When I first got into New Order, they could do no wrong. It was 1988 and I think by pure luck I had hit it just right. I'd missed Movement (which I still don't likè and am surprised that it has a small but fanatical fan base here), and when Blue Monday 1988 came on the radio I just thought what was that?! I know a lot of the people here don't rate it, but at the time I thought it was from another planet.
I then had the pleasure of investigating their back catalogue which was probably the best part for me. Due to Factory's idiosyncracies it meant slapping all the way to Tower Records in Oxford Street on a Saturday and taking a flyer on one of their old records based purely on a one line passing comment in the NME or just because I liked the artwork :-) Tower Records was also the only place that sold Viz in London back then too. They don't make 'em like that anymore...
Anyway, the point being that like the rest of you, I thought New Order were just head and shoulders above anyone else. But although there are a thousand reasons to love them (Tony Wilson, the mental videos, FAC numbers, the Hac etc) the thing that really set them apart for me were the 12" remixes.
I'd hear a new single or know it was coming out and I'd think that's a really good one I bet the 12" is going to be unbelievable!
It always was. I've had to buy 4 or 5 copies of Substance over the years as I wore the tapes out in various car stereos. They always seemed to save something special for the 12". Even something like Fine Time which was too short to really justify the format redeemed itself by coming on the thickest vinyl I've ever seen! I know that's not the point, but with New Order it was the whole point :-)
When I played the Round & Round 12" for the first time I thought they'd put the wrong record in the sleeve at the shop...where had those first 4 minutes been hiding? Who else would be so obtuse to put that much work into something so good that they knew so few people would hear?
Even the World In Motion 12" wasn't a total train wreck.