"Someday we will die in your dreams," Ian Curtis wrote in 1980, in
the song "In A Lonely Place," penned for his band Joy Division. His
lyric would outlive him: Curtis hanged himself in his Macclesfield,
England home early in the morning of May 18, 1980, and the song would
become the B side of the first single by New Order, the band formed by
the surviving members of Joy Division.
Curtis, one foot in the grave, successfully prophesied the ghostly
presence he would become for a later generation of listeners.
It would be easy to dismiss the cult that has grown up around
Curtis in the intervening 15 years as a side effect of the kind of
necrophiliac idiocy that has attached itself to self-destructive punk
icons like Sid Vicious and Darby Crash. But, even acknowledging the
abiding morbidity of much of Joy Division's music--the band's posthumous
album Closer plays like an extended suicide note--the group's stately,
glacial sound has retained an authoritative power that ultimately
transcends the singer's grim end.
Touching From A Distance, a memoir by Curtis's widow Deborah
published in England this year by Faber and Faber, suggests that the
musician's premature demise at 23 was mooted much earlier. Ian Curtis is
depicted as a remote, tormented soul: An epileptic subject to
increasingly violent seizures, he was also a youthful substance abuser
who tried to end his life while still in his teens. He emerges from the
page as a wholly unpleasant human being--a sometimes viciously
controlling martinet with his bandmates, a selfish, demanding and
unfaithful husband who declined to even hold his infant daughter.
However, the pain, angst, guilt, and high drama that wrenched Ian
Curtis's brief life also animated the moving and uniquely compelling
music of Joy Division.
The quartet was a product of the late-'70s punk ferment in
Manchester, which boiled over with startling singles and albums by such
notables as Buzzcocks, the Fall, and Magazine. Originally known as
Warsaw (after a song from David Bowie's album Low, whose chilly ambience
would have a pronounced influence on the group's sound), Joy Division
skillfully synthesized the work of such daring precursors as Bowie, Iggy
Pop (especially such Bowie-produced albums as The Idiot, which Curtis
listened to the night he died, and Lust For Life), and the Velvet
Underground into a jarringly expressive and novel style.
Joy Division ultimately spurned the revved-up punk rock style then
prevalent on their scene for an echoing sound emphasizing Peter Hook's
cavernous, prominent bass, Bernard Sumner's washes of guitar and
keyboards, and Stephen Morris's martial, lock-step drumming. Over this
doomy, disquieting foundation rose Curtis's preternaturally mature
voice--stentorian, knotted, agonized as it moaned austere songs of
dislocation, isolation, and impending mortality.
Though Joy Division released only one EP, a handful of singles,
scattered compilation tracks, and one full album, Unknown Pleasures,
before Curtis's death, its reputation was already towering in its 1978-
79 heyday. Two works issued in 1980 after Curtis took his own life would
further cement the band's position: the single "Love Will Tear Us
Apart," which, in light of Deborah Curtis's book, must be viewed as Ian
Curtis's tortured viewpoint on his troubled marriage, and Closer, which
survives as one of rock 'n' roll's most extreme statements of absolute
despair.
Although Factory Records, the Manchester label that released all of
Joy Division's material, went under in 1993, Unknown Pleasures and
Closer remain in print in America on Qwest Records, as does Still, the
1981 jumble of unreleased studio tracks and live performances. In 1988,
Factory assembled Substance, a compilation of English hits and elusive
early sides; this album has now been largely supplanted by the new
Permanent: The Best Of Joy Division, released here by Qwest/Warner Bros.
Permanent is the best available single-disc introduction to the
band's music, since it eschews the obscure juvenilia (like the contents
of the debut EP An Ideal For Living) that predominated on Substance and
incorporates critical tracks from Joy Division's albums. The important
singles--"Love Will Tear Us Apart" (heard in both its original form and
in a jangling alternate mix by Don Gehman), "Transmission," and the
funereal "Atmosphere"--are all here, as are such essential entries in
the canon as "She's Lost Control," "Isolation," "Heart and Soul," and
"Dead Souls." Neophyte listeners seeking a primer will get a corrosive
entree here.
Joy Division's somber music endured through the '80s, and inspired
some unlikely cover versions--remember Grace Jones's nutty "She's Lost
Control," or Paul Young's candy-coated "Love Will Tear Us Apart"? In the
age of tribute albums, it was of course inevitable that the band, with
its indelible song catalogue, would inspire a full-length homage, and
now Virgin Records has released Means To An End, comprising 14 new
interpretations of some of the band's best-known songs.
Virgin A&R man Mark Williams, one of the executive producers of
Means To An End, is an avowed Joy Division fan, and he generally avoided
marquee-power names for the tribute, choosing instead to enlist
performers who admired and understood the band and its songs.
These include techno mix-master Moby; Smashing Pumpkins' Billy
Corgan, who appears under the guise of Starchildren; former Opal and
Dream Syndicate member Kendra Smith; and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Dave
Navarro and Chad Smith (who join with Michael Angelos of Plexi in the ad
hoc unit Honeymoon Stitch). A raft of up-and-coming alternative acts--
including Low, Codeine, Face to Face, Versus, and the much-coveted Girls
Against Boys--also sign on. With the exception of Stanton-Miranda's
entirely too chirpy version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," most hands
turn in stirring readings of the Joy Division legacy.
"Don't walk away in silence," Ian Curtis cautioned on "Atmosphere." He failed to heed his own advice, but Joy Division's music continues to ring a chord with contemporary listeners, a decade-and-a-half after Curtis's voice was prematurely stilled.
