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Ifgog Joy Division Form and Substance PDF
Ifgog Joy Division Form and Substance PDF
"
Then a little swearing should take care of you."
- The Hall of Magic Mirrors'
FORM
f and substance 1
"Another day?
Well Suffer!
For that's the way of the West.'
-'Humour Me'.
2nd edition. Printed late May 1988. Print run 1500 copies.
Ty p e s e t i n a ' s l i g h t l y g o t h i c ' t y p e f a c e .
ISBN 1 871407 00 1
On July 20th 1976 a young man by the name of Peter Hook returned
to his Manchester home from a holiday in Torquay. As he read the
local evening paper, the 'Manchester Evening News', his attention
was caught by an advertisement for a concert being held that
evening at the Lesser Free Trade Hall by a London 'punk' band
called the Sex Pistols. He telephoned his old friend from school,
Bernard Sumner, and together they arranged to attend the 'per
formance'.
The actual gig is one that has passed into Manchester folklore -
indeed one wag later wrote in 'New Musical Express' that if all the
people who claimed to have been at the Pistols' Lesser Free Trade
Hall show had actually been there they would have filled Wembley
Stadium. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that the Sex
Pistols had already played the Lesser Free Trade Hall on June 4th, a
performance that was inspirational to Pete Shelley and Howard
Devoto who duly formed the Buzzcocks; and a Stephen Morrisey
who rather than form a band wrote a letter to 'Sounds' and 'NME'
about how wonderful the band were. The July show, where the
Buzzcocks made their debut and the Pistols premiered 'Anarchy in
the UK' was equally inspirational - to Hook and Sumner.
Afterwards they had decided to form a band themselves, not with
the intention of doing anything musical but just to have a good
time. Their response to the Pistols was to become a common one
throughout 1976.
Bernard Sumner (1988): "We always liked groups and music but
we didn't want to be in a group until we saw the Sex Pistols. We
thought, 'God, if they can do it, we can do it'. We put an advertise
ment up in Virgin Records in Manchester for a vocalist and we got a
lot of loonies answering it, and eventually Ian Curtis answered it."
Peter and Barney had already met Ian at local gigs (Curtis had
apparently attended the first of the Pistols' Lesser Free Trade hall
gigs) but they hadn't considered him for the band as he was already
in one. It was only after the guitarist left Ian's band that he got in
touch with the two of them. Peter and Barney accepted Ian over the
phone without hearing him sing, since what they were really after
was someone they could get on with - proficiency was not an
essential requirement. However, as Barney would later remark
(with perhaps a little sardonic humour): "It turned out that he was a
legendary genius".
Legendary genius or not, they still found it hard to acquire a
permanent drummer - and a permanent name. They sought the
advice of the Buzzcocks, like themselves local Salford lads, and
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after meeting Pete Shelley in a pub one night found that the
Buzzcocks were largely making it all up as they went along anyway.
Shelley is largely credited with suggesting the name that the trio
used whilst rehearsing above a pub in Salford - the Stiff Kittens.
In fact these rehearsal sessions seem to have consisted of little
more than extended jams a la John The Postman (infamous for
appearing unannounced at Manchester gigs where he would play
a set consisting of a 20 minute version of 'Louie Louie').
Peter Hook recalls that even in the days when they were just
Kittens the group didn't fit in with the New Hormones clique and
Ian especially "stuck out like a sore thumb", so they had very little
to do with the remainder of the burgeoning Manchester scene.
However they did keep in touch with the Buzzcocks and ten months
after their genesis they 'blagged' Pete Shelley into putting them on
at Manchester's famed 'new wave' venue, the Electric Circus, with
Newcastle's Penetration.
It should be pointed out that they were not selected for their
ability but for the reason that Shelley felt it was important to be seen
giving moral support to local bands. With their impending debut
gig the threesome now desperately needed to find an adequate
drummer. Tony Tabac joined the night of the 28th May, 1977 and
played his first gig the following day. Billed in advance publicity as
the Stiff Kittens the band arrived at the Electric Circus to inform
Richard Boon that they were now called Warsaw - apparently a nod
at 'Warzawa' from Bowie's 'Low' album ... oh and because they
"didn't want to be called 'the' somebody".
