“Blue Monday” Owners’ Club

October 8, 2007 2:51 PM

“Blue Monday” Owners’ Club Photos of actual original “Blue Monday” sleeves (Peter Saville die-cut design) as brandished by their owners. Also You Are There! photos of searching for “Blue Monday” in the wild and finding it. (Creaky old frame-based site)
posted by joeclark (36 comments total)

Shaun: What was that?
Ed: Blue Monday.
Shaun: That was an original pressing!
posted by Parasite Unseen at 3:08 PM on October 8, 2007 [4 favorites]

Ha, that's pretty great! Can't blame them, that is one brilliant song.

Also; Wikipedia, clearing things up (for me, anyway):

A popular story about "Blue Monday" holds that the single's die-cut sleeve, created by Factory designer Peter Saville, cost so much to produce that Factory Records actually lost money on each copy sold. It is unlikely that Factory Records could have sustained the losses implied, and the sleeve was soon changed to a similar non-die-cut design that would cost no more than a regular sleeve.

I've heard the stories about Factory losing money on each and every copy sold, and I've always wondered if it really could be true. Seeing as it's "the highest selling 12-inch single of all time". So, it seems that "only" the die-cut sleeves cost so much to produce that they lost money. Or am I wrong?

Anyway, yeah, nice site. Even though I only own "Blue Monday" on "Substance".
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:11 PM on October 8, 2007

NERRRRRDS!

(my picture is on page 6)
posted by bink at 3:13 PM on October 8, 2007

soundofsuburbia - Heh. I just saw that on Wikipedia. There's no sources for that though, so it might bear a little bit of further investigation.
posted by Artw at 3:21 PM on October 8, 2007

Also you don't have it on Power, Corruption and Lies?
posted by Artw at 3:22 PM on October 8, 2007

Ah, New Order - Blue Monday. One of William Wegman's original Polaroid 20x24 images taken during the session for the music video hangs in my living room.
posted by ericb at 3:23 PM on October 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

They didn't sell many of those. I mean, compared to other 12" releases. Not many. Exclusive.
posted by Shave at 3:34 PM on October 8, 2007

Artw: Yeah, if I remember "Shadowplayers" correctly, Saville talked about losing money on every copy, so, well. I'd really like to know.

And yes, I do own "Power, Corruption & Lies ". But only the UK version!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 3:38 PM on October 8, 2007

I totally just sent them a picture of me with mine. Up with nerds!
posted by padraigin at 3:40 PM on October 8, 2007

I'm putting together a website featuring photos of actual Michael Jackson Thriller albums held by their owners. It's not quite complete yet.
posted by flod at 3:42 PM on October 8, 2007

Listened to yesterday... still as good as it ever was. Think I'll stick it on again.

Oh and I don't want to know how many times I've looked at pictures of the thing (never having an original) until I thought... 'Wow, it looks just like a floppy disk!'
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:42 PM on October 8, 2007

And when I was DJing back in the 80s I played it at every single gig.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:45 PM on October 8, 2007

soundofsuburbia - TBH It's probably a better album without it. Ace though Blue Monday is it doesn't quite fit in with the rest, and The Beach is IMHO a total waste of space.
posted by Artw at 3:48 PM on October 8, 2007

Original video (audio remastered)
posted by Poolio at 3:48 PM on October 8, 2007 [2 favorites]

Previously: How much money has New Order made from the song "Blue Monday"?
posted by Artw at 3:55 PM on October 8, 2007

Artw: Haha, what a lovely thread! Still, no sources there either, at least I didn't find any. You cause me confusion...
posted by soundofsuburbia at 4:25 PM on October 8, 2007

Considering that I was able to buy one at a record store in my nowhere hometown in Florida, I think there are a lot of them out there. It's one of the few pieces of vinyl I still own.
posted by 2sheets at 4:45 PM on October 8, 2007

Pfft. Whatevah. How many of you own the 12' for Everything's Gone Green. That's right. That's what I thought. pwned!!
posted by Skygazer at 4:47 PM on October 8, 2007

it just never gets old.
posted by vronsky at 4:48 PM on October 8, 2007

Funny, now the "floppy disk" cover looks as antique as the vinyl record inside.
posted by jfuller at 4:48 PM on October 8, 2007

"How many of you own the 12' for Everything's Gone Green."

Dude, don't even start on New Order or Prince 12 inchers.
We'll be here all day.
posted by 2sheets at 4:55 PM on October 8, 2007

No, please, by all means; nerd it up! At least I wouldn't mind!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 5:06 PM on October 8, 2007

Oh wait. 12" not 12'.

That 12' release of Everythings GOne Green was a bitch to get onto the turntable...but it played for 32 hours!!
posted by Skygazer at 5:14 PM on October 8, 2007

funny coincidence, I got there the other day via this blue monday post (nb post includes mp3 ripped from the blue monday lp, if that wasn't obvious from the site name)
posted by dorian at 5:33 PM on October 8, 2007

oh wait it's actually ripped from cd not the lp. meh.
posted by dorian at 5:34 PM on October 8, 2007

As if the original weren't long enough. (MP3; possibly NSFW)

<sorryTrainspotter>
Anyone else here own both formats of Run2?
</sorryTrainspotter>
posted by timing at 5:59 PM on October 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Damn you joeclark! I've been working on a post very similar to this. (Nice job by the way.)
posted by Sailormom at 7:03 PM on October 8, 2007

How does it feel, to treat me like you do?


Tell me, how do I feel
Tell me now, How do I feel...


Thanks for that Warren Lapham remix Timing. It was a treat.
posted by Skygazer at 7:08 PM on October 8, 2007

I can (and will upload my photo to that site tonight) and shallow bay.
posted by threeze at 7:47 PM on October 8, 2007

I was SO SURE I had it, but no. What I have is four mixes of "Confusion" in a plain sleeve. And Low-Life on lp. And a True Faith 12-inch. Hmph.
posted by pinky at 8:32 PM on October 8, 2007

This thread is too nice. It needs more flames.

*gets out megaphone*

ORGY'S COVER WAS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL

*hides*
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 6:33 AM on October 9, 2007

ORGY'S COVER WAS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL

Die, heretic!!

*cough*

Sorry, instinctive reaction, there.

I can (and will upload my photo to that site tonight) and shallow bay.

Or possibly, you "can and shall obey".

Unless you were being ironic, in which case, sorry, again...

[/amused]
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 6:59 AM on October 9, 2007

"How does it feel
When you're drinking in the sun
When you've got that thirst for living
Sunkist is the one"
posted by El Brendano at 7:52 AM on October 9, 2007

^ Heh. I like to call that ad "Orange Monday"
posted by Down10 at 10:56 AM on October 9, 2007

Yes, Flod, but the Thriller album is not a single (“Thriller” is) and its cover is not a design classic surrounded by lore.
posted by joeclark at 2:39 PM on October 10, 2007

And deadpan jokes often do not translate well in text, apparently.
posted by flod at 7:22 PM on October 24, 2007