Joy Division – The Best of…

• 14th Mar 2008

Okay people, it’s a Joy Division (JD) best of: surely a source of contention and conflicting appeal amidst the fans, those that get JD and have perhaps already got everything offered here. For those outside the loop, intrigued by the massive interest that’s always surrounded (and recently escalated with the release of the fantastic ‘Control’ movie etc) a band that ultimately ceased to be back in 1980 when New Order rose from the shadows of a sorely missed Ian Curtis (IC).

Like the slack-assed Stone Roses, JD only recorded 2 studio LPs, but boy did they leave behind a body of work that puts the more spot-lit Roses output to shame. Get JD or not, love ‘em or hate ‘em, their legacy can’t be contended and though I imagine the faithful might see every release like this one as a mere money spinning exercise well, lets face it, those good ol’ New Order boys did more than earn it! And anyway who knows, there might even be a surprise or two to be found with this release, right?

So, what do you get (for less than a tenner) on this 2CD set? I’m gonna start with the second disc, so as to eliminate any high expectations from the outset. JD had a complete BBC recordings (1979) released in 2000 on Strange Fruit… the very same LP that’s included here. JD managed to get 2 John Peel sessions under their belts and it’s as nice to hear ‘em again as it is to have a couple of live tracks for 70s show ‘Something Else’, an understated and perhaps misunderstood, pioneering BBC 2 music show.

Lastly there’s an interview with IC and Stephen Morris, an interview that’s often been described as dull etc. And though that might be true, let’s just stop and compare it to other memorable EARLY Manc’, roadside cafe interviews shall we… ‘One Man Talking’ by James which aside from offering a glimpse into their bright intelligence was boring! ‘What a Trip’ by Silvertone /Stone Roses… bashful coyness revealed yes, but uneventful. ‘Up All Night’ by Happy Mondays… owing for the odd entertaining drug tale from Shaun Ryder…disengaging to say the least. So, let’s take this one for what it is: a gift to the fans that offers up some typically mundane insight rather than entertainment.

Bringing us to what’s been branded as the ‘best of’ disc. Maybe it’s all the singles slung together again like 1988s ‘Substance’. But wait… where’s Komakino (ltd flexi of 10,000 only), where’s Warsaw…need I continue? This isn’t just a singles collection, so what’s the thinking (having established that some might’ve been involved) behind this then? Like MC Hammer taught me to, I’m gonna briefly (without getting into who’s covered what) break it down…

For the part timers to skip forward to as they ‘listen’, seemingly omnipresent classics ‘Atmosphere’, ‘Love will tear us apart’, ‘Transmission’ and (perhaps even) ‘She’s Lost Control’ are all featured.

Lesser known, somewhat insular high points like ‘Digital’, ‘Shadowplay’, ‘Dead Souls’, ‘These days’, ‘24 Hours’ and ‘Isolation’ are predictably yet pleasingly included.

So, what are we left…LP fillers? ‘Disorder’ ‘New Dawn Fades’ ‘and ‘Incubation’ all stand up strong in their own right of course, however, I can’t help but wonder why more fulfilling tracks weren’t included instead.

(Debut release and former band name) ‘Warsaw’, (LTD to 10,000 free flexi 7”s) ‘Komakino’ or even the alternate mix of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ are disappointingly absent. But hey, would I have noticed should I not be looking, probably not.

And so, in a nutshell as it were, what we have here is a great (albeit somewhat conveniently timed) release that’s well worth picking up.