New Order | Brotherhood

On September 29th, 1986, New Order released their fourth studio album Brotherhood. The album features one of the band’s most popular singles “Bizarre Love Triangle”, as well as “State of the Nation” on the CD version.

“Bizarre Love Triangle”, a track that features many different edits, can be considered one of the most definitive songs of the 80’s, has been featured on many film soundtracks such as Married To the Mob. That film in particular was directed by Jonathan Demme, who had previously work with the band on their music video for “The Perfect Kiss”, featured on 1985’s Lowlife.

The video was directed by artist Robert Longo. While most of the film features scenes spanning a cityscape with intermittent pixelation, the part that is featured during the songs chorus features shots of a man and a woman in business suits falling through the air against a bright blue sky. This directly based on Longo’s “Men in the Cities”  lithographs, which is turn were inspired by the gyrations of punk musicians and singer, not unlike Joy Division’s Ian Curtis.

The video also features a black and white interlude about two thirds through where actress Jodi Long and screenwriter E. Max Frye are arguing.

Long: “I don’t believe in reincarnation because I refuse to come back as a bug or as a rabbit!”

Frye: “You know, you’re a real ‘up’ person.”

Once again, the album features a sleeve created by Factory Records’ inhouse graphic designer Peter Saville which is a photograph of a sheet of titanium-zinc alloy. Both sides of the record each have a distinct sound, with side A being the guitar side, and side B being the synth side.

I always thought that my favorite side of Brotherhood was the acoustic side. Yet, when we came to play the sequencer songs which make up side two, it was those that I loved! I like the fact that side two is a little bit more difficult and different.-Peter Hook

Tracklist:

1. Paradise
2. Weirdo
3. As It Is When It Was
4. Broken Promise
5. Way of Life
6. Bizarre Love Triangle
7. All Day Long
8. Angel Dust
9. Every Little Counts