New Order Reissue Celebrated 'Substance 1987' Compilation

Remastered LP, CD and cassette editions arrive in November

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Sep 13, 2023

New Order have announced plans to reissue their beloved compilation album Substance 1987. Newly remastered LP, expanded CD and double-cassette editions of the collection arrive November 10 via Warner Music.

Originally released via Factory Records in 1987, Substance collected every single New Order had to that point, bringing together their original 12-inch versions in addition to re-recorded versions of "Temptation" and "Confusion."

Other standouts in the tracklist include "Thieves Like Us," "The Perfect Kiss," "Sub-culture," "True Faith," "Bizarre Love Triangle," and yes, that smash hit which began with the band sampling their own farts.

The expanded CD reissue of Substance now features the original second disc with every B-side of the singles found on the first disc, in addition to a third CD of alternate versions and extra B-sides, and a fourth CD of an unreleased live concert from Irvine Meadows, CA, where New Order played the entire Substance comp in sequence. 

Original vinyl pressings of Substance have become pricy in recent years, regularly fetching three-figure prices in secondhand markets and on sites such as Discogs.

Find the complete 4CD tracklisting below. The Substance celebrations have also led New Order to reissue a trio of standalone 12-inches for "True Faith," "True Faith Remix" and "Blue Monday 88" — all of which are now available for pre-order.

Earlier this year, New Order earned their first-ever Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination as a package deal with predecessor group Joy Division. In 2022, the band shared they were back in the studio writing a follow-up to 2015's Music Complete.

Find out where Substance sits in Exclaim!'s Essential Guide to New Order.


Substance 1987:

CD 1:
1. Ceremony
2. Everything's Gone Green
3. Temptation 87
4. Blue Monday        
5. Confusion 87           
6. Thieves Like Us
7. The Perfect Kiss
8. Sub-culture 
9. Shellshock
10. State of the Nation
11. Bizarre Love Triangle
12. True Faith

CD 2:
1. In a Lonely Place
2. Procession
3. Cries and Whispers
4. Hurt
5. The Beach
6. Confused (Instrumental)
7. Lonesome Tonight
8. Murder
9. Thieves Like Us (Instrumental)
10. Kiss of Death
11. Shame of the Nation
12. 1963

CD 3:
1. Ceremony (Original)
2. Mesh
3. Temptation (12")
4. Confusion (Original 12")
5. Dub Vulture
6. Shellcock
7. Bizarre Dub Triangle
8. True Dub
9. Confusion (Dub 87)
10. True Faith (Remix)

CD 4 - Live from Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, California 1987:
1. Ceremony
2. Everything's Gone Green
3. Temptation 87 
4. Blue Monday
5. Confusion 87
6. Thieves Like Us
7. The Perfect Kiss
8. Sub-culture
9. Shellshock
10. State of the Nation
11. Bizarre Love Triangle
12. True Faith

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