Joy Division

Joy Division is one of the best --and most heart breaking-- stories in the history of recorded music. It's a story that's become somewhat of a cliche, but only something as truly powerful and sincere as the music of Joy Division could've endured through such circumstances as long as it has. Formed in the wake of the punk explosion of the late 70's, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Ian Curtis saw many names and name changes before they finally settled on Joy Division (which was a part of nazi concentration camps where prisoners were forced to prostitue themselves to the officers -- a sort of post modern bit of irony). They played the typical three chord rebellion music of their contemporaries as Warsaw but grew increasingly disillusioned with the restaints that the punk tag carried, especially with the direction they ultimately wanted to take their music (living in the gloomy Manchester environment was no doubt a major influence in the direction they would go). Finally signing a record contract, they released two of the most revolutionary albums ever recorded in the late 70's. They may not have been the first band to do this new style of rock music, but they perfected it and showed the heights (and depths) it could achieve. When the band's lead singer and creative director Ian Curtis commited suicide shortly after the release of their second album in 1980, one of the most important figures in music at the time was silenced. The band never really gained that much popularity during their initial existence outside of a cult following however, along with the help of visionary producer Martin Hannett, their two albums and numerous singles stand as some of the most important music to come out of the entire punk and new wave movement. The remaining band members would go on to form New Order, and become one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the 80's. In retrospect, it seems like the stuff movies are made of.
Related pages: New Order

Album: Unknown Pleasures
Year: 1979
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett
Best song: "Shadowplay," "She's Lost Control" OR "Disorder"

Boys and girls, this is the sound of revolution.

You can tell right off the bat that everything about this album --even the cover art-- was planned out and scrutinized repeatedly, like only perfectionists would do. Ten songs is all they needed on this record to state their intentions. Every song is relatively similar: usually fast, repetitive drums, sludgy guitar tone, the bass providing the lead melody in more cases than not and of course, the poetic isolation of lead singer Ian Curtis. He doesn't have the greatest voice (in fact, many people would argue he doesn't even have a good voice). But he's got a certain feeling and soul to his lyrics that you can't help but be intruiged by. The music is mostly very dark and melancholy. Lots of dissonaces and slight hints at melody, but mostly, it's just one long restrained feeling. One that you feel could erupt at any time, but it never does. And that's the real brilliant thing about the record as a whole: the tension. With most of the tempos being played at a speed that only punk bands could do, it just creates an atmosphere of paranoia and despair that's darkly irresistable (only one song, the slower "I Remember Nothing" points the direction to the next album). Martin Hannett's production helps the individual songs become unique and give them their own identities using sounds of glass breaking, heavily reverbed drums (rumor says that the drums for "She's Lost Control" were recorded on the roof above an alley to achieve more natural reverb), and doors slamming shut, amongst other things. It may be too intense for some folks, but for anyone who likes their music heavy on substance and feeling, it will be hard to resist.
~Austin

Album: Closer
Year: 1980
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett
Best song: "Passover," "Decades" OR "Heart And Soul"... but the whole thing's great.

One sentence doesn't do it justice.

If the last album was a surprise, the follow up is an all out shocker of an album. From the opening bars of "Atrocity Exhibition," you're greeted with the sounds of wailing guitar feedback and guitars sounding not that unlike chainsaws. Sounds grim, and it's hard to even fathom the thought that this album will close with one of the most layered and melodically beautiful songs the band ever recorded (the epic, "Decades"). If Unknown Pleasures was a forty minute diary of restrained feelings and supressed anger, Closer is the backlash. The emtional explosion that propels itself in as many directions at once as it possibly can. Martin Hannett is still up to his old tricks, utilizing just as many unorthodox techniques as he did the first time around. He seemingly has persuaded the band to make keyboards a bigger part of their sonic arsenal as well. They are used to stunning effect as mood enhancers on such album standouts as "Heart And Soul" and "The Eternal." With Ian Curtis hanging himself not long after the album's completion, these nine songs have come under so much scrutiny as people searched for answers. There appears to be many clues but when the album is looked at as just simply the next Joy Division album, it really is a fantastic step forward. The best evidence of this are the three tracks that end the album ("Twenty Four Hours," "The Eternal" and "Decades"). Very long, slow pieces, they are all epics in their own right and would've been towering highlights of any other record, even seperately. But sequenced here they seem to be the bittersweet end to something so important and ahead of its time; it's almost too much. Some of the best songs from one of the best albums to emerge from the post-punk movement, and arguably of all time. Exceptional.
~Austin

Album: Still
Year: 1981
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett
Best song: Uhhh... yeah.

Stopgap compilation of odds and ends that is as inconsistent as it is completely random.