A number of local support slots came and went, as did Tony
Tabac. By June 30th Steve Brotherdale (aka Steve B'dale) had
joined. He stayed for six weeks. During this time Warsaw went into
the studio for their first recording session. They recorded five tracks
at Pennine Studios on 18th July 1977. These tracks were (much
later) released on the quasi-legit 'Ideal Beginning' EP. They shed
light on the early sound of the band and provide evidence that
Warsaw weren't very 'punk' (they didn't play fast enough) or in fact
very good.
Steve Brotherdale duly left Warsaw in the first week of August to
join the Panik, whom he thought had more potential. He attempted
to take Ian Curtis with him but it was found that Ian's style of
singing didn't suit the style of the Panik's music and he remained
with Warsaw. After advertising for a new drummer they auditioned
"about ten before we found Steve Morris". Steve Morris had never
been in a band before though he got the job for the simple reason
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"they liked the fact I could go 'Bang' and 'Crash' in the right
places."
More gigs ensued, including a return to the Electric Circus in
October as part of a two day festival organised to commemorate the
imminent closure of the club. Virgin Records had arranged to
record the event and when 10" mini-album 'Short Circuit - Live At
The Electric Circus' was released 'At A Later Date' by Warsaw
(credited on the record as Joy Division) was one of the tracks
included. Ian Curtis was later quoted as saying that the band was
unaware at the time that they had even been recorded and that
when the band was asked to choose a representative track they
chose the wrong one. "Royalty-wise I think we owe Virgin," he
said. Peter Hook later recalled they made about 8 between the four
of them.
In an attempt to gain more gigs it was decided to record a new
demo tape and in December they again entered Pennine Sound
Studios to produce the four songs that later became 'An Ideal For
Living'. The studio offered to produce and press up the tapes as
seven-inch EPs. Warsaw eagerly accepted.
Peter Hook: "But when we heard it, my God! It was the most
depressing moment in my life, it was awful."
Reluctantly they decided against promoting the record and con
centrated instead on selling the limited number they had to local
stockists. The sleeve for the record was an elaborate affair which
folded out into a 14" x 14" 'poster' featuring a drawing by Bernard
on the front. The band folded all the original sleeves by hand and
put all the records into the sleeves themselves.
It was around this time that London based 'skinhead' group
Warsaw Pakt recorded and released their 'instant' album (recorded
and released on the same day), so to avoid confusion and because
they had heard that no London booking agency would book a band
with a name so similar, it was decided to change the name. Again.
As previously mentioned the band had acquired the name Warsaw
from a David Bowie album. In fact there was to remain a Warsaw
connection with their new chosen name. The band was henceforth
to be known as Joy Division. The name was derived from a
paperback book called 'The House of Dolls' - allegedly the found
diaries of a young Jewish girl from Warsaw who was sent to a
concentration, camp during the Second World War to end her life in
the prostitutes' wing of the camp - the ironically named 'Joy
Division'. Clearly the band had discovered the book at the end of
1977 as on page 157 of 'House of Dolls' the third paragraph is used
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form.
On Friday the 14th of April 1978 Joy Division entered the Stiff Test
Chiswick Challenge, which was an audition night set up by two
independent London labels to find new talent from all over the
country. That particular night seventeen bands played, Joy Division
came on stage at ten to two in the morning and managed two songs
before the plugs were pulled.
Although they didn't win any prizes that night they did come into
contact with two people who were to prove to be much more
valuable to them. One of these was the club's DJ, Rob Gretton, and
the other was Granada TV compere Tony Wilson, the presenter of
the only 'new wave' show on TV, the famed 'So It Goes'. In an
interview for 'New Musical Express' in January 1979 Tony Wilson
was to recall, "The bands were all good and they were all boring.
But Joy Division were wonderful and they had something to say. I
thought so and so did Rob, 'cause after that he became their
manager."
Rob Gretton was at the time manager of the Panik, whom Ian had
been so close to joining, but he came away from Rafters that night
with a favourable impression of these angry young men. A chance
meeting with Barney in the phone boxes outside Manchester's main
post office in Spring Gardens led to him being invited down to the
next Joy Division rehearsal to discuss managing them. Unfortunately
Barney forgot to mention his meeting with the rest of the band and
so Rob's appearance was met with some surprise, especially when
introduced by Barney as "our new manager". However Rob initially
took a low profile in the group's affairs until he had worked out what
he wanted to do.
