Consider the incentives:

1. The first time the 7" version of Ceremony is on CD.
2. The first time the 7" of Temptation is on CD.
3. The first time the 7" radio edit of Thieves Like Us is on CD.
4. The fact that they've apparently included an edited version of Turn as well which suggests it may or may not be yet another single from WFTSC.

Now consider the negatives:

1. Fucking CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP MEGA FOOKING CRAP cheapo cover design with - yawn - customary over-use of white and the helvetica font and just reeking of half-assed peter saville (in lower case, note, cos he's no longer important) and record company laziness and staggering inattention to detail or artistic worth.
2. The fact it's been cobbled together and rushed out in this tawdry cynical way far too soon after WFTSC - the album - disappeared from view suggests the record company are only interested in making money from their back catalogue anyway. 3–400. Too many other bits and bobs that are otherwise too trivial or just plain tedious to have to go over and over again as it has been said a million times before....

So three or four pluses is scant consolation for the overwhelming number of minuses that have governed my decision to give this latest collection a completely wide birth. In fact the cover is so disgusting I refuse to even pick the thing up from the racks whenever I see it.

I may be a long time New Order fan, but I'm not some stupid fucking gullible idiot who would really be upset and depressed to the point of suicide if I didn't rush out with Pavlovian instinct and slavishly buy up every piece of badly-packaged crap their clueless record company throws at us. I still have bills to pay for fucks sakes!!

I'll be buying it ONLY for the cover, which I think is inspired. I'll be looking out for a poster of the re-werked leaf too. Saville just gets better and better in my opinion.

Yer havin' a larf, ain't 'cha?? You really are. Not only slavish, but blinkered too it appears.

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Consider the incentives:

1. The first time the 7" version of Ceremony is on CD.
2. The first time the 7" of Temptation is on CD.
3. The first time the 7" radio edit of Thieves Like Us is on CD.
4. The fact that they've apparently included an edited version of Turn as well which suggests it may or may not be yet another single from WFTSC.

Now consider the negatives:

1. Fucking CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP MEGA FOOKING CRAP cheapo cover design with - yawn - customary over-use of white and the helvetica font and just reeking of half-assed peter saville (in lower case, note, cos he's no longer important) and record company laziness and staggering inattention to detail or artistic worth.
2. The fact it's been cobbled together and rushed out in this tawdry cynical way far too soon after WFTSC - the album - disappeared from view suggests the record company are only interested in making money from their back catalogue anyway. 3–400. Too many other bits and bobs that are otherwise too trivial or just plain tedious to have to go over and over again as it has been said a million times before....

So three or four pluses is scant consolation for the overwhelming number of minuses that have governed my decision to give this latest collection a completely wide birth. In fact the cover is so disgusting I refuse to even pick the thing up from the racks whenever I see it.

I may be a long time New Order fan, but I'm not some stupid fucking gullible idiot who would really be upset and depressed to the point of suicide if I didn't rush out with Pavlovian instinct and slavishly buy up every piece of badly-packaged crap their clueless record company throws at us. I still have bills to pay for fucks sakes!!

That makes 3 of us: you, me and Diggy Mike!

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Yer havin' a larf, ain't 'cha?? You really are. Not only slavish, but blinkered too it appears.

Hmm. Not only opinionated, but ignorant too?

Cock.

I wonder is the poster given away by HMV a poster of the cover art? I've ordered it, so I'll find out soon enough.

=============================================== From hmv.co.uk :

Singles: 2cd
New Order - Release date: 3-10-2005 / LONDON

Pre-order now to recieve a limited edition New Order poster with your album, exclusive to HMV. Subject to availability, while stocks... more

CD £10.99

MarkO wrote: I wonder is the poster given away by HMV a poster of the cover art? I've ordered it, so I'll find out soon enough.

=============================================== From hmv.co.uk :

Singles: 2cd
New Order - Release date: 3-10-2005 / LONDON

Pre-order now to recieve a limited edition New Order poster with your album, exclusive to HMV. Subject to availability, while stocks... more

CD £10.99

Although it will probably be folded - not so good for framing.

Woah...let me get this right. Saville designed the cover for Singles??

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Consider the incentives:

1. The first time the 7" version of Ceremony is on CD.
2. The first time the 7" of Temptation is on CD.
3. The first time the 7" radio edit of Thieves Like Us is on CD.
4. The fact that they've apparently included an edited version of Turn as well which suggests it may or may not be yet another single from WFTSC.

Silly question, but why is number 4 an incentive to buy this cd?

