Joy Division is a group New wave English of four members, formed in 1977 with Manchester, registered in mobility Post-punk and initiator of the Cold wave. Group visionary and precursor, having cleared new territories, it dissolves in May 1980 after the Suicide of its singer to the cavernous voice, Ian Curtis.

The three remaining members of the group formed New Order a few months later. Tens of years after its disappearance, Joy Division remains a major comet of the English rock'n'roll by the underground power of its music, which seems inalterable, although arid. All the existing material and the first demonstrations were republished under format CD.

Origin of the name

Bernard Sumner known as Barnay , Peter Hook and Terry Mason decides to found a group, at the time of the concert of the Sex Pistols in Manchester of June 4th, 1976. Their formation was called initially Stiff Kittens but she played under this name only at the time of a concert, on Sunday, May 29, 1976. This name was suggested by Richard Boon, manager of the Buzzcocks, of which they ensured thereafter of the first parts. Ian Curtis joined the group after its meeting at the time of a concert of the Sex Pistols in Manchester, on July 20th, 1976 (it had missed the preceding concert of June 4th).

At the end of May 1977, the group, made up of Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Ian Curtis and Tony Tobacco (beater replaced by Steve Brotherdale in July), rejects the name of Stiff Kittens and chooses to stop on Warsaw , transcription English of Warsaw, reference to the title Warszawa (Polish Warsaw) of David Bowie left at the beginning of 1977 on its album Low . The first concert of the Warsaw is given on May 29th.

At the end of 1977, the group learns that a London group is called Warsaw Pakt and that it leaves an album ( Needle Time ) in December. To avoid any confusion before the exit of their album Ideal Year for Living room (June 1978), the group Warsaw changes name and chooses Joy Division . Joy division gives its first concert thus on January 25th, 1978 and takes part in its first festival on April 14th.

The name Joy Division , lugubrious reference, adheres well to the style Post-punk and Coldwave of the group, i.e. cold, despaired, tortured. This choice comes indeed from the reading of the news The House off Frauds , written by Yehiel with-nur (or Dinur, former deportee), published in 1956 and translated into English by Karol Cetinsky (not translated into French). Division of the joy is the expression given by the Nazis to the system which authorized, within the concentration camps during the Second world war, the exploitation of the Jewish young women off-set like sexual slaves (enlisted prostitutes of force) by the members of the German Armée.

Because of this rather provocative name, the group was shown sympathies néo-Nazis. Although it did not have obviously anything to see with any movement of extreme-right-hand side, several elements fed this false idea: the interior small pocket of maximum-individual the Ideal Year for Living room watch a photograph of the ghetto of Warsaw, the introduction of the song Warsaw enumerates the number number of Rudolf Hess (31G-350125) - war criminal imprisoned Nazi with Spandau -, finally the mention of this same Rudolf Hess at the beginning of the version of At has Later Date , recorded at the time of the concert in Electric Circus. Joy Division denounces on the contrary the danger of the lapse of memory, the horror of the atrocities, rapes and exterminations.

After the suicide of the singer and leader Ian Curtis it May 18th, 1980 -, the group will become New Order.

History

1976

The Guitarist Bernard Sumner known as Barney (sometimes indicated at the time by the pseudonyms Bernard Albrecht as on the first EP, Bernard Dicken or Albrecht-Dicken), the Bassiste Peter Hook says also Hooky and a friend, Terry Mason known as Terry , which plays of the battery, meet at the time of a concert of the Sex Pistols, the June 4th 1976. However, they miss them a singer. It is following an advertisement deposited with the store of Virgin discs of Manchester that Ian Curtis enquiert of the availability of the place. At the time of a meeting to the second concert of Sex Pistols to Injuring Free Trade, the July 20th, they recruit without problem the Chanteur Ian Curtis, which is about of the same age as them, approximately twenty years. The group thus made up takes as a starting point the famous punk concert of the Sex Pistols , “ Anarchy (the U.K.) Turn ”, which, the December 9th 1976, brings together 42 people in Electric Circus of Manchester.

