. I'm not ready for me pipe 'n' slippers 'n' headphones just yet!!

You wanna watch yourself - you'll be listening to "Brothers in Arms" before you know it. I hear it has wonderful depth when listened to on 'quality' equipment.

There is something to be said about retaining the 'original' quality of the 'original' recording, especially so when hearing through a modern quality hi-fidelity systemette, which presumably has caught up to the equipment used in the studio.

When one ventures to re-master an arbitrary collection of songs it can add confusion to a back catalogue of a group or artiste (see above). Primarily as some songs have and some haven't been re-fudged with a tweaking of icing sugar. Too many cooks can spoil a very good broth.

Was it wise to add so many new flavours to the Pringles range; of course not. Sour Cream and Onion (Light) was perfectly enough. For any man, woman or beastie.

International claimed to "remastered" by some sites, when it came out, so i thought that also, who knows...

but what does remastered mean anyway, it doesnt necessarily mean they do a good job or even try. some DVDS are "remastered", and they don't even try, its a rather subjective and misleading term

but there is no doubt that most of the 80s albums/singles could be redone from analog to digital better, and this would be a good thing!!!! and the extra tracks would be great, about time. this doesnt mean "remix" or "reedit" for revisionist history like Iggy did with Raw Power, just try to recapture the original recording, and avoid the obvious errors

look who else has had "remastered" bonus collections... A Flock of Seagulls... the Thompson Twins... Spandau Ballet... and New Order can't have new editions? Echo and the Bunnymen have a remastered collection, do they have a bigger fanbase?
even the Fall has made a fine attempt at new editions with most of their older 8 dozen records, and Wire has had remastered editions of their fiorst three great classic records... so why the hell not New Order!? i think this year or next outta be the year... is Bernand that embarressed of his singing?

what was that retro collection? never saw one here in the states, wasn't that remastered?

My comment didn't dispute that International was remastered, only that it was not properly remastered. I was referring to the missing bit of Digital Mike's theme song.

Havent Warners just done this with the R.E.M. albums? I wouldnt be too fussed myself,cant stand digi-pak cds or usless 10 'behind the scenes' dvds that you watch once and cost you a fiver extra. We just need a 'proper' boxset-preferbly compiled by asking fans what they really want. I know people would want different things,but most people want roughly the same things-'Temptation 7"' 'The Happy One' etc.