Joy Division/New Order
It was 1977, the "summer of hate," so-called because punk had just come on the scene in England. Four young men from Manchester, Ian Curtis (vocal), Bernard "Albrecht" Sumner(guitar), Peter Hook (bass), and Stephen Morris (drums), got together and started playing, doing Bowie and Velvet Underground covers. They had no name at the time, and a well-meaning friend, Pete Shelley (of the Buzzcocks, suggested that the group call themselves "Stiff Kittens," a name they all soundly rejected. The four boys settled on the name "Warsaw," taking the name from the Bowie song "Warsawa," which appears on his "Low" album. A couple of singles and an EP later, the group changed its name to "Joy Division," the name coming from the nickname that the nazi SS officers gave the section of the concentration camp where prostitutes were kept. Because of this "supposed" influence, the band got a reputation of being sympathetic to the Nazis. This rep was not helped at all by the cover of their first EP, in which Bernard "Albrect" (he made up the last name because it sounded so German) had drawn a blond, blue-eyed child in uniform playing a drum, in a style reminiscent of a WWII Nazi recruitment poster. The band later admitted that they had wanted the publicity that such a controversial cover would cause.
In 1978, the band released the 5-song "An Ideal For Living" EP, seemingly to shed the Teutonic image that they had up to this point. Hailed critically, the EP got the attention of fledgling label Factory Records and their first single on that label, "Transmission", was released in 1979. They went on to record two albums, "Closer" and "Unknown Pleasures" which were praised by critics and fans as masterpieces. Unfortunately, on the eve of the release of their biggest commercial single, 1980's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," singer Ian Curtis hanged himself on May 18 1980, leaving behind a wife a child and three bandmates to wonder why.
Ian's death only added to the growing mystique of the band. In the year that followed, "Still," a 2-LP set containing one record of studio material and one of their last concerts ever was released. The two "Peel Sessions" EPs featuring "live" in the studio versions of their songs, were rushed out onto the record store shelves a year after that.
Although lasting only three years, Joy Division was (and is) one of the most influential bands to have ever come out the punk/new wave scene. Their etherial, moody sound has influenced much of the music of today. Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, and Alternative Rock owe this Manchester England quartet a debt of gratitude. New bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Gravity Kills, Marilyn Manson, and others have claimed Joy Division as an influence, and have even covered songs originally done by them.
Here are some of Joy Division Midi files. Sorry, but I don't have space for MP3 Files right now! The actual recordings are far superior!
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She's Lost Control ...The lyrics contain an allusion to Ian's epilepsy... Love Will Tear Us Apart ...One of the truly great post-punk anthems... Dead Souls ...Nine Inch Nails covered this song on "The Crow" soundtrack...
The three remaining members decided to continue on, taking the name "New Order." They recorded a single as a trio, "Ceremony." After recruiting drummer Morris' girlfriend, Gillian Gilbert to play rhythm guitar and keyboards, they were a quartet again.
Their first post-Joy Division album, "Movement," had Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, and Steven Morris sharing vocals. They all managed to sound eerily like Ian, and some of the songs seemed tentative.
This changed, however, with album 2, 1983's "Power, Corruption, and Lies." On this album, Bernard Sumner took over all of the lead vocal chores; he no longer attempted to evoke Ian's ghost with his singing, an instead, sang in his own voice. The first clue of the radical departure the band would take was the cover itself, which featured a 19th-century painting bordered by computer bar codes. The music on this album was much more electronic, brought to a head on the (then) innovative "586," which was the precursor to the spectacular "Blue Monday" single (which has been recently covered, wretchedly, by Orgy). New Order had finally come into their own.
Album 3, "Low Life," was hailed on all sides as a masterpiece. From the anthemic opener, "Love Vigilantes" to the final cut, "Face Up," a maturity of songwriting and musicianship was clearly evident. The beautiful instrumental, "Elegia," came as quite a surprise to their fans, and was the probable cause of the band being dubbed "the new Pink Floyd" by critics.
The band recieved some much-welcomed U.S. exposure when the "Shell-Shock" single was included on the "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack. When the "Brotherhood" album was released (featuring the hit "Bizarre Love Triangle"), the tour which followed was hugely successful.
The following year, 1987, became New Order's most successful to date. The "True Faith" and "Touched by the Hand of God" singles were released, and five of their songs appeared on the soundtrack of the bizarre film "Salvation." The singles collection, "Substance 1987" came out, featuring a bonus second CD of singles B-sides. The summer 1987 tour with Gene Loves Jezebel and Echo and the Bunnymen played to sold-out crowds.
1989's "Technique" would prove to be the most electronic yet, but with a wide-ranging set of influences, from folk-ballad to middle eastern to 70's disco. A tour to support this album followed, and early in 1990, they recorded a song for and with the English National Football Team, "World in Motion." While not a big single for them in the U.S., this track went to number 1 in England and stayed there for weeks.
Shortly after this, the members split up to pursue other interests. Peter Hook formed Revenge, and Bernard Sumner joined guitarist Johnny Marr (of the recently defunct Smiths) and Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) to form Electronic. The group's single "Getting Away With It" and subsequent self-titled album were very commercially successful. Steven Morris and Gillian Gilbert put out an album in 1992, calling themselves the rather self-effacing The Other Two. Rumors abounded at this time that New Order had broken up for good. Other stories said that lead singer for Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian Mc Culloch, was going to take over on vocals for New Order, but these rumors proved to be unfounded.
In 1993, New Order got back together in the studio to record the marvelous "Republic," which was critically and commercially acclaimed. The single, "Regret," even received top-40 airplay, and renewed interest in their back catalogue. The 1994 tour, which featured opening band Sunscream, played to packed houses.
The next 2 years saw relatively little activity, but 2 fine singles collections, "The Best/Rest of New Order" (1995 & 96) more than made up for it, with some great singles and alternate re-recordings of some older favorites.
New Order has not recorded together since, but the 1997 release of Monaco's "Music for Pleasure" was the one of the best "New Order" albums that New Order never put out! Peter Hook managed to recruit a vocalist who sounds uncannily like Bernard Sumner. Their "What Do You Want From Me" single is a pop gem.
Since their inception, New Order has achieved greater commercial success than Joy Division ever did. Their sound continues to influence the sounds of today.
Here are some New Order Midi files. The actual recordings are far superior!
Bizarre Love Triangle ...The New Order song everyone seems to know... 1963 ...The B-side of the "True Faith" single... True Faith...The video for this would have even Salvador Dali scratching his head...Here is a Monaco midi file:
What Do You Want From Me...One of the best New Order singles New Order never did...![[E-mail]](Email2.gif){kind=small}
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