1977

Tony Tabac joined the group at the beginning of 1977, to replace Terry which is made manage . The repetitions start and are connected systematically but the formation still does not have consensual name. Right before its first concert, on long series, in Electric Circus the May 29th 1977, in first part of the Buzzcocks and on Penetration, the group ultimately decides to choose Warsaw , although it appeared before this concert under the name of Stiff Kittens , suggested by Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks and by Richard Boon.

Five weeks and a half-dozen in concerts later, Tony Tabac is replaced by the punk beater resulting from the group Panik Steve Brotherdale, which will play concerts as of on June 30th. With Pennine Sound Studios of Oldham, Joy Division records on July 18th, 1977 The Warsaw Demo , which gathers five songs of punk influence (Ian Curtis refuses the additions of synthetizers of the New-Wave style proposed by one of the producers). Four of these five songs (with share The Kill , in Still ) will be never on sale before 1997 (and in limited access). Steve, which joined in August its group of origin, is replaced with the battery by Stephen Morris, originating in Macclesfield, which will be able to bring a new sound identity. Warsaw records four songs in December for a EP (45 Maxi turns), Ideal An for Living .

1978

Having changed name for Joy Division , the group plays its first concert the January 25th 1978. This Anne-there, it will regularly play in the Northern of the England and compiles the new songs.

April 14th, 1978: in concert with a famous festival (its first), Joy Division plays only as from 4 hours of the morning but their service impresses so much Rob Gretton which it comes to congratulate them; he proposes “to take them in hand” as managing (thus evacuating Terry).

The sessions of recording RCA LP of the May 3rd and 4th 1978 to the Arrow studios constitute a kind of attempt which does not give following any exit of album (to share in pirate album; one will find only two titles of them on the box of collection Heart and Soul ). Ian Curtis had been opposed to arrangements of style New Wave that one of the producers had decided. The group remained still registered then in the style Punk.

September 20th, 1978: following a culotée requirement of Ian Curtis near Tony Wilson, participation in a show televised on the local chain Granada Television of which he is the director, with the title Shadowplay (included at the end of their album not published).

In October 1978, the publisher Factory Records Ltd is born, founded by a partnership between Tony H. Wilson (presenter of television mancunien celebrates), Alan Erasmus (actor of theater) and Rob Gretton, the devoted manager of the group. Joy Division will be the first group to be signed under this label, constant by an avant-gardist, Tony Wilson. Two titles are included on compilation has Factory Sampler and the first album, Ideal An for Living (recorded one year before), makes a second very timid exit but. In any case, henceforth, the group is on the rails.

At the same time, as of October, Martin Hannett becomes the producer of Joy Division, thus supervising all their excluded recordings those of the radio sessions. This young producer, with the nonconventional methods (he worked with Buzzcocks), is characterized by his meticulousness if not his perfectionism in his passion of strange sound research, in particular with regard to the sounds of battery.

The group plays for the first time at London on December 27th, 1978, in front of about thirty people only - it is the cold shower! At the time of a way in the car, Ian Curtis undergoes its first crisis, which will be diagnosed as being epilepsy. It must then take drugs in the form of pills, with the dangerous Side effects.

1979

" Play of the rest to the handle " " The trench of Ian Curtis" " The solo of the smashing" Year of great creativity and rise. Recording of the Peel' S sessions for John Peel, DJ influence of BBC Radio operator, in January.

It should be waited on February 14th, 1979 so that Joy Division passes for the first time to the radio in national diffusion.

Martin Rushent, of Genetics Records (WEA), proposes 40.000 £ to them to leave an album. March 4th, a version demonstration of five titles is recorded in London. However, Factory Records proposing a much better remuneration of the royalties (50/50 against 8%!!) and the growing public, Joy Division declines finally the proposal.

