New Order: Bernard Sumner (vocals, guitar); Gillian Gilbert (keyboards, synthesizer); Peter Hook (vocals, bass); Stephen Morris (drums, background vocals).

Originally released as a 2-LP set.

New Order always shone brightest as a singles band, and this stellar two-disc set collects most of the a- and b-sides from singles released between the band's inception and 1987. "Ceremony," a leftover from the band's past as Joy Division, opens the proceedings. It is followed by 150-odd minutes of material that, through the 1980s, set the standard for dance music. Classics like "Everything's Gone Green," "Perfect Kiss" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" appear next to alternate versions of the stunning "Temptation" and "Confusion." Also included is "True Faith," which, along with "1963," was recorded especially for this collection. Opening the second disc is another Joy Division leftover, "In a Lonely Place," a haunting epitaph for the former band.

"Procession," "Mesh" and "Hurt," all great evocations of loss and healing, lead into "The Beach," an instrumental (and far superior) version of the dance classic "Blue Monday." "Murder" is New Order's creepiest moment, with its sampled "I hate them!" from the film "Caligula" and assorted samples of HAL, the computer from the film 2001, descending into insanity. SUBSTANCE is not only the sound of an evolving band, but the sound of an evolving musical style that has influenced countless other artists.