I’ve never been able to figure out how they made the banjo guitar sound that stands out in the Substance version.

I think it failed to be a hit single because the album version sounds incomplete. The single (radio) version, was missing the kick that the song much needed. And the video was crap. It wasn’t until Substance came out that bars and DJ’s noticed the song. The Substance version was the perfect song for the time. It brought to life all the catchy parts of the song. I would hear it every time I went dancing. But there was never a good radio version of the song, and the remix versions didn’t even sound like the song. So Dj’s Only had the Substance version to play for many years.

Finally they made a great single version for the married to the mob soundtrack but did nothing with it. Then they put it out again on the best of ? CD. And took out the “dodo” part. But finally they had a version, the radio stations took notice of, and it’s the version I still hear on the radio and malls today.

Also there have never been any good remixes. Substance was all bars had. Until the 2000’s when they put out the Richard X and crystal methods mixes (which they put into their live versions today)

I say BLT Substance is one of the top 10 songs of the 80’s easily. I could do a podcast on the evaluation of BLT from its earliest years to how it sound now. It would be great.

Huh? The album version stopped the single version being a hit? I'm confused! (also, the album version is ace.)


I remember hearing the radio version and thinking: I want that. And I'll get it on 12"


Lots of NO videos were crap though weren't they? The BM '83 video was virtually un-broadcastable. Didn't stop BM.


Surely the Substance version was the 12" version that got released when BLT first came out as a single. I remember that version being played at school discos, and when the percussion bit breaks out and goes a bit bonkers the dancefloor would look kinda confused.

I guess the original version was bigger then I thought. But I’m sure people who heard the Shep version, then bought Brotherhood where very disappointed. At least here where everybody owed Substance.

Blue Monday never made mainstream radio where I live. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it on the radio. I’m sure it was on all the bbc stations in the Uk. But clubs would play it every night for years.

The big club songs from New Order I would hear in the bars were: Blue Monday & BLT everytime from 1987 to about 1991. True faith for about a year in 1988. Round and round for about a year in 1989. And the Blade soundtrack version of Confusion for about 4 years when it came out. The band really missed the boat not releasing that as a single. Even our radio stations would play it every dance night Friday, were they broadcast from a club.

MTV was really big in 1986, and a bad video didn’t help. True faith and Blue Monday88 owned MTV when it came out.

The banjo sound I’m talking about is at the 46sec part of the song. I’m sure it’s not a banjo, it’s the only way I can describe it. I’m sure it’s all programmed but I would like to know what the original sound was.

This is a remix.