| Power, Corruption & Lies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by New Order | ||||
| Released | 2 May 1983 | |||
| Recorded | March 1982, Britannia Row, Islington | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, alternative dance, synthpop | |||
| Length | 42:35 | |||
| Label | Factory UK - FACT 75 US - FACTUS 12 |
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| Producer | New Order | |||
| New Order chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.6/10) [3] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+) [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| World of Music | [6] |
| Sputnikmusic | [7] |
Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by New Order, released in May 1983 on Factory Recordings. It is more electronic-based than their previous album Movement, with heavier 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.
Contents |
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".
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. It was common for New Order sleeves to share certain themes that represented an era of their productivity, in addition to typography, or lack of typography in this instance. The back to back singles of "Murder" and "Thieves Like Us" both contain the themes of Roman numerals, for instance.
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's permanent collection in London.[8] The art director Peter Saville had originally planned to use a Renaissance portrait of a dark prince to tie in with the Machiavellian theme of the title,[9] but couldn't find a suitable portrait. At the gallery Saville picked up a postcard with Fantin-Latour's painting, and his girlfriend mockingly asked him if he was going to use it for the cover. Saville then realised it was a great idea.[9] Saville suggested that the flowers "suggested the means by which power, corruption and lies infiltrate our lives. They're seductive."[9] The cover was also 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[10] 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 up the gallery director to ask who actually owned the painting and was given the answer that the Trust belonged to the people of Britain, at some point. Wilson then famously replied, "I believe the people want it." The director then replied, "If you put it like that, Mr Wilson, I'm sure we can make an exception in this case."[9]
The album cover for Power, Corruption & Lies was among the ten chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010.[11][12]
All songs written by New Order.
Side one
Side two
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2008 Collector's Edition bonus disc
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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. The Australia/New Zealand cassette edition (available 1983–1992) featured "Blue Monday" at the end of side one.
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart[13] | 38 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart | 66 |
| German Media Control Albums Chart[14][15] | 18 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart[16] | 3 |
| Swedish Sverigetopplistan[17] | 16 |
| UK Albums Chart[18] | 4 |
| U.K. Independent Albums Chart[19] | 1 |