Ian Curtis, vocals 1976--1980
Bernard Sumner (aka Bernard Dicken, Bernard Albrecht), guitar 1976--1980
Peter Hook, bass 1976--1980
Stephen Morris, drums 1977--1980
1. Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. Transmission
3. She's Lost Control
4. Shadow Play
5. Day Of The Lords
6. Isolation
7. Passover
8. Heart And Soul
9. Twenty-four Hours
10. These Days
11. Novelty
12. Dead Souls
13. The Only Mistake
14. Something Must Break
15. Atmosphere
16. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Permanent Mix)
SHORT CIRCUIT: LIVE AT THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS (Virgin UK,1978)
This 10-inch compilation featured the track "At A Later Date" by the
band Warsaw, which ultimately would become Joy Division.
AN IDEAL FOR LIVING (Enigma UK, 1978)
A four-song, 7-inch EP.
A FACTORY SAMPLE (Factory UK, 1979)
This compilation included the Joy Division tracks "Digital" and "Glass."
UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Factory UK, 1979); (Factory US, 1980); Qwest/Warner
Bros., 1989)
Joy Division's debut album.
TRANSMISSION (Factory UK, 1979)
7-inch single.
EARCOM 2 (Fast UK, 1979)
A 12-inch EP compilation that included the Joy Division tracks
"Autosuggestion" and "From Safety To Where."
SORDIDE SENTIMENTALE (Sordide Sentimentalem, 1980)
This limited edition French release included the Joy Division tracks
"Atmosphere" and "Dead Souls."
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART (Factory UK, 1980); (Factory US, 1981)
This seven-inch single cracked the Top 20 in the UK pop charts upon its
release.
CLOSER (Factory UK, 1980); (Factory US, 1980); (Qwest/Warner Bros.,
1989)
The full-length follow-up to Unknown Pleasures.
KOMAKINO/INCUBATION (Factory UK,1980)
A free flexidisc that also included the uncredited "As You Said."
SHE'S LOST CONTROL/ATMOSPHERE (Factory US, 1980)
12-inch single.
ATMOSPHERE/SHE'S LOST CONTROL (Factory UK, 1980)
12-inch single.
CEREMONY/IN A LONELY PLACE (Factory UK, 1981)
These two songs, written by Joy Division, were released by New Order
after Ian Curtis's death. The recordings appeared in 7-inch and 12-inch
versions.
STILL (Factory UK, 1981); (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1991)
A double album of studio and live material covering Joy Division's
career output.
HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN (Factory, 1982)
A longform video featuring the tracks "Love Will Tear Us Apart,"
"Transmission," and "She's Lost Control," among others.
ATMOSPHERE (Factory UK, 1988)
SUBSTANCE 1977--1980 (Factory UK, 1988); (Qwest, 1988)
Joy Division compilation.
THE FIRST PEEL SESSION (Strange Fruit UK, 1986)
A recording of the Feb. 14, 1979 radio sessions with John Peel.
THE SECOND PEEL SESSION (Strange Fruit UK, 1987)
A recording of the Dec. 10, 1979 radio sessions with John Peel.
THE PEEL SESSIONS (Strange Fruit UK, 1990)
A compilation of the two Peel sessions.
MARTIN (Factory UK, 1991)
A compilation of recordings produced by Joy Division producer Martin
Hannett. The album includes Joy Division's "She's Lost Control."
PALATINE (Factory UK)
A four-CD boxed set that tells the musical history of Factory Records.
TEARS IN THEIR EYES (Factory UK)
A compilation that includes Joy Division's "Transmission" and New
Order's version of "Ceremony."
LIFE'S A BEACH (Factory UK)
Contains tracks by New Order.
THE BEAT GROUPS (Factory UK)
Joy Division's "Wilderness" is featured here.
SELLING OUT (Factory UK)
This title features Joy Division's "Atmosphere," as well as tracks from
New Order.
A Means To An End: The Music Of Joy Division (Virgin) 1995
Artist, Track Listing:
1. Girls Against Boys, "She's Lost Control"
Girls Against Boys is a N.Y.-based quartet that records for Touch And Go
Records.
2. Honeymoon Stitch, "Day Of The Lords"
Honeymoon Stitch features Dave Navarro and Chad Smith of the Red Hot
Chili Peppers.
3. Moby, "New Dawn Fades"
The visionary music of Moby blends electronic, trance, hip-hop, and pop
elements.
4. Low, "Transmission"
Low is a Minnesota-based trio that records for Vernon Yard.
5. Codeine, "Atmosphere"
New York-based Codeine records for Sub-Pop Records.
6. Further, "Insight"
This Los Angeles-based group has released several 7-inch singles and an
independent album.
7. Stanton-Miranda, "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Stanton-Miranda actually has recorded for Joy Division's original U.K.-
based label Factory.
8. Starchildren, "Isolation"
Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan doubles as a member of this alternative
outfit.
9. Kendra Smith, "Heart And Soul"
Smith is known to music aficionados as a former member of Dream
Syndicate and Opal. She currently records for 4AD Records.
10. Versus, "Twenty-four Hours"
This New-York based group records for the indie label Teen Beat.
11. Desert Storm, "Warsaw"
Dan Koretzky, head of Chicago's Drag City record label, fronts this
band, which records for Sea Note.
12. godheadSilo, "Walked The Line"
This Olympia, Wash.-based group has released several albums for the Kill
Rock Stars label.
13. Face To Face, "Interzone"
Based in Southern California, Face To Face records for Victory Records.
14. Tortoise, "As You Said" This Chicago-based band records for Thrill Jockey Records.