The group records Unknown Pleasures in April (ten titles of which Disorder , She' S Lost Control , Shadowplay ), album which collects good criticisms, which ensures finally a public to them more. It will make it possible to finance the Maximum Komakino , distributed free in flexi in June!

Transmission (recorded in May 1978 initially, then in January and March), is re-recorded in July to leave in EP (Maximum-45t) in October: these new versions, very Cold wave, mark the turning of maturity. The second appearance televised of Joy Division on Granada TV, on July 20th (with She' S Lost Control ), falls under one season rich in services (a score), which knows its apogee with the great concert given to Electric Ballroom of London, at the end of August, with an audience (record, for the group at the time) of 1200 people.

September 13rd, two films on the formation are projected with the Scala cinema then the 15, it is the first national television for Joy Division ( Something Else , show of the BBC2 in Manchester).

The group at the end of November records its seconds Peel' S sessions (where Twenty Four Hours appears) before leaving for its first European round, while starting with France with single and memorable concert with the Public baths, the live on December 18th, which the recording will not leave (under CD) only in 2001.

1980

The round continues in January from Amsterdam to Berlin. The singer has just been father of a little girl but its meeting with Annik Honore, Belgian journalist, sows the confusion of its feelings. Exténué by the sequence of the concerts and suffering of the consequences of its treatment against the epilepsy, Ian Curtis makes a first suicide attempt with the razor.

In March, Joy Division makes a pause and records of the 18 to the 30, with the studios Britannia Row of London its second album " Closer" (nine titles, 48 minutes, including three resulting from radio sessions of 1979: " Atrocity Exhibition" , " Colony" , " Twenty Hours" Furnace;) and a title which will leave to share " Coil Will tear custom apart" (with " Days" thesis; opposite B). Moreover the Sentimental Sordid French label, publishes the 45-Turns " Licht und Blindheit" (recorded with the Studio Cargo liner of Rochdale).

The concerts begin again: five in four days in London. The resumption of the title of the Velvet Underground " Sister Ray" is recorded in public on April 3rd. Ensuring the first part of the Stranglers Rainbow Theater (Finsbury Park), on April 4th, 1980, Ian Curtis has a new epileptic fit, at the end in the concert, that the public takes for a " scénique" effect;. The doctors recommend the rest, but success still accumulates the workload. April 7th, Ian Curtis makes a second suicide attempt with the barbiturates (the phénobarbitone). The following day, with the concert of the Derby Hall of Bury, the replacement of Ian Curtis by Alan Hempsall and Simon Topping, singer of the group has Certain Ratio, for stage with the poor performance of Ian, starts a riot which is completed in general brawl. The following services become so hard that those programmed at the end of April are cancelled. Deborah, the wife of Ian, for engaging a divorce procedure. Mined, carried by real aspirations in the suicide, Ian feels more and more disabled.

Before a round in the United States envisaged from May 21st to June 7th, Joy Division gives a last concert on Friday, May 2, 1980 to the university of Birmingham. May 18th, the day before the departure, to five hour of the morning, Ian Curtis gives itself death in the kitchen of its family home of Macclesfield by hanging. His wife, with whom it had asked for the day before of leave the places by disagreement, discovers it while returning about midday.

In June and July, the 45-Turns " Coil will… " and the album " Closer" are published. A session of recording (a title) takes place with the studios Graveyard in June, with Kevin Hewick for singer of replacement. However, the dissolution of Joy Division is decided by the three other members of the group, and, on an idea of Rob Gretton, they continue their activities under the name of New Order.

1981

Exit of the posthumous album Still on October 8th. This 33 tours/LP gathers, on the one hand, nine rare titles recorded in studios (during the year 1979 and on January 8th, 1980 for The Sound off music ) and, on the other hand, of public interpretations: ten titles live recorded with the last concert of Birmingham (more one title hidden on the version vynile) as well as the famous Sister Ray of the Velvet Underground, played with the concert of April 2nd, 1980 in London. A version CD will leave in 1990.

