Project 1001: Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
We were strangers, for way too long, for way too long
Joy Division was, to me, kind of a mythical entity. I was vaguely aware of them because DJs and others would sometimes mention the band in context with New Order, the band that emerged after lead singer Ian Curtis died. I don’t recall every hearing any of their songs before listening to this interesting album today.
The final cut, “I Remember Nothing”, reminded me of The Doors’ classic “The End” in its mood and some of singer Curtis’ performance. So, I spun the song by The Doors and while the Joy Division song is not some sort of carbon copy, it’s close enough for me to conclude that there was some sort of influence there; maybe spiritually if not directly.
I think the album is excellent and was probably very influential to some later artists. However, it is quite doomy and not particularly uplifting or joyful. I doubt I’ll return to this very often if ever. Respect, though.
My Rating:
“This exceptional debut album by a quartet from Manchester, England had already attracted considerable attention by last May when Ian Curtis Joy Division's lead vocalist hanged himself. Subsequent Joy Division releases have included a second album "Closer” and several singles all recorded before Curtis's death. But, “Unknown Pleasures” remains the group's masterpiece. Curtis confronted hard questions and refused to settle for easy answers and on "Unknown Pleasures” the band's three instrumentalists backed him to the hilt with some of the most driven desperate rock-and-roll ever recorded.”1
“…the ten songs inside, quite simply, are stone-cold landmarks, the whole album a monument to passion, energy, and cathartic despair…one of the best albums ever.”2
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Chris Shade wrote:
“Twenty-five years later, Unkown Pleasures is still compelling listening. 3
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on June 15,1979. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: Hot Stuff by Donna Summer4
• Number one album: Bad Girls by Donna Summer5
• Number one movie: Alien by Ridley Scott6
• Most watched TV program: Three’s Company7
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum8
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet by Herman Tarnower, M.D. and Samm Sinclair Baker9
Other albums released that month
• Discovery by Electric Light Orchestra
• This Boot Is Made for Fonk-N by Bootsy's Rubber Band
• Communiqué by Dire Straits
• I Am by Earth, Wind & Fire
• Best of The J. Geils Band by The J. Geils Band
• Back to the Egg by Wings
• The Kids Are Alright by The Who
• Labour of Lust by Nick Lowe
• Repeat When Necessary by Dave Edmunds
• Get the Knack by The Knack
• Candy-O by The Cars
• Mingus by Joni Mitchell
• Silent Letter by America
• Mirrors by Blue Öyster Cult
• Live Killers by Queen
• Mick Taylor by Mick Taylor
• Secret Omen by Cameo
• Spy by Carly Simon
• Another Taste by A Taste of Honey
• Armageddon by Prism
• Door, Door by The Boys Next Door
• Exposure by Robert Fripp
• Life and Love by Leon Russell
• Night Owl by Gerry Rafferty
• One for the Road by Willie Nelson and Leon Russell
• Secrets by Robert Palmer
• No Exit by The Angels
• Si todo hiciera Crack by Crack
• Survivors by Samson
• Touch the Sky by Carole King10
Sport
• Jun 9 111th Belmont: Ruben Hernandez aboard Coastal wins in 2:28.6.
• Jun 10 French Open Women's Tennis: Chris Evert dominates Wendy Turnbull of Australia 6-2, 6-0 for her 3rd French singles crown.
• Jun 10 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Jack Nicklaus GC: Donna Caponi Young wins 3rd major; beats Jerilyn Britz by 3 strokes.
• Jun 11 French Open Men's Tennis: Björn Borg wins 2nd of 4 straight French titles and 6 overall; beats Victor Pecci of Paraguay 6-3, 6-1, 6-7, 6-4.
• Jun 12 Detroit Tigers fire manager Les Moss, hiring Sparky Anderson who stays until 1995; includes World Series title 1984 and AL Manager of the Year Award 1984 and 1987.
• Jun 14 NY Giants Willie McCovey 513th HR is an NL lefty record.
• Jun 17 US Open Men's Golf, Inverness Club: Hale Irwin wins his second Open title, 2 strokes ahead of former champions Jerry Pate and Gary Player.
• Jun 18 Billy Martin becomes Yankee manager (2nd time), replacing Bob Lemon.
• Jun 22 Larry Holmes TKOs Mike Weaver in 12 rounds for heavyweight boxing title.11
Notable Births
• Jun 8 Derek Trucks, American guitarist and founder of Grammy Award-winning The Derek Trucks Band (Tedeschi Truck Band), born in Jacksonville, Florida
• Jun 10 Lee Brice, American country singer and songwriter ("Love Like Crazy", "Hard to Love"), born in Sumter, South Carolina
• Jun 11 Texito Langa, Mozambican jazz drummer-percussionist, composer, and arranger, born in Maputo, Mozambique
• Jun 12 Wil Horneff, American actor (Ghost in the Machine; Sandlot), born in Englewood, New Jersey
• Jun 20 Cael Sanderson, American freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 84kg 2004) and coach (Penn State University), born in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Jun 20 Charles Howell III, American golfer (3 PGA Tour titles, Rookie of the Year 2001), born in Augusta, Georgia
• Jun 21 Chris Pratt, American actor (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World,), born in Virginia, Minnesota12
Historical Events
• Jun 8 "The Source," 1st computer public information service, goes on-line.
• Jun 9 Michael Cairney topples a record row of 169,713 dominoes.
• Jun 12 Bryan Allen flies a human-powered aircraft, the Gossamer Albatross over English Channel, taking 2 hrs, 49 min.
• Jun 12 Kevin St Onge throws a playing card a record 185 ft-1 inch; record broken in 1992.
• Jun 13 Sioux nation receives $100 million in compensation for Black Hills, South Dakota.
• Jun 14 Rock group "Little Feat" disbands.
• Jun 16 Muslim Brotherhood kills 62 sheiks in Aleppo, Syria.
• Jun 18 US President Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT II treaty limiting nuclear weapons.
• Jun 20 US President Jimmy Carter unveils 32 solar panels installed on the roof of the White House.
• Jun 22 Little Richard quits rock & roll a second time for religious pursuits.13
Notable Deaths
• Jun 11 American actor (Green Berets, True Grit), dies of stomach cancer at 72.
• Jun 16 Nicholas Ray, American film director (Rebel Without a Cause), dies at 67.
• Jun 17 Lou Frizzell, American character actor (Summer of '42; Bonanza - "Dusty Rhodes"), dies at 59.
• Jun 21 Angus Maclise, American percussionist, mystic, shaman, and composer (Velvet Underground), dies of hypoglycemia and pulmonary tuberculosis at 41.
• Jun 22 (Sarah) Hope Summers, American character actress (The Andy Griffith Show & Mayberry RFD - "Clara"), dies of congestive heart failure at 77.
• Jun 22 (Walter) "Pee Wee" Hunt, American jazz trombonist (Casa Loma Orchestra, 1929-43; "Twelfth Street Rag", "Oh!"), and bandleader, dies at 72.
• Jun 22 Emory Parnell, American vaudeville performer and character actor (Life of Riley; County Fair; Falcon films; Ma and Pa Kettle movies), dies of a heat attack at 86.14
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime playlist: 120. Unkown Pleasures by Joy Division
All the videos here: You're Welcome 120; Unkown Pleasures by Joy Division
Shade, Chris; 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; ed by Robert Dimmery; p. 432.
Ibid.