Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

RECOMMENDATION OF THE WEEK

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

This week’s Recommendation of the Week is one of the most important albums released in the history of music. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division was released this week in 1979 and has impacted almost every aspect of music ever since. Its release, though the magnitude was not fully realized at the time, was the birth of the Post-Punk genre, which has inspired everything from Goth to Grunge. This new, darker, introspective musical movement has been behind the creation and inspiration for so much of the music that has filled our lives for the last 50 years.

What can I say about Joy Division that would give due justice. Well, to speak about Joy Division is to lay eternal gratitude and tribute to the Gods. Yes, I know that is quite dramatic, but much in the way we would speak about undying influence of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or David Bowie, we can certainly do the same for Joy Division. Yes, I am a superfan of Joy Division and may be a little biased. However, I don’t think I am overstating that in around two years, from mid-1978 to May 1980, their musical output is some of the most powerful and significant work ever released. In fact, I believe that Joy Division’s work is some of the finest art the world has ever known.

For starters, the album jacket for Unknown Pleasures is one of the most widely known images in modern music. It is the depiction of a Pulsar, showing 80 consecutive radio frequency pulses in scope, a fascinating recording and transcription of the aftermath of a massive dying star. This image has become iconic and is one of the most widely recognized albums in the world. For the last 30+ years, any moody teenager or middle-aged adult like me, can be seen wearing a T-shirt with this album cover on it. It is one of my favorite shirts that I own.

You know, I think for me to really express my love and appreciation for Unknown Pleasures, I need to start at the beginning. When you look at how Joy Division began, you get a real sense of how ordinary their roots were. They were just kids, going nowhere in a town of hopeless futures. As a group of punk teenagers, they were filled with angst and grew up in the working-class town of Salford, a suburb of Manchester, England. In what they saw as a cold, dark, industrial hell that gave no glimpse of a bright future, these teens were desperately looking for something to hold on to, and for a way to take out their frustration.

On June 4, 1976, The Sex Pistols played a small show at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester.  This show has become the stuff of legends, and the tales are as far-fetched as they are inspirational music folklore. Throughout Rock history, this show has been credited for the start of every band that has come out of the UK. Everyone was there! Everyone! Well, that just wasn’t true. The truth is that about 30 people were there, but some of those that were, would go on to change music history. A young Stephen Morrissey was there, later becoming Morrissey and forming The Smiths. Mick Hucknell was also there, later forming the 80s New Wave band Simply Red. Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto were also there, booking this famous show. They had just recently formed The Buzzcocks, the first major Punk band out of Manchester. For this story, I am focused on a few other attendees, ones that would change the course of music.

Tony Wilson, a Manchester TV personality, was there and would later go on to create a record label that would change Manchester forever. He was the co-founder of Factory Records, and he, along with Rob Gretton, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville and Martin Hannett were all in attendance.  All would play a major role in the development of Post-Punk, New Wave, Industrial and later Acid House music. Factory Records would be the innovators of much of the music scenes that popped up across the UK in the 80s and 90s. Oh, there were a few other notable attendees, three people who would make up Joy Division: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Ian Curtis.

Inspired by the show, Sumner, Hook, and Curtis would soon join together to form a band called Stiff Kittens. Not long after forming Stiff Kittens, they would add drummer Stephen Morris and change their name to Warsaw. As Warsaw, in June 1978, they would release their debut EP, An Ideal For Living, which would become a catalyst to future great things. That EP, however, was extremely low quality, poorly recorded and was essentially unlistenable. Soon, after another name change and a powerful performance at a “Battle Of The Bands”, things would change forever.

At this “Battle Of The Bands”, a showcase of Manchester talent which was hosted by Tony Wilson and Factory Records, Joy Division, as they were now called, made quite a serious impact. Rob Gretton, a band manager, would approach them and recruit them to Factory Records. Tony Wilson loved Joy Division and wanted to make them stars. The first thing they did was to clean up their EP An Ideal For Living. They felt it had the power and the makings of something great, it just needed a proper mixing and producing. That is when Martin Hannett got to work. He would transform Joy Division’s sound from raw, semi ordinary Punk chaos to something completely new, something fierce. Martin was a genius when it came to sound production, and he was able to give the EP a fuller, bolder sound that leaned into their strengths, which was to accentuate the vocals. Even more significant, it was at this time that Peter Hook had developed a bass playing style where he would play higher on the neck, creating more melodic hooks, which sounded more like a deeper, richer guitar sound, rather than a thumping bassline. This was a game changer and would prove extremely influential in the years to come. The style was the core of New Wave, as this is the basis for much of the 80s basslines. Later, in New Order, Peter Hook would perfect this method and define the sound.

As 1979 came about, Joy Division set out to record their debut album Unknown Pleasures. Martin had a vision for their sound, and his production techniques would prove at first overbearing, even tyrannical, but would go on to create the sound scape that would change it all. One example was the opening drum sequence of “She’s Lost Control”. Martin had Stephen Morris set up his kit on the roof of the studio, and they spent hours recording just the initial hit of the snare. Hours of recording, just to perfect the hit of a snare drum. This was an odd, unheard-of technique, and the band hated it and didn’t understand the extreme nuances that Martin was going for. However, they came to trust the process and, in the end, the result was like nothing ever recorded before.

The release of the album Unknown Pleasures made very little impact on the world. However, it was praised by critics. One such critic in Sounds Magazine, a Manchester music zine, described it as “disco music for dead people”. This would foreshadow the album's influence, as it became a key proponent in the development of Goth music. When we look back at its release, we can clearly see that it inspired a seismic shift of epic proportions. This album had changed the perception of sound in song. Through its dark, gloomy tones, it brought with it a sense of dread, but also a longing for deeper emotional connection. This was something that few bands had achieved and few have ever done better.