1995

Left a remix of Tear custom apart by New Order Coils, in the album Permanent , compilation of the most famous titles of Joy Division (Quest).

Deborah Curtis publishes Touching from remotely , in memory of Ian Curtis and of the group.

Constitution of the group

  • Ian Curtis - voice, guitar
  • Stephen Morris - battery
  • Peter Hook - low guitar
  • Bernard Sumner - guitar and synthetizer.

Discography

45 turns (7" Single/EP) and Maxis-45 turns (12" Single/EP)

  • Ideal Year for Living room : Warsaw / No Coils Off Lost // Leaders Men / Failures (off the modern man) , June 1978 45t/7" EP Enigma Records PS 139,1.000 copies; Oct. 1978 Maximum-45t/12" Anonymous Records, HADDOCK 1,1.200 copies
  • Transmission / Novelty , Oct. 1979 45t/7" Factory Records FAC 13; Dec. 1980 Maximum-45t/12" , Factory FAC 13.12
  • Licht und Blindheit : Atmosphere / Dead Drunk persons , March 1980 33t (sic!)/7" Sordid Sentimental S 33022,1.578 copies (France)
  • Komakino : Komakino / Incubation / Ace You Said , April 1980 45t/7" in Flexi-disk, Factory FAC 28,10.000 English copies and 15.000 for the United States
  • Coils Will Tear Us Apart : Coils Will Tear Us Apart (March 1980)/ These Days / Love Will Tear Us Apart (January 1980), April 1980, 45t-33t (for the B)/7" face; , Factory FAC 23; June 1980 (the USA, June 1981), Maximum-45t/12" , Factory FAC 23.12, the U.K. #13
  • She' S Lost Control / Atmosphere , August 1980, Maximum-45t/12" ( She' S Lost Control opposite A) and Sept. 1980, Maximum-45t/12" ( Atmosphere opposite A), US Factory FACUS 2,33t/LP 600207 (France)
  • The First Peel diffused Sessions on February 14th 1979: Exercise One / Insight // She' S Lost Control / Transmission , Nov. 1986, Maximum-45t/12" EP, Strange Fruit SFPS July 13rd, th and th 1988 CD, SFPSCD 013
  • The Second Peel diffused Sessions on December 10th 1979: Coils Will Tear Us Apart / 24 Hours // Colony / Sound Of Music , Sept. 1987, Maximum-45t/12" EP, Strange Fruit SFPS 033, July 1988 CD, SFPSCD 033
  • Atmosphere / The Only Mistake , June 1988, 45t/7" , Factory FAC 213-7
  • Atmosphere / The Only Mistake / Sound Off Music (or Transmission for the Canada-Australia version), June 1988, 45t/12" , Factory FAC 213
  • Atmosphere / Transmission (live) / Coils Will Tear Us Apart , June 1988, CD, Factory FACD 213
  • Video 5 8 6 by New Order/ As You Said , July 1997, 33t/12" EP, Touch THUNDERS 7.1
  • Love Will tear custom apart (republication): ' Coils Will tear custom apart (Original) / Love Will tear custom apart (Radio) / Atmosphere , FACD September 24th, 24th and th 2007 (the U.K.)

