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Substance is a 1987 double album by New Order, grouping their best-known singles in their 12-inch versions, together with some songs that were previously unavailable. Some of this music could clearly be considered as part of the culture and symbolism of the 1980s. Some of the band's most well-known tracks ("Bizarre Love Triangle", "Blue Monday", "Confusion", "The Perfect Kiss", "Temptation", and the then newly-released "True Faith") appear, and the double-CD and double-cassette versions also include various B-sides and two A-sides, "Procession" and "Murder". The collection was also released on Digital Audio Tape. Substance is a convenient yet notoriously incomplete collection. It presents re-recordings of two songs, "Temptation" and "Confusion," and the original versions do not appear. The opening track, "Ceremony," is the version recorded after Gillian Gilbert joined the band. The original trio version — the first New Order recording following the dissolution of Joy Division — would not see a CD release until the Singles collection. While it is a single collection, the album version of Sub-Culture and the version of Shell-Shock from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack is used instead. Also, The Perfect Kiss was edited on the CD version, but not on the LP version and Cassette version. Many versions omitted the b-side "Mesh", though they incorrectly listed "Cries and Whispers" as "Mesh". A video release of Substance appeared in 1989 on VHS; it was released on LaserDisc in Japan in 1991. The cover was generally the same as the audio release, except "1987" was replaced by "1989", and the Factory/Qwest release had a grey background, the Japanese VHS release, blue and the LaserDisc, turquoise. The video includes linking sequences which are animated to the accompaniment of instrumental sections from "The Happy One", an otherwise unreleased track from the Technique sessions. It is rumoured that the compilation was brought about because Tony Wilson of New Order's record label, Factory Records wanted to listen to the singles in his car, which had just been fitted with a CD player.
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