I know this is a pathetic attempt at the record company to cash in, but at least it's a decent compilation at last - how many fans have moaned about the lack of a definitive collection since Substance? Less than a tenner for a 2-disc compilation of every single they've released is a bargain IMHO

he neither designed or photographed it. or the font.

he was "artistic director" once more.

it's one of howards....

of more interest is why htey make FACTual errors in the sleeve notes - subcoulture the first single they released to come from an album? what's that all about?

horsepills wrote:

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Consider the incentives:

1. The first time the 7" version of Ceremony is on CD.
2. The first time the 7" of Temptation is on CD.
3. The first time the 7" radio edit of Thieves Like Us is on CD.
4. The fact that they've apparently included an edited version of Turn as well which suggests it may or may not be yet another single from WFTSC.

Silly question, but why is number 4 an incentive to buy this cd?

I know this is a pathetic attempt at the record company to cash in, but at least it's a decent compilation at last - how many fans have moaned about the lack of a definitive collection since Substance? Less than a tenner for a 2-disc compilation of every single they've released is a bargain IMHO

Point 4 is not an incentive for ME to buy the bleeder per se, but I'm merely looking at it from the point of view of other completists I guess.

It's less than a tenner maybe online or at Sainsburys or Asda - but HMV certainly aren't selling it for that price.

hibster wrote: he neither designed or photographed it. or the font.

he was "artistic director" once more.

it's one of howards....

of more interest is why htey make FACTual errors in the sleeve notes - subcoulture the first single they released to come from an album? what's that all about?

So, if it's Howard Wakefield once again then why haven't they sacked him? - his design sense seems to have deserted him and the cover art has been getting more uninspired with each subsequent release. The last decent NO sleeve was True Faith 94 for fucks sakes!!!

They should of included the single edit of BLT and not the album version. That 7' single edit is the best version by far.

Is it heck! Any version which snips off the nice keyboard/sequencer bridge just to lurch straight into the chorus is an inferior one in my book. :)

only best of/singles collection i'm gonna buy now is when these guys say our time is up, with another album due next year thats gonna be 3 more singles possibly, plus who knows how many more albums so the singles will keep coming.

maybe a box set of the singles on CD would've been a more intersting route to go down, i know that would've got my interest.

If only they had included a BSides disc...

So you are pissed off about a CD you refuse to buy - how exactly does that work again? Fair enough, you are annoyed at what you consider the multitude of reasons to not buy it. Then don't buy it.

Is it possible that there may be more reasons to buy a CD than the sleeve design and font? Or that a compilation might contain previously released material? Just playing Devil's advocate... CTB

hibster wrote: he neither designed or photographed it. or the font.

he was "artistic director" once more.

it's one of howards....

of more interest is why htey make FACTual errors in the sleeve notes - subcoulture the first single they released to come from an album? what's that all about?

The fact that he is credited as art director means he had creative control over the cover design. It would have been Savilles concept, he would have just told the others what he wanted. So it's still a Saville cover.

By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: Consider the incentives:

1. The first time the 7" version of Ceremony is on CD.
2. The first time the 7" of Temptation is on CD.
3. The first time the 7" radio edit of Thieves Like Us is on CD.
4. The fact that they've apparently included an edited version of Turn as well which suggests it may or may not be yet another single from WFTSC.

Now consider the negatives:

1. Fucking CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP MEGA FOOKING CRAP cheapo cover design with - yawn - customary over-use of white and the helvetica font and just reeking of half-assed peter saville (in lower case, note, cos he's no longer important) and record company laziness and staggering inattention to detail or artistic worth.
2. The fact it's been cobbled together and rushed out in this tawdry cynical way far too soon after WFTSC - the album - disappeared from view suggests the record company are only interested in making money from their back catalogue anyway. 3–400. Too many other bits and bobs that are otherwise too trivial or just plain tedious to have to go over and over again as it has been said a million times before....

So three or four pluses is scant consolation for the overwhelming number of minuses that have governed my decision to give this latest collection a completely wide birth. In fact the cover is so disgusting I refuse to even pick the thing up from the racks whenever I see it.

I may be a long time New Order fan, but I'm not some stupid fucking gullible idiot who would really be upset and depressed to the point of suicide if I didn't rush out with Pavlovian instinct and slavishly buy up every piece of badly-packaged crap their clueless record company throws at us. I still have bills to pay for fucks sakes!!