Albums and republications

  • Unknown Pleasures , LP (10 titles), Factory FACT June 10th, th and th 1979 (the U.K.) - LP Virgin 201883 and CD FACT/MPO MPO 01 or Barclay BA 900 (France)
  • Closer , LP (9 titles), Factory FACT July 25th, th and th 1980 (the U.K.) - LP Virgin 201882 and CD Virgin 30216,1992 (France)
  • Still , 2 LP (rare titles and certain public recordings), Factory FACT 40, October 1981 and FACD 40 or Quest 9 26495-2, 1990 (the U.K.) - 2 LP, Virgin 60025/301002 and CD Virgin/PDO 30339,1990 (France)
  • Substance subtitle Joy Division 1977-1980 , LP (compilation of 10 various titles) Factory FACT and CD (compilation plus 7 titles in Appendix ) FACD 250, July 1988 (the U.K.) - LP Virgin 70614 and CD PDO 30614, August 1988 (France)
  • The Peel Sessions , LP and CD (8 titles recorded with the studio of the BBC in janv. and Nov. 1979 - 30 minutes), Strange Fruit SFRLP/SFRCD 211, September 1990 (the U.K.) - Strange Fruit WMD642201/326, 1991 (France)
  • Coils Will Tear custom apart , CD (6 titles including 2 remixes of Love Will Tear custom apart , by Don Gehman and Arthur Baker), London/Polygram 850/129- May 2nd, th and th 1995 (the U.K.)
  • Warsaw (gathers the titles of the first new album plus those of the Warsaw Demo recorded in July 1977), in LP (33 turns) and 7" (45 turns), diff. versions, RZM Production Ltd RZM200/RZM 100,1981 (Germany), CD promotion (except sale), 1990 (the USA), CD Intermusic: Movieplay Gold MPG 74034,1995 (the U.K., available in 1997 in stores of discs)
  • The Supplements BBC Recordings , LP and CD (8 titles plus both lives She' S Lost Control and Transmission for the emission Something Else of September 1979, plus the interview of Ian Curtis and Steven Morris by R. Skinner), CD SFRSCD 094, July 2000 and LP SFRSLP 094,2001 (the U.K.), also CD Fuel 2000/61284, 2000 and 2 MINOR ROADS 61213 (with CD in the concert of New Order with the BBC Before and After ), July 2002 (the USA)
  • Permanent , 2 LP and CD (compilation of 15 titles, plus the remix of Love will tear custom apart by Don Gehman), London Records 90 Ltd, 2 LP Int 828624-2/PY281 and CD PY900, June 1995 (the U.K.), CD Qwest 945979-2 (the USA)
  • Heart & Soul , 4 CD (box of 81 titles including 14 double versions, 300 minutes), London 828.968-2, 1997 and London 3984 29040-2, 1999 (the U.K.):
    • 1st CD takes again all the recordings studio of the album 33t Unknown Pleasures with material, in the order, of double compilation Maximum-45t/EP has Factory Sample , of the 45t géants/EP/12" Transmission and Earcom 2: Contradiction (compilation with 2 titles of the group), finally of the albums Still and Substance ;
    • 2nd CD takes again titles, in the order, of the Maximumone; She' S Lost Control , of the 33t Still , the 45t/7" Licht Und Blindheit and of the 45t-33t/7" and Maximum-45t/12" Coils Will Tear custom apart , finally of the albums Closer and Substance ;
    • 3rd CD takes again titles having appeared on the 45t/7" and Maximum-45t/12" Ideal Year Fo Living , on the album Substance and Flexi-45t Komakino (distributed free in 1980), as well as rare titles, new or broadcast, some Video Peel Sessions and 586 of 1997;
    • 4th CD includes/understands 19 public recordings in London, all news.
  • Preston 28 February 1980 with title in section The Fractured Music Files Volume 1 , CD (12 titles live with Preston), FACD2.60, 1999 and May 2003 (the U.K.)
  • the Baths Showers 18 December 1979 with title in section The Fractured Music Archive Volume 2 , CD (9 titles live with the Public baths plus 7 titles live in the Netherlands), FACD2.61, April 2001 and May 2003 (the U.K.)
  • Fractured Box Set , 2 CD (box in drawn limited edition with 1000 copies, taking again all the titles present in the two preceding albums live - 110 minutes), October 2001
  • Refractured Box One , 3 CD (box in pulling limited to 3000 copies, including/understanding all the titles present on Fractured Box Set : the titles of Eindhoven belong to CD Preston and double-CD Paris includes/understands in supplement the 14 titles in the concert of Amsterdam to Paradiso the 11 janv. 1980 - 170 minutes), Alchemy FACD 2.60, December 2003 (the U.K.)
  • Joy Division in Memory , 4 LP (vinyl only, box in limited edition of Peter Saville, including/understanding the albums Closer , Unknown Pleasure and Still in double LP), September 2007 (the U.K.)
  • Unknown Pleasures , republication in 2 CD, FACD 10/London, September 17th, 2007 (the U.K.):
    • 1st CD takes again the titles of the album Unknown Pleasures (in republication)
    • 2nd CD includes/understands 12 titles of a recording with The Factory of Manchester on July 13rd, 1979.

