Joy Division - I remember this from HS, and it STILL grabs me

[Taverner]

Funny - I had heard Substance before I heard Iggy Pop's "The Idiot" (where I first thought Iggy ripped off Ian Curtis!)

These days, the stuff just hits 'it'

Whatever 'it' is

Sparse, yet complete

Slow, yet vivacious

What can I say?

Joy Division, for the short flash that was their carreer, was AMAZING

[BurtWorm]

1. I will second your amazement.

:thumbsup:



Unknown Pleasures is unknowably pleasurable through and through, from the first peek at that strange cover design... everything works toward a whole mood of dark discovery.

[Symarip]

2. I know I'm in the minority

But I prefer New Order. I think Joy Division just weren't completely developed. They could have been great but it just wasn't all there yet.

Damn shame, really.

[Taverner]

3. I like early NO

But once they started doing happier material, they lost me

Shit, If I want Erasure I'll BUY Erasure then!

[Symarip]

4. Yeah, I drop off at World in Motion/Technique

There was only so far you can go with the "dark" sound. Most of the bands from that era had to develop into something else. Public Image and The Cure come to mind.

[mitchum]

5. That's just girl talk!

:)

I have long noticed the trend that Joy Division seems to be a "guy band" One of the many similarities that they share with Black Sabbath. Seriously.

[Taverner]

6. Exactly!

Joy Division and Black Sabbath are for the truly dark guys

New Order and Ozzy Osborne are for the casual dark listeners

Something about deep, dark pain that just resonates with guys...

[Symarip]

7. Oh bullshit.

I prefer plenty of dark wave music. Echo and The Bunnymen, in roughly the same era, blew all these bands away and they were as 'post punk' as they come. Same could be said about Siouxsie and The Banshees. I just like New Order better than Joy Division. Joy Division was cut short in development and they had not fully realized their potential with Ian. Speaking of which, I truly believe most fascination with Joy Division lies in the fact Ian is dead. If Ian had lived, people probably would not give them more credit than they deserve.

I like them, but they're not THAT good.

[mitchum]

8. I see what you mean, but I think that "undeveloped" quality gave Joy Division...

a lot of their power. There is a rigidity and single-mindedness to their sound; they never developed the soaring or...I dunno...hook-laden aspects that both the Banshees and Bunnymen possessed (and I also like both of those bands)
For me, I find a sort of genius in Joy Division's unfunkyness and Curtis's obsessive lyrical concerns. And I honestly suspect that they possibly had realized their full potential with Curtis. I don't think the man was equipped for further musical development.
And I certainly agree with you that most fascination with Joy Division lies in the fact Ian is dead. Of course, that takes nothing away from their work.

[BurtWorm]

9. It's the guitars, man.

You can hear the beginnings of New Order in Joy Division's "Isolation" for example, where the synthesizer is prominent. I used to really love the live version of that on Still because the low notes on the synth rumbled the room like an earthquake. I didn't really listen to the upper register melody until I heard the recorded version and I thought, "Damn, that sounds like the Human League."

That kind of ruined New Order for me, for some reason.

I prefer the loud, screechy, trebly guitars of Joy Division.