Joy of Joy Division - Re-Releases

[Rob McCow]

From the NME:

Joy Division's classic final single 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is to be-released next month.

The track, out September 24, is being reissued ahead of the release of 'Control', the movie biopic about the life of the band's singer Ian Curtis, which is out on October 5.

'Love Will Tear Us Apart' has been a Top 20 hit twice before, in June 1980, a month after Curtis' suicide, and June 1995.

As previously reported, Joy Division's back catalogue is to be reissued with extra material on September 10.

Both the band's studio albums, 'Unknown Pleasures' and 'Closer', and the live/rarities album 'Still' will feature additional CDs of live material.

The tracklisting for the extra CDs are as follows:

'Unknown Pleasures' extra CD:

Live At Factory Manchester (1-14) and The Moonlight Club, West Hampstead (15+16)

'Dead Souls'
'The Only Mistake'
'Insight'
'Candidate'
'Wilderness'
'She's Lost Control'
'Shadowplay'
'Disorder'
'Interzone'
'Atrocity Exhibition'
'Novelty'
'Transmission'
'Novelty' (mono)
'Transmission' (mono)
'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
'Glass'

'Closer' extra CD:

Live at ULU

'Dead Souls'
'Glass'
'A Means To An End'
'24 Hours'
'Shadowplay'
'Insight'
'Colony'
'These Days'
'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
'Isolation'
'The Eternal'
'Digital'

'Still' extra CD:

Live At High Wycombe

GIG:'Isolation'
'The Eternal'
'Ice Age'
'Disorder'
'The Sound Of Music'
'The Eternal'
SOUNDCHECK: 'The Sound Of Music'
'A Means To An End'
'Colony'
'24 Hours'
'Isolation'
'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
'Disorder'
'Atrocity Exhibition'

Could this be the perfect time to rediscover my fave teen angst band? Many an hour between the ages of 13 and 20 was spent listening to these guys and pondering the pointlessness of it all. But there's so much more to JD than just despair, they were a fantastic rock band. Their live performances were legendary for the manic energy and powerful bass lines. As a lyricist, Curtis puts just about everything written since 1981 in the shade. One of the reason I hate the Kaiser Chiefs so much is because JD showed how wonderfull song lyrics could be.

So I'll probably be getting these. I did buy the Joy Division box set Decades, once, long ago, but my brother borrowed it and it might as well have been cast to the four winds. I only have the slightly ropey live CD from the set left, which now bunks up with McAlmont and Butler - Bring It Back. For some reason. But they could do a really nice job with the packaging, I hope the Unknown Pleasures cover is textured in the same way as the Factory release

[Perry Vale]

These do look nice, but they ain't gonna be cheap!

I'm surprised there's only the studio albums, as none of them have any of the singles on. Maybe they should have thought of doing 'Substance' as well?

[Dave Lewis]

The majesty that was Joy Division live doesn't necessarily translate well into a live recording - all I hear is the sound of people being ripped off. Surely just a re-release of the albums at a decent price would have been more than adequate?

[Rob McCow]

You forget the power of price collapse, Dave! Within 6 months these CD's won't cost a thing!

[Paul Monk]

I'd like to hear the live recordings. I've got the Preston 1980 live cd and thats a real oddity if quite interesting. The sound is crap and halfway through a woman announces that the bus to Bolton or somewhere is just about to leave.
Funnily enough I've been listening to Substance today and was listening to Unknown Pleasures the other day.

[Perry Vale]

There's also a 500 run limited edition vinyl boxset of the three albums, 180g vinyl, Peter Saville design, with no 'label print' (i think this means barcodes etc) being released.............it should only set you back about 120 quid!

[Carol Baynes]

There's a box set with everything they ever recorded isn't there? I saw it in HMV for £40. Actually quite tempting.

[Captain Tancredi]

I've been reading Stuart Maconie's 'Pies and Prejudice' lately, so perhaps I should be investigating some more soulful Northern bands.

On the other hand, they might just tell me what I've known for the last 35 years.

[Rob McCow]

Beware! Joy Division are the single most miserable and depressing (yet strangely uplifting) band of all time!

[Captain Tancredi]

They'd have to go some way to beat the Yorkshire Building Society Concert Brass.

[Rob McCow]

Could this be the perfect time to rediscover my fave teen angst band?

Okay... four years later and I'm finally listening to some Joy Division again. I'm not terribly interested in these CD releases after all, as I prefer their studio recordings to the live stuff that I've heard.

Also, the prices of these CDs has never come down! Damn it! According to 'Find-CD.co.uk' their still at the £10 mark. Although the four disc box set 'Heart And Soul' (Not Decades as I thought it was called!) is available for £16.85 from Zavvi.

[Awesome Wells]

I stand by what I said four years ago.



(and I am now whistling New Order's Age Of Consent, as I do - in a weird, Pavlovian dog stylee - whenever JD are mentioned.)