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 Review by: BrandonSideleau See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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 Published on October 16th 2005
There's no way Joy Division could ever create an album superior to Unknown Pleasures, primarily because that album is literally perfect in every single way imaginable. Thankfully, Ian Curtis & Gang had absolutely no intention of following that masterpiece up with a copycat album. Instead, we get Closer, a record so mindbending, eclectic, soulful and, at times, chilling in its intensity that it manages to do what very few legendary bands ever could: EQUAL its predecessor.
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Ian curtis lives!!!! [isn't this the band that is all gay guys? Ive been rocking this cassette for like 4 days in my car, it being the only tape I own. anyone who enjoys joy division should just buy the "heart and soul" box set. its wonderfully packaged with a very informative booklet and it has just about every song put out by the band. the third and fourth cds are worth the price alone. Important, innovative and unique. But I don't enjoy them. So I went to sleep listening to this last night and I like it better now. do any of you guys have any live shows? they were a completely different creature live...totally raw and loud and crazy. god i wish i couldve seen them "How many of you were alive when this album first came out?.............. isn't this the band that is all gay guys? How many of you were alive when this album first came out?.............. i like this album better than 'unknown pleasures' even though i cant stand the opening track. the people that say they dont like joy division dont deserve to like them. go listen to panic at the disco and fallout boy, assholes. Hot Gigalo! Chewin' on your nipples and finger-bangin your butthole! oh come on man. come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. COMEEE ONNNNNNNN. I can't stand Joy Division. barely listenable??? HAHAHAHAHA Influential or not, this album is barely listenable. I think New Order is better. Haha superdude, you rule. It's official: BYO Records have the WORST international mail order service ever. I ordered some stuff from them in July, and I've yet to receive it. I e-mailed them about it 9 days ago, and they still haven't responded. Funny you should mention Something About Mary... "And she will be mine...oh yes...She will." This review was pretty good, but here's how I would make it better: I'm stupid and haven't actually heard Joy Division, although I've meant to for a long time. Anyone know a good place to check them out online? Is this review really necessary? Couldn't they just type in the code for the five stars and leave it at that? I dont really like this that much.... Hating a band because your girlfriend's stalker likes them is (besides being incredibly stupid) a sign of insecurity. My girlfriend's stalker loves this band. I, therefore, hate him and this band. this is that band that does all those interpol covers.... "I don't see how you guys can't get into JD" ouch, this band sucks with teeth. I've done my best to get into "Closer" and "Unknown Pleasures" and failed. Again, one of those "I don't like this album as much as I should". I'm more of a pop kid, so the singles collection "Substance", with its punk B-Sides, is what really does it for me. "Failures" is one great punk song from their early years. classic. i like it better than unknown pleasures, which i feel is not perfect due to the presence of wilderness and interzone, which sound subpar compared to the rest of the album. What really blows my mind is how much they progressed in such a short amount of time. With only two albums and a handful of singles they changed music. I don't see how you guys can't get into JD......it's gotta be some of the best music out there. 'Unknown Pleasures' is a joy no matter how many times you listen to it. Joy Division created some of the best albums of all-time. It's been my experience that "Substance" is the best way to get into the band and used to their sound. It's their singles collection and has more of the accessible songs like Transmission, Love WIll Tear Us Apart, Dead Souls, etc. Also, it basically traces their evolution from a standard late 70s punk band into something completely unique. I had to get into "Substance" before UP or closer did much for me. lets say, for example, that i bought unknown pleasures about 6 years ago, i've listened to it about 5 times, and i've enjoyed it about 2 times My girlfriend's stalker loves this band. I, therefore, hate him and this band. Check this out: Transmission, LWTUA, and Atmosphere weren't B-sides. They were singles. JD didn't put singles on albums. They recognized that albums should be a cohesive whole and singles are songs that stand on their own. Not to say that songs from JD albums couldn't stand on their own, but songs like LWTUA definitely wouldnt have fit in with the mood of UP or closer. I don't see what all the "scene" and shitty bands influenced by JD is all about. There are NO bands that sound anything at all like Joy Division........sure there are alot of shitty bands that have tried. But JD never had anything to do with any "scene" (except the early Manchester scene, which they were even at times alienated from).....not to mention Ian took his own life YEARS before any of their songs got ANY considerable airplay. Every one of those shitty supposed "Joy Division" influenced bands NEVER saw Joy Division play, nor did they (obviously) understand the lyrics/musical direction. Joy Division created their own style.....it has NOTHING to do with goth.....none them wore shitty trend setting clothes or make-up. Like Black Flag, Bad Brains, Fugazi, etc. Joy Division was PURELY about the music, not an image, all great bands are. So this shit-head a few posts below even putting those other bands in the same category as JD deserves to get a serious beating. That's like saying that the mighty Black Sabbath (pre-80's) is in the same category as some garbage like Disturbed or some other numetal crap. I like Closer more than Unknown Pleasures as well. Plus, on UP, the production cuts through the guitar a bit too much. But like the kid before me said, they had alot of B-sides that were absolutely great. Transmission, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Atmosphere (John Peel's song played as a requiem for Ian). words don't do this record justice Greatest album of all time. Joy Division is one of those bands that kids who wear white belts pretend to like because they think they should. As if it improves their scene points or something. I think Closer is better than Unknown Pleasures. Nonetheless, their best song, "Digital," is on Substance. oh yeah...and *the gang....damn i was zoned out when i wrote this *EVER create.....please fix that typo for me guys I love "Unknown Pleasures." This album, although good, can never compare to that masterpiece in my book. It's still good to see a Joy Division review on this site though. There's something this band and Fugazi that I just don't get...I can't figure out what's so genius about it. I thought the same thing about The Arcade Fire for awhile too though... The first time I heard this, I absolutely hated the vocals. One of my all-time favorites. PiL and this band were the third and fourth punk bands that I really got into, after the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks (though, strangely enough, the second CD I ever bought was "the Feeding of the 5000" by Crass!). Joy Division = Better than sex The only song I've ever heard by this band is "LOOOOVE! LOOOVE WILL TEAR US APPAAAAAARTTT AGAIIIN!" and it's a good song. i've read countless reviews of this band but still don't know what they sound like. Uh, I need this; I only have "Unknown Pleasures." |
