Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by the English rock band New Order, released on 2 May 1983 by Factory Records. The album features more electronic tracks than their debut studio album Movement (1981), with heavier use of synthesisers. The album was met with widespread acclaim, and has been included in music industry lists of the greatest albums of the 1980s and of all time.
Power, Corruption & Lies, an evolution from New Order's debut album, Movement (1981), combines the band's roots in post-punk with influences from electronic music into a sound described as synth-pop, electropop, new wave, synth-rock, dance-rock, post-punk and dance-punk.
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 written on the original UK sleeve (they were present on some non-UK versions), although the catalogue number "FACT 75" does appear on the top-right corner. The decoder for the code was featured prominently on the back cover of the album and can also be seen on the "Blue Monday" and "Confusion" singles and for Section 25's third studio album From the Hip (1984).
It beggars belief this wasn't included in the 'Official' chart. At the time this was my favourite album and I played it over and over. I can tell by their profile the submitter is from Madchester too.
After Ian's death New Order moved more and more towards a dance-orientated pop sound and this was them at their apex: a perfect combination of attitude, sentiment and integrity.
This record is a Titan in the realms of musical history.
Having gotten some Joy Division and some later New Order on this list, I was really kinda surprised of what a mix of the two this was. I don't know why I was surprised, but I expected this to be less Joy Division and more New Order. Anyway, it's certainly a significant album for the influence it had and how innovative it was. I didn't love it at first, but it grew on me as it went
4/5
Power, Corruption & Lies is a good synth-pop album by New Order. Several great songs ("Age of Consent", "Your Silent Face", "Leave Me Alone"). Influences of Kraftwerk and certainly Giorgio Moroder are there. Only the subpar singing of Bernard Sumner is a minor disappointment.
Shocked that this New Order album didn't make the list. Power Corruption and Lies represents the stage of New Order when they had one foot still firmly in the post-punk days of Joy Division and the other foot advancing into '80s synthpop. You can tell they really found their groove with this album. Some truly untenable songs on here.
CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Yes! Replace Low-Life with this.
Don't think anyone would have complained if this replaced "Technique" on the original list.
Second best New Order album after "Low-Life". The bleeps are blooping astonishingly on this one.
I'm never able to get fully on board with this band (nor its antecedent or descendent groups). It just strikes me as slightly gloomy new wave pop. I don't hate it or anything.
It boggles me how a band can write an opener like ‘Age of Consent,’ one of the most ripping guitar lines of all time, and then put all the stringed instruments away and fill the remaining 40 minutes with ho-hum New Wave. There are hints of Joy Division scattered throughout this LP that excite, but the rest sounds so dated and stylistically flat. I want to enjoy New Order so bad given their roots, but none of their albums have stuck with or surprised me in any way.
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