I just saw a video by Joy Division... and I liked a lot!

Any fans around?

What are your recommendations?

This looks like a job for GANGSTAFAM!

sextonseven said:

Joy Division is just about my favorite band. I can't really think of another artist that I think did it better song for song.

So I'm guessing you saw the video for "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Or maybe "Atmosphere". They didn't have many.

In any case, if that's what got your attention, I would highly recommend their collection of singles and EP's called "Substance".

They were a rare band that never released any singles off of their albums. And "Substance" gathers up all of their non-album material.

Some of their best stuff is on there. And it shows the full range of what they accomplished in their 3 short years from '77-'80.

Of course, their 2 main studio albums "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer" are absolute perfection.

All 3 of these CD's are pretty much universally regarded as 5 star albums. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

If you're feeling really hardcore, their box set "Heart and Soul" gathers together just about everything they ever officially released and then some. The essays, photos and layout are gorgeous. It's maybe the favorite box set in my collection.

Cool that you're getting into them!

New Order's tougher. They have a LOT more stuff.

If you want a quick overview, their "Substance" is brilliant as well. As is the recently released "Singles" collection.

I like their box set "Retro" a great deal too, but it might not be the best place to start. The sound quality is fabulous, but the track selection is all over the place. You might wanna wait until you're more familiar with them.

I like pretty much all of their albums. Most fans site "Technique" as a favorite. I tend to favor "Power, Corruption & Lies" and "Brotherhood". Their most recent 2 are really good too.

You're making me wanna listen now!

GangstaFam said:

Really Technique is a fan favorite?? All The hardcore fans I knew when this came out thought it was a huge disappointment/sellout disc. Those electronic sheep bleetings had all my goth/alternative friends crawling into their coffins.

lazycrockett said:

I'm guessing you're talking about "Fine Time"? Great song.

I thought they adopted a house sound with a lot of success. They always were a dancier/poppier band than Joy Division. I can't imagine this album being that much of a surprise.

i´ve been into both bands for about 10 years now but only recently
managed to complete my new order collection by getting all their
official albums.



i look so forward to the song i don´t yet know.

plus i just, like two minutes ago, laid my paws on the joy division
heart and soul box



next weekend is gonna be spent inside with coffee and sandwiches
and lots of good music

IstenSzek said:

You just bought the box? You'll love it!

GangstaFam said:

Thanks! I´m pretty excited and I just ordered Substance

bublebath said:

GangstaFam said:

i didn´t say i bought it in the technical sense



i´ve listened to a few songs and i love it already!

GangstaFam said:

you won´t be disappointed there. substance is a great way to start.

IstenSzek said:

"Day in, day out..."

Don't buy New Order's latest bullshit album, whatever you do. They've totally lost it.

VoicesCarry said:

VoicesCarry said:

Nice joke!

Now let's make some controversy:


WFTSC is way better than 20 YO!

*waits for VC going Chaka Mad on me*


[Edited 12/12/06 16:59pm]

MikeMatronik said:

That's not saying much.

GangstaFam said:

Ok!It's not has good as Damita Jo!

I really like that album.

Guilt Is a Useless Emotion, Jetstream, Waiting for the Sirens' Call are great songs!

MikeMatronik said:

I totally agree.

VoicesCarry said:

A little harsh, don't you think? I wouldn't consider it their best album (that honor goes to Technique), and the album is definitely front-loaded, but there are enough winners on the album to keep me interested.

Although,I must say that "Real love can't be sold/It's another color than gold" is one of the worst lyrics of all time. Bernard Summer has never exactly been the best lyricist of all time anyway. It's certainly on the same level as the misguided cheerleader part of "Show Me" or something else awful from Janet's album.

Plus I "Hey Now What You Doin". It's late summer, lying out by the pool music. Actually, the whole album is really good for that activity.

Anyway, I'm a much bigger New Order fan; I like that their sound had more time to develop and fatten up, so to speak. While I do enoy some Joy Division stuff, nothing they did moves me like 'Temptation' (which I still think is one of the most beautiful songs ever), makes me want to dance like 'Touched by the Hand of God', or makes me nostalgic like '1963'.

I still need to invest in 'Brotherhood' and 'Low Life'. I've almost got as many New Order compilations (Best of, Rest of, Substance, Singles) as I do studio albums!

Axchi696 said:

Strange that you prefer New Order considering how much you love U2. They totally ripped their early sound from Joy Division!

Axchi696 said:

I think I'm the only New Order fan that isn't totally ga-ga for Technique. Half of it is brilliant, the other half I can live without.

I think it's kinda overrated.

GangstaFam said:

Are they (U2) on the record giving JD as an influence/template? That's not a similarity that's ever occurred to me. I've always thought that early U2 bore a very close (if more user-friendly) resemblance to Television, and I know that the edge has confessed to carrying quite a few of Tom Verlaine's bows in his quiver, so to speak.

GangstaFam said:

There's just something "empty" about a lot of Joy Division's stuff that I can't quite wrap my head around. Also, while Ian Curtis' singing grates on me a little, Bono's voice is one of my favorite aspects of U2. And, to be honest, while there are numerous early U2 songs I adore, "War" is where they really got great, for me. By that point, I think they had begun to move somewhat past the whole post-punk genre.

I want to love Joy Division, though. I think another part of the reason I can't get into them is the God-awful sound quality on Substance and Closer, which are the two JD albums I own. They are definitely products of the early-digital era.

Right now I'm listening to "Dead Souls", and, while I love the music, Curtis' voice does bug me. Dare I say it, I almost prefer Reznor's take on the song. Sacrilige, I know. I'll banish myself from the org for a while.

GangstaFam said:

I never thought all that highly of it either. I do think it ends very well, but I thought the first half of the album sounded like a band on cruise control.

It doesn't get name-checked too often, but my favourite NO lp has always been brotherhood (sometimes nosed out by Power, Corruption and Lies). I think the first half is the most convincing guitar-rock they ever recorded, and the second side is their best batch of robotic dance-pop.

damosuzuki said:

Yeah, they do acknowlege JD, they often play parts of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" live.

I've always thought Echo and The Bunnymen and early U2 sounded more alike than JD and U2, though.

Am I the only one who hears A LOT of Joy Division in the Cure, though? Especially Disintegration-era Cure. "Atmosphere" could almost be on that album.

damosuzuki said:

Those are definitely my 2 favorites as well. And I think I'm the only one around here who truly loved "Get Ready".

damosuzuki said:

I know they are on the record as citing the Banshees as an influence. The Edge said so on the Mojo Honours Awards in 2005 when he gave Siouxsie the Icon award.