In my opinion, there are few notable cultural moments in Rock music history that drastically altered the popular taste. Some examples are when Elvis appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1955, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and later, Nirvana’s release of Smells Like Teen Spirit and its ascension to top of the Pop charts. These moments all occurred in the United States. In the UK, there wasn’t an “Earth-shattering” moment of note. They don’t seem to work that way in the UK, which may be a result of culture. The US is really obsessed with sensationalism as opposed to the UK’s more reserved expression of emotion, which may be why.  I am not really sure. I do know there were UK “moments”, they just came upon subtly and their lasting impact was only realized in the aftermath, as we look back in retrospect. The Sex Pistols performance at Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976 is one for sure. The release of Unknown Pleasures is also one, with its impact culturally in the years since, being nothing short of significant, momentous and legendary.

To understand the real impact, we can look at the UK as a whole during the post WWII era. They economically struggled greatly well into the 1970s and into the 80s. However, as the WWII generation was heading further into old age, there was a youth uprising, filled with angst and fire that wouldn’t stop and was taking hold in the culture. By the mid-1970s, kids were getting sick of the old, racist, xenophobic ideas that were fighting to hold on, and they were resentful of growing up destitute and hopeless in a post war dystopia. Much of England was poor, dirty, and sunk deep into destitution. There was little to strive for, as dreams seemed out of reach, and the failed economic policies and social projects further symbolized a decaying existence for anyone coming of age. Watching their parents sink into dark, hopeless despair foreshadowed their own demise. They weren’t going to follow the same path and within this rebellion, Punk rock was born. Well, here’s the kicker.  Punk was already alive and well in the US, but it was different and rooted in other causes. US Punk, like The Ramones, was built upon 50s Rock rhythms and simple themes. In the UK, it was more complex, with roots in a variety of styles, including Reggae and Dub, like The Clash, and was driven by political and social protest.

Looking back at that night in Manchester, June 1976, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Ian Curtis were living this dystopian nightmare. They were angry Punk kids and ready to fight. The Sex Pistols performance showed them that they too could have an outlet for their angst.

A few years later, they created what would become one of the most important albums in history. Unknown Pleasures was the first album where deep inner thoughts and serious introspection into feelings of anger and despair were put into lyrics and expressed with such concern. Sadly, and tragically, it wouldn’t be until after Ian’s death that the world would realize just how deeply concerning these lyrics were. Even his bandmates didn’t know.

We probably all, in some way, know the story of Ian Curtis and the tragedy that occurred in May 1980. His is one of the most famous Rock n Roll suicides. Much has been written about Ian’s suicide, and the end of Joy Division. I have many thoughts on that entire saga, but want to keep it in the lens of Unknown Pleasures, when Joy Division was about to take over the world.

Unknown Pleasures is a generational work. The sound textures achieved on this album are still being learned and continuously researched today. Musically, they captured something in the notes and the production that is beyond extraordinary. The lyrical complexities and the emotional turmoil that define Joy Division lyrics are some of the most heartbreaking and honest introspection ever revealed. They were a deep look into the troubled soul of Ian Curtis and his demons. In years since, mental health researchers have looked at these lyrics for studies of severe depression, anxiety, bipolar. and schizophrenia.

Unknown Pleasures unlocked the doors for a spectrum of music that is still being discovered. So many of our favorite bands, especially those of us growing up in the 80s and 90s, would not exist without this album. It is truly an amazing, remarkable achievement in art.

As I think about the significance that Unknown Pleasures holds for me, I think about a few things. First, I have an original UK pressing on vinyl, which I hold proudly as one of the crown jewels of my collection. When I hold that copy in my hands, it feels like a substantial work of art.  The quality of the cardboard sleeve, with its textured surface, feels of the highest quality. This seemed to always be the case with Factory Records releases, something that I revere about them. The vinyl is thick, which was rare in the late 70s as this was the beginning of the “flexi disc” era or as many of us record collectors note, the “cheap” vinyl era. It bears repeating that the whole package is a huge part of the story. Factory Records was proud of their catalog, and it shows.

Now, on to the music. Where do I begin? Well, from start to finish, it is one of the finest examples of musical composition ever constructed. It is as much Punk as it is Symphonic. I say that because it has the angst of Punk, but with an almost orchestral feel, as each song sounds like a movement within the larger work. The sounds achieved on this album are a true testament to the band, and Martin Hannett’s palette of sound. He used the studio, atmosphere, and the sounds of the city as instruments. Martin believed that the studio was an instrument and should be explored and played as such. He is as much a part of Joy Division’s masterpiece as the band. Lyrically, I find this album to be a saga of dark, inner turmoil and there is a spectrum of emotions that is still almost unfathomable. I don’t even know what to say about the lyrics, as they provoke such contemplation and can be interpreted differently for each listener. Finally, the power achieved by Peter, Bernard and Stephen as the soundtrack to Ian’s lyrics is something so profound that your body feels each note like electrical impulses and the rhythmic flow can be felt in the thump of your heartbeat. 

Overall, its quite intense. It is dark and contemplative. It is serious, introspective and thought provoking and it is filled with beauty and a power that’s unimaginable.

The energy and magnitude of Unknown Pleasures an experience that is quite rare in music.

It is the definition of a perfect album.

Essential track: “New Dawn Fades”