Customer Reviews

Low-Life (2 CD Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The MUSIC on these New Order reissues get a 5/5, easily. However, there were far too many egregious mistakes made in the creation of the discs themselves to give them a pass. Only the first discs were re-mastered though they still have some problems, it is the bonus discs that are an absolute mess.

Warner Music/Rhino know about these problems, but there is yet no word on any forthcoming fixes. So I'd hold off until these issues are addressed.

Noted below are the specific problems with the Low Life reissue:

Low-Life (1985) Digipak spine says "1983"
1. Love Vigilantes 4:19
2. The Perfect Kiss 4:50
3. This Time of Night 4:45
4. Sunrise 6:01 - Sudden volume drop in right channel at 2:36
5. Elegia 4:55
6. Sooner Than You Think 5:11
7. Sub-culture 4:58
8. Face Up 5:06
Overall: the album tracks "sound like they've been mastered from the Centredate cd's and not the masters themselves" "this release is a massive disappointment. I would advise to NOT buy it - "Sleeve notes full of errors" "Did anyone proof read these?"

Low-Life - bonus disc
1. The Perfect Kiss 8:50 - Dubious sound quality, clicks, 'crackles', and pops at 0:07, 0:11, 0:16, 0:20, 0:23, 0:25, 0:30, 0:42, 0:50, 0:54, 1:08, 1:19, 1:23, 1:28, 1:32, 1:38, 1:56, 2:12, 2:32, 3:01, 3:03, 3:10, 3:11, 3:15, 3:24, 3:29, 3:40, 3:54, 3:57, 4:52, 4:59, 5:04, 5:06, 5:11, 5:13, 5:15, 5:18, 5:20, 5:27, 5:41, 6:08, 6:09, 6:37, 6:42, 6:44, 6:47, 6:51, 6:56, 7:12, 7:47, 7:49, 8:10, 8:15, 8:20, 8:36, and 8:38.
2. Subculture 7:27 - Glitches "run the whole way through it", namely at: 0:02, 0:04, 0:07, 0:08, 0:23, 0:48, 0:56, 1:24, 1:32, 1:58, 2:09, 2:47, 2:50, 3:13, 3:52, 3:55, 3:57, 3:59, 4:30, 4:35, 4:48, 4:55, 4:57, 5:04, 5:18, 5:46, 5:49, 6:38, and 6:52.
3. Shellshock - Plays the Substance edit, not the full 12" version. sounds messy, more bass but also no presence"
4. Shame Of The Nation
5. Elegia 17:30
6. Let's Go - "Clicks" at 1:24 and 3:23(at 1:31 it sounds like the tape slowed suddenly)
7. Salvation Theme 2:16
8. Dub Vulture 7:56 - Has "rumble" as if it were taken from vinyl. Clicks and pops at 0:07, 0:09, 0:14 ....

Overall, "mastering for the bonus tracks is on the loud side" and clipping may be present. "The tracks on the bonus disc sound mostly awful". "I just can't believe this release passed the quality control of band, management and label."

These CD's have been in effect recalled for numerous sonic errors primarily on the second disks. DO NOT BUY the November 11, 2008 versions. Rhino has re-released them as of August 25, 2009. These are the corrected versions.

This is one of my favorite albums of all time but I have to jump in on the remastering issues. I just bought this yesterday and I have the same flaw on the song Sunrise that the previous reviewer reported. I'll take his word for the exact time of the flaw but there is definitely a remarkable volume drop in the right channel in the middle of the song. The right channel corrects itself pretty quickly but when I heard it I thought something was wrong with my CD player. This is a very noticeable flaw. I even pulled out my Retro box set to listen to the song there to see if the flaw was part of the original master. The Retro version is fine as is my old copy of the CD. Is there anyone out there who bought a copy of this reissue that doesn't have that volume drop on Sunrise?

I ordered all five of these remasters from Amazon in July 2011. I received the 2009 corrected versions of Movement, PCL and Technique. Brotherhood and Low-Life both are the older versions with the messy second disc. I am returning those two. People say you can tell the older pressings by two external signs:

1) The older pressings have the plastic "Collectors Edition" sleeve on the outside, and the newer pressings don't.
2) The newer pressings have a second book inside with details on all five remastered albums and the older ones don't.

This is actually a little bit misleading as the "Low-Life" I received did not have the plastic sleeve and did have the second booklet. So, I assumed it was the corrected version. But the second disc is obviously the flawed version with glaring glitches and pops throughout.

Perhaps Rhino is recycling all of the defective discs that have been returned to them, hoping less informed buyers won't notice. At any rate, be wary. They should have recalled the bad copies from retailers back in 2009.

This expensive 2 cd set is a mess. Loaded with errors and poor mastering. I suggest buying the original until something better comes along. What happen to the quality control over at Rhino-just goes to show ya what happens when a big label buys you out.

Attention buyers, the negative hype is surrounding the UK edition released in September. Rhino cleaned up the problems. In fact, I think disc 2 sounds AMAZING! I hear NONE of the problems stated in the prior review. I think that review is based on the UK edition, not this one. YAY!

As "paul" has so helpfully pointed out, the original version of this and other NO re-releases were plagued with unforgivably careless errors and glitches. However, they have now been sorted out, and the edition I have is fine. So now that that's all been (belatedly) cleared up, let's focus on the music.

'Low-Life' showcases New Order lightening up somewhat from both the claustrophobic 'Movement' and the mostly cold electronica of 'Power Corruption and Lies'. It builds on 'PCL's poppier moments such as 'Age of Consent'; although his lyrics are still quite dark and introspective, Bernard Sumner fully embraces his boyish high-pitched vocals, Peter Hook's bass takes on a more melodic role, and the synthesiser textures are generally warmer and more inviting than before. The approach generally works well, although a couple of songs such as 'Elegia' and 'Face Up' have never really done much for me. I gave the original album 3.5 stars, because in my opinion, it was just not as consistently brilliant as 'PCL' and 'Technique', which in my mind are New Order's two best albums.

This new release incorporates a 2nd CD containing several extended remixes and non-album singles from the period. Like the original album, the collection is not quite as consistent or focussed as it could be. `Shellshock' and the extended 12" mix of `The Perfect Kiss' are essential for all New Order fans, and it's also nice to have the two tracks from `Salvation' collected here as well. But the 12" remix of `Subculture' was a dead set shocker with all those silly studio effects and warbling backup singers, and here we're treated to not one but TWO versions of it....completely pointless. Since the abbreviated version of `Elegia' never did much for me, the extended seventeen (!) minute version wasn't essential (although the delicate build-up is nice, the guitar really ruins it.....it sounds as if Bernard wasn't even trying to fit in with the rest of the band). And `Shame of the Nation' would have been better placed on `Brotherhood' with `State Of That Nation', surely?

Still, it's a decent enough collection, especially for new or casual fans who didn't buy the original album; the couple of essential non-album singles plus the hard-to-find `Salvation' tracks probably make this a worthwhile purchase. For more dedicated fans, who already have the 12" mixes of `The Perfect Kiss' and `Shellshock' on `Substance', this is more of a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.

Yes, there were problems with the original remastering but it's fixed now and this remaster deserves a five. Everyone who is a New Order fan already knows how wonderful this music is so go out and buy it!

Please note - most reviews are not about this cd set.

See the two newest reviews (other than this one). New Order fans consensus seems to be that there is a major but quick flaw on the first disc and many problems on the bonus discs.