For a band that made practically no money for the first decade of its existence, New Order sure was prolific. Between 1981 and 1993 they released six original studio albums, rounding off the last two LP's in their catalog in the late 90's and early 00's. In addition to these fully realized projects, they put together a series of compilations, singles, remixes and live albums that made up a significant portion of Factory Records' business. Below you'll find a condensed version of the sound that made New Order famous.

• Blue Monday

This is the single that simultaneously made New Order famous and signaled their departure from the post-punk sound they mostly invented as Joy Division. "Blue Monday" is one of the top-selling vinyl singles of all time. There's a popular urban legend that the custom record sleeve made Factory print it at a loss, but the truth is closer to a thin profit margin than anything. It is true, however, that New Order funded a large portion of Factory's Hacienda night club, hemorrhaging money for years before it became the center of the Manchester club scene.

• 5 8 6
• Age of Consent

Power, Corruption & Lies is really the album that made New Order. Generally upbeat, extremely original and catchy as all get-out, it's a beautiful work of pop. I'd hold it up as one of the great LP's to establish the post-punk sound of the 80's along with The Cure's Boys Don't Cry and The Smiths' eponymous debut.

• All Day Long
• All The Way

The late 80's and early 90's was an interesting time in British music. New Order released the excellent Technique and an under-the-radar supergroup called Electronic got together. It involved New Order's Bernard Sumner as well as Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Neil Tennet of the Pet Shop Boys. Electronic is worth checking out on their own merits.

• Bizarre Love Triangle

This is one of New Order's biggest hits and it's a dance classic of the 80's. I prefer the 1994 version on Best Of but the original is excellent on its own. This track is miles away from Joy Division's gloomy anger but it still doesn't feel vapid. That's an accomplishment in itself.

• Ecstasy
• Hurt
• Love Vigilantes
• Someone Like You

Another great song from New Order's comeback album Get Ready. I like it because it's a synthesis of the electronic sound the band embraced early and often and the driving pop rock they never really abandoned from their early days. But for all of those foundational elements, "Someone Like You" is very much in its time. The backing beat is Drum and Bass while the melody has a very Depeche Mode a la Exciter feel to it.

• Sooner Than You Think
• Temptation

The first time I heard this song it was on the soundtrack to Trainspotting. It sounds very much like a radio-ready pop song, but it's also seven minutes long and has some odd lyrical flourishes. While I've cut a significant portion of New Order's recordings, those tracks worth preserving are some of the most invigorating songs in pop history, "Temptation" chief among them.

• Thieves Like Us

Not much to say about this one, other than that I adore it whenever a highly competent band dabbles in disco.

• This Time of Night
• Vanishing Point
• Your Silent Face
• True Faith

I want to end on this track because it may be my favorite New Order song, period. It's sort of a dance song, sort of post-punk rock song, simultaneously catchy and serious. If you want to hear everything that New Order did right, this song has it all.

New Order basically called it quits in 2007, making it as official as they ever would earlier this year. There were a number of quarrels between Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner, the latter moving in the direction of a new band anyway. New Order's productivity had tapered considerably in the past decade and their sound certainly veered from relevancy anyway. Sumner's band Bad Lieutenant is due to release their debut album in October '09. All in all, it's better that New Order faded away, given that Joy Division blew up just as they were getting famous. It's no small accomplishment being one of the most influential bands of the 1980's, so I'm not disappointed that New Order landed how they did.