Joy Division

The Profile

Joy Division were an English post-punk band formed in the late 1970s (Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris). They released two studio albums, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). After the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis in May 1980 the remaining members later formed New Order.

Ian Curtis suffered from epilepsy and died by suicide on 18 May 1980. Martin Hannett produced the studio albums and is widely credited for the band's distinctive atmosphere and production. The band began under the name Warsaw and released notable singles including "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

DeBaser reviews overwhelmingly praise Joy Division's core albums Unknown Pleasures and Closer for their intensity and influence. Ian Curtis's voice and lyrics, Martin Hannett's production, and themes of isolation and despair recur across reviews. Live recordings and compilations (Peel Sessions, Still, Heart And Soul) are also frequently discussed.

Notable Quotes

❝ There are few albums I have heard that, like this one, have the intensity and the effect of the despairing abandonment with which one takes the last alcoholic sip before collapsing prey to the ghosts of the mind.

❝ "Unknown Pleasures" scares me.

❝ It all begins with a faint screech, an undertone, which broadens and strengthens until the drums enter with force, and that screeching sound becomes a note, taking the form of a guitar.