Issued at the time to discourage bootleggers, this album is now an awkward affair that offers some of the best and worst the band had to offer. It runs through twenty tracks of single tracks, b-sides and less than great quality live material. For most fans, this will be like a new album of material for the outtakes and single only tracks, but now that the box set has been released, it renders this compilation completely useless. Some of the live material is exclusive to this disc so that may be of interest to completists. The liner notes are not of much help either, telling absolutely nothing about the origins of the tracks.
~Austin

Album: Substance
Year: 1988
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett
Best song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart" DUH!

A vault clearing compilation of some good stuff.

Released to coincide with New Order's album of the same title, this compilation will play well as the third Joy Division album for most fans. It does repeat some things that were found Still but overall, it's practically all (at that point) out of print singles and outtakes. Though the box set has also rendered this compilation obselete, it's recommended for anyone who doesn't want to spend that much on the box.
~Austin

Album: Permanent
Year: 1995
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett
Best song: Funny you should ask...

Hey, I liked this album better when it was released in 1988 and it was called Substance.

Though it does feature a slightly different selection than the Substance compilation, its highlights are pretty much the same. Unneccessarily, it throws in some random selections from the band's two original albums which makes for a very insonsistent and just plain weird album. The music contained on it is good, but it's hard to see the point when all of this music was already readily available.
~Austin

Album: Preston Warehouse 28 February 1980
Year: 1999
Label: Factory
Producer: artist
Best song: this or that... it's all well performed

Superb live gig from the band's last days.

Probably more of interest for the historical importance than actual listening pleasure for anyone except die hards, this is a fantastic "official bootleg." There are some technical diffculties that occur, but the performances of songs like "Shadowplay" and especially long and interesting take on "The Eternal" make up for it. Mostly fans who simply can't get enough will probably enjoy this most because it presents the band perfectly in a live setting (something past compilations were unable to do). Overall, not essential, but far from a write off live album.
~Austin

Album: The Complete BBC Recordings
Year: 2000
Label: Varese
Producer: artist
Best song: the interview, of course

Peel sessions and whatnot.

This disc contains the eight original songs that originally appeared on the album titled simply The Peel Sessions plus three more (one an interview) new tracks. Not all of these showed up on the box set, so this disc is of interest to completists. And it does repeat a few tracks but the two versions of "She's Lost Control" in specific are nice to hear. The earlier version being slower and closer resembling the album version while the later version had picked up quite a bit of speed and almost becomes an entirely new song. The readings on the rest of the tracks are all relatively clean, considering the band's tendancy to usually present the material as raw as possible in a live setting.
~Austin
ABOUT THE ALBUM'S AVAILABILITY...
This was initially released in the UK only and then in the US as The Peel Sessions album and then it was paired with a concert New Order recorded for the BBC's In Concert radio show in the mini box set, entitled Before & After - The BBC Sessions, where it is currently in print.

Album: Les Baines Douches 18 December 1979
Year: 2001
Label: Factory
Producer: artist
Best song: pretty hard choice...

Another great live release from the vaults.

This is almost like a two albums for one kinda deal because you get nine tracks from the title gig and then an assortment of seven other tracks (in lesser sound quality) taken from two seperate gigs from the band's trip to Holland the follwoing month. The title gig is great, featuring fantastic run throughs of just about everything they did that evening and the technical problems found on Preston are nowhere to be found (they also benefit greatly because of the great setlist). The second half of the album has inferior sound quality, but the performances are just as good. I'd call this the more essential of these two live releases if for nothing else than the first nine tracks presenting the best live account of the band on any officially released album.
~Austin

Album: Heart And Soul
Year: 2001
Label: Factory/Rhino
Producer: Martin Hannett, artist
Best song: I refuse to pick.

One definitive collection.

Because everything Joy Division recorded in the studio is included on this four disc box set, it completely eclipses compilation albums like Still and Permanent (though some of those are good compilations if you don't to spring for this set). It's overwhelming to think of: everything they recorded. It's all here. From the original Warsaw EP An Ideal For Living, through the Unknown Pleasures demos, right up until "Love Will Tear Us Apart. You get to see how they transformed from a three chord anger unit to a fully orchestrated isolated one. Even a disc of live recordings is included, with songs like "The Eternal" and "Disorder" receiving stellar (and noisy!) run throughs. There's a wealth of non-album and previously unreleased material here (nearly two discs worth), highlighted by the working demo for what was to be the next Joy Division sngle, "Ceremony" (New Order would take the song and redo it after Ian Curtis hung himself). Overall, this four disc box set represents the definitive vision of the band. It has attractive packaging, complete with a full color nearly 100 page booklet (which itself boasts an incredible wealth of information: discography, sessionography, lyrics, etc.). Recommended to anyone who even has a slight interest in the band.
~Austin

I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me back to the main reviews page.