Album Name: Unknown Pleasures
Album Artist: Joy Division
Release Date: June 15, 1979
Recorded: April 1-17, 1979
Genre: Post-punk
Length: 39:24
Label: Factory
Producer: Martin Hannett, Joy Division
Track Listing
1. "Disorder" (3:31)
2. "Day of the Lords" (4:47)
3. "Candidate" (3:02)
4. "Insight" (4:29)
5. "New Dawn Fades" (4:48)
6. "She's Lost Control" (3:57)
7. "Shadowplay" (3:53)
8. "Wilderness" (2:38)
9. "Interzone" (2:16)
10. "I Remember Nothing" (5:52)
Album Charts
UK Charts - #71 in August 1980
Q magazine, 100 Greatest British Albums Ever - #19
Pitchfork Media, 100 Greatest Albums of the 1970s - #9
Reviews
All Music Guide – 5/5 stars
Pitchfork – 10/10
Rolling Stone – 4/5 stars
NME – 10/10
Scene Point Blank – 10/10
Robert Christgau – A-
As I said before, I think Unknown Pleasures is the second-best work I have ever heard. The synth-like drums really fit the post-punk era, but compared to other contemporary music, it is quite Spartan, with just drums, guitar, bass, and vocals on most songs. According to legend, producer Martin Hannett recorded this album on the roof of the Stockport studio they were recording at. Hannett, a bit of an eccentric, also dubbed each drum track individually. For those of you who do not understand one bit of the last sentence, Hannett recorded a drum track of just the bass drum. Then another of just snare drum. Then another of just hi-hat. Then another of just cymbals. And so on. It really adds to the experience of listening to the album when you are associated with the legendary aspects of it. The cover art is exactly 100 pulses from the first pulsar ever discovered. I don't know what that means. Care to help me out? Anyway, on to the album…
1. "Disorder" (3:31)
This song starts off with an insane bass riff that is repeated throughout the entire song before being joined by the simple, yet complicated (it's nearly impossible to play) guitar riff. As with most songs, lead singer Ian Curtis sounds distance and almost bored. Near the climax of the song, the guitar switched to chords and there are "whooshing" effects on the bass, adding an almost eerie mood to the song. When I listen to this song in headphones it is almost as if the bass is turned up as high it can go. It feels like a very relaxed song, but once the listener really gets into it can be very, very intense. Unofficial music video here.
My rating: 4.5/5
2. "Day of the Lords" (4:47)
"The Day of the Lords" starts out with an appregiated guitar and an ascending bass line backed by steady drums before Curtis' voice cuts in. This theme continues throughout the entire song. Curtis' vocals become so impassioned in the middle and near the end, they sound like the shouts of a tortured man (which he was), before the guitar finishes with a fitting solo. Live performance here.
My rating: 4/5
3. "Candidate" (3:02)
This song is pretty nondescript in the overall scheme of the album. To me, it sounds basically like Curtis singing a conversation with the guitar distant in the background. Still a good song, but it does not stand at all in the mind.
My rating: 3/5
4. "Insight" (4:29)
"Insight" is one of the more fast-paced songs on the album after a slow start. Actually, the song doesn't really start until about forty seconds in. The sound of an opening door also greets the real beginning of the song, while Curtis sings nostalgically about how he remembers "when we were young." After the chorus is repeated, a sequence of Star Wars-like sounds come in almost as a solo. Curtis' nostalgic tone continues throughout the song, with the song ending with another solo of Star Wars sounds. Great acoustic cover here.
My rating: 3.5/5
5. "New Dawn Fades" (4:48)
This is probably the second or third-best song on the album. The guitar creates a sense of anticipation at the beginning of the song with its riff being played down on the lower strings. The anticipation keeps building until Curtis starts singing, at which point the music becomes dominated by the bass. There's just something about this song that really gets me. The tone and calmness it just brings is amazing. This sounds lame in a way, but I have not realized how great of a song this is until right now as I am listening to it and typing this. The passion exhibited by Curtis is just so overwhelming. This is also the only song where there is a real guitar solo. The guitar solo was featured in a chase scene of the movie Heat, by the way. The song ends with the drums exiting alone off into the distance. Unofficial music video for "New Dawn Fades" featuring scenes from Heat
here.
My rating: 5/5
6. "She's Lost Control" (4:46)
This is the most widely known song off the album, probably because of the constant drums and repeating bass line. The bass line sounds more like it is being played by a guitar. Joy Division was widely regarded as one of the first bands to start playing the bass like a guitar. The guitar enters on the chorus and backs Curtis' lyrics. The constant guitar chords fit the bass line and project very well. Not much else can be said about this song, except it is one of Curtis' best vocal performances, in my opinion. Live television performance here.
My rating: 5/5
7. "Shadowplay" (3:53)
"Shadowplay" is another gem off the album, so much that it has also been covered by The Killers and Silversun Pickups. The guitar creates an uneasy atmosphere while the bass provides undertones. Curtis sounds frantic in his vocals, as though he is looking for someone. The guitar solos seem to contrast against the earlier mood, but they transition, with help from the bass back into the verse quite well. Curtis seems to come to a sense of closure of acceptance at the end of the song, creating a resolution. Live performance here.
My rating: 4.5/5
8. "Wilderness" (2:38)
Another lesser known song, "Wilderness" is more upbeat with a sliding bass riff coupled with the guitar. Basically a story of traveling through the wilderness. This song is still good, but there really isn't anything that sets it apart from other Joy Division songs, making it sadly nondescript. Live performance here.
My rating: 3/5
9. "Interzone" (2:16)
The shortest song on the album, "Interzone" is one of my personal favorites. The guitar is the most present out of all the songs and it is the fastest song on the album by far. The drums push the tempo. "Interzone" is the only song on the album that uses two vocalists, as bassist Peter Hook joins Curtis on the vocal tracks. Hook as a more raw voice than Curtis' deep monotone which creates almost a conflict between the voices which fits together very well. "Interzone" is probably the hidden gem of the album. Tribute video here.
My rating: 4/5
10. "I Remember Nothing" (5:52)
I really need to finish this, so this is basically a slow, somber ballad to close out the album. I can't really find anything exciting about the song, except for the sound of breaking glass and that Curtis' voice has a tone heard nowhere else on the album, making the listener feel very uneasy. It is a fantastic song, despite being nondescript. It is a great way to cap off a great album. Live performance here.
My rating: 4.5/5
Total rating: 5/5
A must listen album.
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