All entirely valid points. We wouldn't have all this cash-in nonsense if Factory were still around. But you're clearly more of a man of principle than I am. (Or possibly poorer, or just less obsessive compulsive).

King Eric wrote:

hibster wrote: he neither designed or photographed it. or the font.

he was "artistic director" once more.

it's one of howards....

of more interest is why htey make FACTual errors in the sleeve notes - subcoulture the first single they released to come from an album? what's that all about?

The fact that he is credited as art director means he had creative control over the cover design. It would have been Savilles concept, he would have just told the others what he wanted. So it's still a Saville cover.

from the sleeve...

leaf by bill holding lettering by paul barnes photo by donald christie design by howard wakefield

have to say the leaf on the cd itself is superb. shame it doesn't work so well shrunk down to fit the sleeve, but a scrolled around leaf like on the cd would have been better imo.

my reasons for buying it: i can stick it in my car CD player without spending time burning MP3s AND not ruin my 7"s and 12"s on the turntable.

i could care less about the cover, frankly.

there had been plenty of speculation about the 7" versions, but you never know until you hear it...

so i was chuffed when put it on on the way home last night. sat there on the train with a huge grin. at least i got a double seat!

hibster wrote: he neither designed or photographed it. or the font.

he was "artistic director" once more.

it's one of howards....

of more interest is why htey make FACTual errors in the sleeve notes - subcoulture the first single they released to come from an album? what's that all about?

What was the first single NO released from an album then? Are you saying its Perfect Kiss?

I will be buying the Singles album purely so I can then use it as a beer mat.

perfect kiss was certainly before subculture, & that would be my guess from an album, not an ep.

Actually I was leafing through the new issue of MOJO in Smiths today and I came across the page ad for SINGLES - and looking at the cover and the leaf once again made me think of the last Coldplay album (Rush of Blood to the Head). It's a similar sort of computerised approach. But even the Coldplay one looked more interesting. I suppose the colour used for the "True Faith" leaf is a tad too weak and wishy washy - if it was full metallic BRONZE like the Ceremony 7" it might have stood out better. But I still think that stencil typeface is poor - makes the whole thing look like a cheap bootleg - and it really does, believe me! :D

Doubly ironic also to see how Coldplay have used the Friz Quadrata font thoughout all three albums they have released.....this was the same font used on Ceremony was it not? ;)

Oh and when I walked into HMV they were playing "State Of The Nation" from the album - aaaaaaaaaarghhhhh, NOOOOOO.....!!

Can't please many folks it seems. So many people banged on about not getting original ceremony, temptation etc on CD. Here you now have an almost definitive collection, and there are still moaners. Just don't buy it. FFS you can get it less than a tenner. And I think the artwork is classy, typical understated NO!

For Ceremony alone it's worth it - the original, as I first heard it. Superb sound, you can hear the Movement-era drum machine pounding in the distance at the start before it kicks in proper - what gravitas that original recording has over the hollow re-recording! and Temptation - what more can you say - surely the finest recording ever committed to 7" of vinyl.

five hates six wrote: Can't please many folks it seems. So many people banged on about not getting original ceremony, temptation etc on CD. Here you now have an almost definitive collection, and there are still moaners. Just don't buy it. FFS you can get it less than a tenner. And I think the artwork is classy, typical understated NO!

For Ceremony alone it's worth it - the original, as I first heard it. Superb sound, you can hear the Movement-era drum machine pounding in the distance at the start before it kicks in proper - what gravitas that original recording has over the hollow re-recording! and Temptation - what more can you say - surely the finest recording ever committed to 7" of vinyl.

Eh?? A drum machine on the intro to the original Ceremony???? Do you know something many of us don't???

After the bass intro, you can hear a sort of thuddy, Movement style drum, sounds pretty much like what they used on senses, but hey I might be wrong. It's very quiet, as if it's not supposed to be there, then it kicks in proper shortly after. Maybe it is just Steve's right foot tho'. Give it a go with headphones.

I just gave the 7" another listen on headphones as you suggested but I think it's just the live (as in real) drums Steve is playing. It's very unlikely that they're using a drum machine for any part of that song. Even on Movement, there are tracks where the drumbox is very obvious (Truth, Doubts Even Here) but the other tracks are all Steve's impeccable style of polyrhythmic playing - on a drum kit which sounds electronically processed on some numbers (Senses and ICB being the most obvious).

Fuck - all this has made me realise how fucking brilliant the drums really sound on Movement. Steve really set out his stall on this album me thinks. It's such a perfectly logical progression from the stuff he did on Closer. :)