Marking
its 40th anniversary today is the sophomore LP from New Order, Power,
Corruption & Lies, which was released by Factory Records on May 2nd,
1983. After a tentative step out from under of the shadows of Joy
Division and the suicide of Ian Curtis with their debut LP in 1981, New
Order were clearly letting the world know they were freed of the
shackles of their past and ready to move forward as a reconstituted
creative force. Backed by the unprecedented success of the Blue Monday
single released in March that same year, this double-barrelled assault
on the underground proved to be irresistible for fans and critics alike.
Building on the foundations set by Blue Monday, which was not
included on the album, New Order set their sights on a distinctly more
electronic sound, incorporating more sequencers, drum machines and
synths into their arsenal than their first album & singles. This
helped give the group a more distinct sound than their debut album which
still bore many sonic trademarks established by Joy Division. It
wasn’t a complete stylistic departure and there were still hints of past
ghosts in the themes. The brighter, tighter sound still had their
essential post-punk DNA in it, but the greys and monotones of previous
recordings were blushing with more color and intricacy. The mood was
decidedly less introverted, with guitarist Bernard Sumner stepping up to
assume the brunt of lead vocals, performing with more confidence while
being less hidden in the mix.
The distinctive cover of the album
was designed by Peter Saville and followed on from the Blue Monday
graphics with their use of the color coded key on the sleeve’s edge, but
this time featuring the painting "A Basket of Roses" by French artist
Henri Fantin-Latour, which is part of the National Gallery's permanent
collection in London. Saville had originally planned to use a
Renaissance portrait of a dark prince to tie in with the Machiavellian
theme of the title, but could not 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 realized it was a great idea because the flowers
"suggested the means by which power, corruption and lies infiltrate our
lives. They're seductive." The owner of the painting (The National
Heritage Trust) first refused the label access to it, but Tony Wilson
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. Wilson then 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." The cover was later among the ten
chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage
stamps issued in January 2010.
Upon it’s release, the album
became an immediate critical sensation and has since gone on to achieve
legendary status, regularly referenced as one of the best albums of the
era and even of all times. In 1989, Power, Corruption & Lies was
ranked number 94 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of
the 1980s, with the magazine citing it as "a landmark album of
danceable, post-punk music". Rolling Stone also placed the album at
number 262 on the 2020 edition of its list of the 500 greatest albums of
all time (it was not included on the original 2003 and 2012 lists).