Vidéos

  • Young stag Are the Young Men (VHS, Ikon FACT 37V; Beta, Ikon FACT 37B, August 1982)
  • Punk (Compilation VHS. WEA/Warner, in partnership with Granada TV, 4.509 91011-3. Realization 1992) Joy Divison plays " Shadowplay". Drawn from Granada Carryforwards , Granada TV, September 20th, 1978.

Cinema

  • Control , film of Anton Corbijn, 120 minutes, black and white, 2.39 (scope), left to France on September 26th 2007, with preview in Cannes on May 17th. Adaptation by Matt Greenhalgh of the biographical book Touching from remotely - Ian Curtis and Joy Division (published by Faber & Faber, 1995, GB, republished) written by Deborah Curtis (born Woodruffe), widow of Ian Curtis. Anecdote: Tony Wilson, one of the four Co-producer (with Deborah Curtis) died before to have seen the film, 4 days before his exit.
  • NotNa, documentary televised Lance Bangs, 41 minutes, 13 September 2005 (the USA): Ian Curtis included
  • 24 Hours Party People of Michael Winterbottom, April 8th, 2002
    • musical Crédits: Transmission , Atmosphere , She' S Lost Control , Coils Will Tear Us Apart
    • Personnages of the sphere Joy Division : Tony and Linsay Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Rob Gretton, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Martin Hannett, Ian Curtis, grandmother of Ian Curtis, Tony H. Wilson.

DVD

  • Joy Division. Under review , 70mn, 2006: documentary biographical English made up of talks of criticisms of Rock'n'roll, and also of the ex-wife of Tony Wilson, intersected with very short extracts of songs (probably not to pay royalties). No title in integrality; in no-claims bonus, a sound extract of a maintenance with Ian Curtis collected in a bar.

Biographies

French books:
  • Deborah Curtis, History of a life - subtitle: Ian Curtis and Joy Division ( Touching From Remote - Ian Curtis and Joy Division ), White Truck (France), Faber & Faber (the United Kingdom), May 1995, ISBN 0571174450 rééd. March 2005
  • Sebastien Raizier, Joy Division - subtitle: Lights and Ténèbres , White Truck (France), August 1992, ISBN 2-910196-00-3 4th edition 1994

Not translated books:

  • David Nolan, Bernard Sumner - subtitle: Confusion: Joy Division, Electronic And New Order Versus The World , IMP Publishing Ltd t/a Independent Music Close, ISBN 0-955282268 and ISBN 978-0955282263, August 30th 2007
  • Jake Kennedy, Joy Division - subtitle: and the making off Unknown Pleasures , Unanimous, 214 p., ISBN 1903318807, October 2006
  • Chris Ott, Unknown Pleasures , Continum (the United States), ISBN 0-8264-1549-0, April 2004

External bonds

  • the fan club of Ian Curtis and Joy Division
  • the biography of Joy Division and its influence
  • Joy Division Exchange
  • The Shadowplay, complete
  • Discographie supplements of Joy division
  • Joy Division The Eternal, site in French on Joy Division
  • World in Motion: Discography, words, history of the group, concerts…
  • Site of the film Control
  • De Joy Division in Manchester Scene: Public library of Lyon, Not of Actu!

Be-X-old: Joy Division Simple: Joy Division

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