History Music / LowLife

** Qwest LP releases forgo the logo and overlay altogether and simply have the unaltered band photos printed on the sleeves.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: At one point in "The Perfect Kiss", the narrator states that he should've just engaged in this instead of joining his visibly unstable friend for a night out.

This was the first album released under the band's U.S. deal with Music/QuincyJones' Creator/WarnerBrosRecords imprint, Qwest, giving the band much more American exposure than before. While the band had had earlier singles success on the dance charts and had built an audience through touring, club, and CollegeRadio play, major label distribution allowed the album to be the first to make the Billboard charts, peaking at no. 94. Qwest would later reissue the band's earlier material as well as Music/JoyDivision's albums, which had previously been handled by Factory US and distributed by fellow indie label Rough Trade.

This was the first album released under the band's U.S. deal with Music/QuincyJones' Creator/WarnerBrosRecords imprint, Qwest, giving the band much more American exposure than before. While the band had had earlier singles success on the dance charts, major label distribution allowed the album to be the first to make the Billboard charts, peaking at no. 94. Qwest would later reissue the band's earlier material as well as Music/JoyDivision's albums, which had previously been handled by Factory US and distributed by fellow indie label Rough Trade.

* FaceOnTheCover: The only case of this in the band's discography, and even then it's spun in an unconventional way: portraits of the band members appear as interchangeable cards that can be swapped around and slotted in onion paper sleeves. CD versions vary in their approach, with Creator/{{Factory|Records}} and London featuring miniature versions of the cards and an onion paper overlay that slot into the front of the jewel case, Qwest using a re-foldable gatefold insert, and the Collector's Edition just omitting the effect altogether.

* VariantCover: Thanks to the unusual and expensive design for the UK LP packaging (swappable cards behind an onion paper overlay), releases across different regions and formats tend to get creative with how they carry it over:
** Factory's cassette releases feature the band logotype against a solid white backdrop, while Qwest's US cassettes feature the unaltered photo of Stephen Morris on the front and the band name and album title above it; both include the other band photos in the J-card foldout.
** Factory and London [=CDs=] in the UK replicate the LP packaging with jewel case-sized cards and a printed onion paper sheet, while Qwest goes for a gatefold booklet with the logotype printed directly on the front page; said booklet can be re-folded and reinserted as desired.
** Qwest LP releases forgo the logo and overlay altogether and simply have the unaltered band photos printed on the sleeves.
** The Collector's Edition reissue also prints the band photos directly onto the digipak panels, though include the logotype on the front.

** "Sunrise" is a noticeable pastiche of Music/TheCure's GothRock style, which the members of New Order had previously pioneered as Music/JoyDivision.

** "The Perfect Kiss" is edited down from 8:46 to just under 5 minutes thanks to LP space limitations. The album cut axes the track's latter half, fading out prematurely, though compensates by adding in the synth hits from the song's B-side, "Kiss of Death". The latter was likely deemed sufficient enough to keep the LP edit across formats even after more spacious [=CDs=] and digital releases became the norm.

Like ''Power, Corruption & Lies'' before it, ''Low-Life'' was a considerable commercial success for New Order, topping the UK Independent Albums chart, peaking at No. 7 on the general UK Albums chart, and being certified gold in Canada. The album was also a major critical success, with reviewers praising its refinement of the sound the band had been developing since 1982 and considering it their first truly cohesive album since their Joy Division days. The album was also ranked at No. 346 on ''Magazine/{{NME}}''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime list]] of the 500 greatest albums of all time, currently stands at No. 517 on ''WebSite/AcclaimedMusic''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums list]] of the most critically lauded albums of all time, and remains a fan favorite to this day.

!!"One of these days, you'll trope back to your home; you won't even notice that you are alone":

-->"I'm one of the few people who live what's called a low life..."

** "The Perfect Kiss" is edited down from 8:46 to just under 5 minutes thanks to LP space limitations. The album cut axes the track's latter half, fading out prematurely, though compensates by adding in the synth hits from the song's B-side, "Kiss of Death". The parts added in were likely deemed sufficient enough to keep the LP edit across formats even after more spacious [=CDs=] and digital releases became the norm.

* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: While ''Low-Life'' is by no means sunshine and rainbows, "Elegia" is far darker than any other track on the record, owed to it being an open eulogy for late Music/JoyDivision frontman Ian Curtis, whose death spawned the creation of New Order.

* GratuitousPanning: The synth hits at the end of the intro to "The Perfect Kiss" jump between the left and right audio channels; this is only present on the album version, and is absent from the 12" release.

** "The Perfect Kiss" is significantly edited down from 8:47 to just under 5 minutes due to space limitations on long-playing records; the edit is maintained on CD copies despite the format having more than enough space to include the full-length version (if only because the format was still fairly nascent in 1985). The song wouldn't be included uncut on any CD release until the 2008 Collector's Edition, via a bonus disc.
** "Sub-Culture", meanwhile, got the exact opposite treatment, receiving a remix for its 12" release that incorporated soul singer backing vocals and more club-oriented rhythms; ironically, the album version ended up being considered ''more'' club-friendly.
* ReCut: Of a mild variety in the album's case; original Factory Records [=CDs=] of ''Low-Life'' were mastered with extra pre-emphasis.

** "The Perfect Kiss" is significantly edited down from 8:47 to just under 5 minutes due to space limitations on long-playing records (which has the effect of removing the TitleDrop); the edit is maintained on CD copies despite the format having more than enough space to include the full-length version (if only because the format was still fairly nascent in 1985). Among other aspects of the album edit, the intro is much shorter (removing Peter Hook's aggressive bass part) and includes GratuitousPanning synth hits absent from the uncut release, the last verse is missing, and the outro fades out partway through, omitting the LastNoteNightmare. The song wouldn't be included uncut on any CD release until the collector's edition of the album in 2008, via a bonus disc. The song also received further edits for the 7" release, being cut down by around another half-minute.

* SanitySlippageSong: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] on "The Perfect Kiss", which examines this trope not ThroughTheEyesOfMadness, but rather from the perspective of an outsider, specifically a mentally stable friend of the person going insane.

* FaceOnTheCover: Portraits of Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert appear on the front and back cover, respectively, in what is perhaps the only case of this trope in New Order's official discography. On the LP release, additional portraits of Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook also appear on opposite sides of the inner sleeve, while on the CD release, the portraits of Morris, Sumner, and Hook are all featured on a six-panel gatefold insert for the front of the jewel case (Gilbert's portrait is still featured on the back cover). Interestingly, both the LP and CD releases feature the gimmick of the portraits being interchangeable. The LP release features the portraits of Morris and Gilbert as large cards contained within onion paper wrapping; they and the inner sleeve can be rearranged to put whichever member one desires on the front and back-- or leave one or both covers blank. On the CD release, the aforementioned gatefold can be opened up and re-inserted to place either Morris, Sumner, or Hook on the front. This variant, however, does feature a limitation in that the "new Order" text on the front is printed on Morris's portrait instead on the front of the jewel case, and Gilbert's portrait cannot be removed from the back.

This was the first album released under the band's U.S. deal with Quincy Jones' Creator/WarnerBrosRecords imprint, Qwest, giving the band much more American exposure than before. While the band had had earlier singles success on the dance charts, major label distribution allowed the album to be the first to make the Billboard charts, peaking at no. 94. Qwest would later reissue the band's earlier material as well as Music/JoyDivision's albums, which had previously been handled by Factory US and distributed by fellow indie label Rough Trade.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Tonight I should've stayed at home, playing with my pleasure zone."'']]

** "The Perfect Kiss" is significantly edited down from 8:47 to just under 5 minutes due to space limitations on long-playing records (which has the effect of removing the TitleDrop); the edit is maintained on CD copies despite the format having more than enough space to include the full-length version (if only because the format was still fairly nascent in 1985); the song wouldn't be included uncut on any CD release until the collector's edition of the album in 2008, via a bonus disc. The song also received further edits for the 7" release, being cut down by around another half-minute.

** "The Perfect Kiss" is significantly edited down from 8:47 to just under 5 minutes due to space limitations on long-playing records; the edit is maintained on CD copies despite the format having more than enough space to include the full-length version (if only because the format was still fairly nascent in 1985); the song wouldn't be included uncut on any CD release until the collector's edition of the album in 2008, via a bonus disc. The song also received further edits for the 7" release, being cut down by around another half-minute.