Power, Corruption & Lies

Power, Corruption & Lies
Studio album by New Order
Released	2 May 1983
Recorded	Britannia Row Studios, Islington (1982/3)
Genre	Post-punk Synth-pop New Wave
Length	42:35
Label	Factory UK - FACT 75 US - FACTUS 12
Producer	New Order
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Blender link Pitchfork Media (9.6/10) link Rolling Stone link Robert Christgau (B+) link World of Music [1]
New Order chronology
Movement (1981) Power, Corruption & Lies (1983) Low-Life (1985)

Power, Corruption & Lies is the second album by Manchester band New Order, released in May 1983. The album achieved more widespread popularity than any of the band's previous releases, including those of previous band Joy Division. The music is more electronic-based than previous albums, with heavy use of synthesizers. In 1989, it was ranked #94 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.

In 2008 the album was re-released in a Collector's Edition with a bonus disc.

Title

The title of the album was chosen by Bernard Sumner from a 1981 conceptual art exhibition in Cologne, Germany. On the opening night of the exhibition the artist Gerhard Richter vandalized the exterior of the Kunsthalle by spray painting the text, "Power, Corruption, and Lies".^{[citation needed]}

Cover

Peter Saville's design for the album had a colour-based code to represent the band's name and the title of the album, but they were not actually written on the sleeve itself (they were, however, present on the North American sleeve). The decoder for the code was featured prominently on the back cover of the album and can also be used for the "Blue Monday" and "Confusion" singles. Saville also used it on Section 25's album From the Hip, which is in many ways aligned stylistically with Power, Corruption & Lies and produced partly by New Order's Bernard Sumner.

The cover is a reproduction of the painting "A Basket of Roses" by French artist Henri Fantin-Latour, which is part of the National Gallery of London's permanent collection^[2]. The art director Peter Saville intended to create a collision between the overly romantic and classic image which made a stark contrast to the typography based on the modular, colour-coded alphabet he created solely for the band. It is also said ^[3] that the owner of the painting (The National Heritage Trust) first refused Factory Records access to it. Tony Wilson, the head of the label, then called them up to ask who actually owned the painting and were given the answer that the Trust belonged to the people of Britain, at some point. Wilson then famously replied, "Well, the people of Britain now want it."

Track listing

All songs written by New Order.

Side one

1. "Age of Consent" – 5:16
2. "We All Stand" – 5:14
3. "The Village" – 4:37
4. "5 8 6" – 7:31

Side two

1. "Your Silent Face" – 6:00
2. "Ultraviolence" – 4:52
3. "Ecstasy" – 4:25
4. "Leave Me Alone" – 4:40

2008 Collector's Edition bonus disc

1. "Blue Monday" – 7:32
2. "The Beach" – 7:22
3. "Confusion" – 8:15
4. "Thieves Like Us" – 6:38
5. "Lonesome Tonight" – 5:13
6. "Murder" – 3:57
7. "Thieves Like Us" (Instrumental)" – 6:59
8. "Confusion" (Alt Version) (Instrumental) – 7:36

American versions of the album up until the Collector's Edition featured "Blue Monday" at the end of side one, and "The Beach" at the end of side two.

Personnel

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009)

• Bernard Sumner – Vocals, guitars, melodica, synthesizers & programming
• Peter Hook – 4 & 6 stringed bass, electronic percussion
• Stephen Morris – Drums, synthesizers & programming
• Gillian Gilbert – Synthesizers & programming, guitars
• New Order – Production
• Michael Johnson – Engineering
• Barry Sage and Mark Boyne – Assistants

Release details

• UK 12" – Factory Records (FACT 75)
• UK cassette – Factory Records (FACT 75C)
• US 12" – Factory Records/Rough Trade Records (FACTUS 12)
• UK CD (1993 re-release) – London Records (520 019-2)

Chart positions

• UK – #4
• AUS – #38

See also

• New Order discography

External links

• Power, Corruption & Lies on New Order Online
• Power, Corruption & Lies on World in Motion

References

1. ^ WOM magazin (November 08): 27. 
2. ^ http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG3726
3. ^ Peter Saville, Tony Wilson. (2002). 24 Hour Party People. [DVD (commentary)]. Pathé. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274309/.