Joy Division was the post-punk band formed in Salford, England in 1976 — Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris. They left just two albums on Factory Records, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980), plus Love Will Tear Us Apart, and every note is essential. Dig into Joy Division vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Joy Division formed in Salford, England in 1976 (initially under the name Warsaw, drawn from David Bowie's Warszawa) and adopted the Joy Division name in 1978. They signed with Tony Wilson's Factory Records (the foundational Manchester independent label). Their debut Unknown Pleasures (1979), produced by Martin Hannett with its distinctive sparse, atmospheric production approach, is widely considered one of the most important albums in alternative music history. Ian Curtis suffered from epilepsy and mental health struggles, dying by suicide on May 18, 1980 at age 23 - on the eve of the band's first American tour. The surviving members Sumner, Hook, and Morris (joined by Gillian Gilbert) continued as New Order, becoming one of the most important British bands of the 1980s. The 2007 biopic Control (directed by Anton Corbijn) starred Sam Riley as Curtis. The iconic Unknown Pleasures cover (the pulsar radio waves image) has become one of the most widely-replicated album cover designs in music history.
Joy Division's sound combines post-punk, gothic rock, new wave, dance-punk, and rock with Curtis's distinctive baritone vocal delivery, Hook's signature melodic bass approach (influential on subsequent generations of post-punk bassists), Sumner's atmospheric guitar work, and Hannett's distinctive production aesthetic. Their work is widely cited as foundational to post-punk, gothic rock, and broader alternative music.
Original Factory pressings of Unknown Pleasures and Closer are foundational items in post-punk and alternative music collecting. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues, and the comprehensive Factory / Rhino reissue programs have been released.
Listeners new to Joy Division should start with Unknown Pleasures (1979) or Closer (1980).
