The LP Brotherhood had been released to mixed reviews in September 1986, and as mentioned last time out, the non-LP single State of the Nation hadn’t charted all that highly in comparison to the singles from 83/84.
The solution? Take one of the more upbeat songs from the album, give it a bit of a remix and issue it is a single. The outcome….a brilliant 12″ single that sold dismally and limped to #56 in the singles charts. But it has become the most covered New Order song of them all – wiki lists more than 20 different versions (while admitting the list isn’t exhaustive) – it’s a song that also been recorded successfully in the Cantonese and Mandarin languages.
Loads out there, even featuring New Order, and I’m not going to try and get them all in today as it would take far too long.
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (album version)
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (7″ version)
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (12″ version)
The single versions were remixed by Shep Pettibone, a then fairly well-known producer who would go onto to achieve world fame thanks to extensive work with Madonna in the late 80s and early 90s.
Here’s the b-sides:-
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Dub Triangle (7″ version)
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Dub Triangle (12″ version)
A few others…..
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle 94
This was produced by Stephen Hague for inclusion in the Best of New Order compilation CD
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (Richard X extended mix)
mp3 : New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (Crystal Method extended mix)
These were from compilation albums entitled Future Retro, released in 2005, and which gave 21st Century remixes to 80s electro/indie hits.
Of them all, I don’t think you can better Pettibone’s original 12″ effort….also worth noting that although, as with all New Order songs it is attributed to all four members, Hooky gives the credit for this one to Stephen Morris.
Oh what the hell….
mp3 : Sandy Lam – Bizarre Love Triangle (Mandarin version)
mp3 : Post Modern Jukebox – Bizarre Love Triangle
The latter is described, somewhat accurately, as a Burt Bacharach style take on the song.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Top tune, I love this one.
The 12″ version of this for me is the greatest thing New Order ever produced. No matter how down I am, if I dig BLT out and stick it on I am instantly in a better place and itching to look like a twat on the dancefloor.
Stunning record.
Bizarre Love Triangle is an important song. The big, electronic/dance sound that New Order had built upon since Low-life seemed to run it’s course with State Of The Nation. BLT brings some of the missing Pop elements back to New Order’s sound. The results of the push and pull of the band in the studio are a song with lots of different rhythms that, like a song such as Talking Head’s Once In A Lifetime, just filled the dance floors in NYC when it was played. Pettibone/Peck spent less time reconstructing BLT and more time pulling forward the best parts of the song, keeping the remix so very memorable.
I have to admit that there was a time after it came out that I got a bit sick of hearing BLT. It is really he first New Order track that broke through the resistance of radio and MTV in the U.S. Robert Luongo’s fantastic video, if you can find it these days has the wonderful song break and actress Jodi Long’s line “I don’t believe in reincarnation because, I refuse to come back as a bug or as a rabbit” followed by actor E. Max Frye’s even more memorable, “You know, your a really “up” person.”
I always liked the Frente version.