New Order - Brotherhood [Black Vinyl LP]

New Order's fourth studio album Brotherhood was released in 1986 by Factory Records. Written, recorded, and produced entirely by New Order, the album contains a mixture of post-punk and electronic styles, roughly divided between the two sides. Stephen Morris stated that the album "was kind of done in a schizophrenic mood that we were trying to do one side synthesizers and one side guitars," while Bernard Sumner reflected, "We'd always had that balance of electronics and band stuff. I was always pushing for electronics, and Hooky was always pushing for the band stuff." This 2025 pressing features 2024 remastered audio, delivering the album's conceptual duality with enhanced clarity.

Side one features "Paradise," "Weirdo," "As It Is When It Was," "Broken Promise," and "Way of Life," representing the album's guitar-driven post-punk aesthetic. The flip side shifts to electronic terrain with the centerpiece "Bizarre Love Triangle," New Order's breakthrough single in the United States and Australia. "All Day Long" incorporates influences from Richard Wagner's "Prelude" to Das Rheingold, creating a dramatic soundscape that the band later used as a concert opener. "Angel Dust" continues the electronic exploration, while "Every Little Counts" closes with a distinctive "mad ending" that mimics a vinyl record needle skipping the groove, inspired by The Beatles' "A Day in the Life." The album's structure creates a fascinating tension between Peter Hook's guitar-oriented vision and the band's evolving electronic identity.

This black vinyl reissue features the 2024 remaster previously only available in the 'Brotherhood Definitive Edition' boxset. The pressing captures both the raw energy of the guitar-heavy side and the sleek sophistication of the electronic side with improved separation and detail. The album peaked at number nine in the UK Albums Chart and has been retrospectively praised as a crucial document of New Order's artistic evolution. The remastered vinyl allows listeners to appreciate the album's ambitious duality, from Bernard Sumner's clear vocals to the intricate instrumental layers that define both halves.

• Format: Black Vinyl LP
• Standout tracks: "Bizarre Love Triangle," "Paradise," "All Day Long"
• Pressing details: 2024 remastered audio, originally released September 1986
• Genre/style: Post-Punk, New Wave, Synth-Pop, Alternative Rock
• UPC: 5021732836380

This remastered pressing captures New Order at a creative peak, balancing rock energy with electronic innovation across an album that showcases the band's ambitious artistic vision.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Paradise
2. Weirdo
3. As It Is When It Was
4. Broken Promise
5. Way Of Life

Side B:

1. Bizarre Love Triangle
2. All Day Long
3. Angel Dust
4. Every Little Counts