Username

Password

Register - it'll be fun

x
• New: Extra features for registered users, register to see your homepage.
• SxSW 2008: See the best online coverage of this year's festival - click here for news and pics

Joy Division: The Best Of...

26th March 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

Ask many Joy Division fans how they'd picture a two CD 'best of' collection for the band and they'd simply reply; “CD1: Unknown Pleasures, CD2: Closer”

Warner Records take a slightly different approach, on CD1, we have a traditional selection of the perceived best songs of the bands criminally short career. CD2 boasts live performances from the band. To their credit, few of the tracks appear on both CDs, giving the listener 5 or 6 new songs on the second disc (although "She's Lost Control" is performed twice on the live CD). Finishing up the collection is a rather short (3:31) interview in which Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris discuss new-wave and Manchester, slate Gary Numan and detail how they coped with the increasing media attention.

Any traditional review of such an album is almost impossible, somewhat akin to hearing a sound wave after it has spent years echoing throughout the bowels of a cave system. It's possible to gain an understanding of what the origin was, but the audio-picture is clouded by the effect. With countless bands affected by their sphere of influence and myriads responsible for Joy Division cover versions (or varying quality) all that tends to spring to mind are memory recalls.

Considering it's gone 30 years since the band formed, this all still feels intrinsically relevant. Burrow through the countless stories that will forever surround the band and you still have an album which seamlessly mixes the primal pounding of a rhythm section, coloured in by some of the most memorable bass-lines ever vibrated on the trusty old four string. Added to that is the layering of post-punk goodness, and of course the eternally deep (in both respects) vocals of Ian Curtis. While "Love Will Tear Us Apart" may be the most renowned, it's by no means the best on display.

The completely unrestrained passion of "Transmission", the melancholic beauty of "Atmosphere" with it's minimal, yet infinite sound. Much like Refused's "The Shape of Punk to Come", Joy Division are an anomaly in time, a band that could just as easily belong 30 years in the future as they could 30 years in the past.

That said, this is still a completely unnecessary release, with such a minimal back catalogue, it seems pointless to release a best of, we'd perpetually recommend buying the albums individually to get the music as the band intended. But in terms of serving as an introduction to a legendary band, you could do much worse.

Rating:  9 / 10