At the same time as Rob was taking Joy Division under his
managerial wing, Ian had been busy trying to gain the interest of an
A&R man at RCA - one Derek Branwood. When RCA displayed
little interest, Branwood suggested to his assistant, Richard Searling,
that he try to arrange something for the band. What he ended up
arranging was two recording sessions that resulted in the material on
the 'Warsaw' bootleg album and a recording contract it would cost
the band a thousand pounds to get out of.
In May of 1978 the band went to the local BBC radio station,
Radio Manchester, to be interviewed on a programme called 'Satur
day Rock'. Joy Division took along a copy of the 'Ideal For Living'
EP. This was played and in between tracks the band spoke about
themselves and their influences. Unfortunately no record survives of
the contents of the interview, nor are any extant tapes in general
circulation.
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time virtually all the major British acts of the previous decade had
broadcast 'on Peel' in their early days. The session was first broad
cast on February 14th, 1979 and was a major break for the band.
The concurrent release of the 'Factory Sampler' surprised many
people with its diverse selection of material and artists, and also its
packaging; a gatefold, grey sleeve in the style of the cheap Thailand
counterfeit sleeves. The music was contained on two seven-inch
singles and played at 33V3 rpm. Each of the four artists involved
(Joy Division, Durutti Column, John Dowie and Cabaret Voltaire)
were invited to provide an image for the sheet of stickers to be
included in the package and each had one side of a record to
themselves. Joy Division's contributions, 'Digital' and 'Glass', were
described by Paul Morley - with his usual disregard for factual
accuracy - in his review as "the missing link between Elvis Presley
and Siouxsie and the Banshees".
In March another trip down to London resulted in a recording
session with Martin Rushent, head of a subsidiary of Radar Records,
who was interested in signing the group. The fabled four 'Genetic
demos' ('Glass', 'Transmission', 'Ice Age' and 'Insight') remained
with Rushent when it became apparent that he could not strike a
deal with the band.
To promote the 'Factory Sampler' EP and other upcoming pro
ducts, Factory Records initiated a series of 'package' gigs to play at
assorted halls around the country. Based on the package tours of the
sixties (which had recently returned into vogue with the three 'Stiff
package tours) audiences could expect to see up to four bands on
any given night which might include any perm from John Dowie, A
Certain Ratio, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Foreign Press
and Joy Division (what happened to the Tiller Boys?)
The majority of April was taken up with rehearsals and recording
for their first album. They had by this time convinced Tony Wilson
to put up the money for this so that they could remain on the outside
of the mainstream music industry as they had always hoped. The
album was set to be recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport and
was targeted to cost three thousand pounds. The band spent only
two and a half days recording and a further one and a half days
mixing the recordings. However the eventual cost was some eight
thousand quid. Tony Wilson: "We went a little over-budget on that
one." The initial pressing was to be ten thousand and at the time no
one knew whether the money would be recouped or not.
However from day one Factory have never placed the business of
making money above creative concerns. Indeed some of their
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Ian Curtis had been born on the 15th July, 1956, and from an early
age had begun to speak of dying young and of taking his own life.
After he left school he worked for a while in a factory pushing a cart
around. He later said that all he thought about at that time was what
he would spend his money on at the end of the week.
The turning point in his life came when he saw the Sex Pistols at
the Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976. After this being in a band
seems to have become the preoccupation of the majority of those in
the audience, including Curtis. He had at this time begun work in a
record shop on John Dalton Street in Manchester, 'Rare Records'.
The shop had enjoyed a reputation for good stock and excellent
service for many years until most of the staff, Curtis included, were
laid off after stocking copies of 'Derek and Clive Live' despite
memos threatening stern repercussions should any of their shops
stock the offensive album. After all the parent company EMI was
refusing to even press, let alone distribute the album through its
shops. However by this time Joy Division were already considering
their positions and had made up their minds to give up their day jobs
to join Factory.
Working at 'Rare Records' brought Ian into contact with a group
that showed him a different way of putting a song over: the Velvet
Underground. This was coupled with a memory of seeing Lou Reed
on the BBC which affected him deeply.
Ian Curtis: "Nothing appealed to me. I was listening to stuff like
the Stones and whatever . . . and there was just something when I
got two of the Velvet Underground albums that seemed to be very
real. There was stuff in the lyrics that I could relate to that there
wasn't in anything else. It was just what I was going through at the
time ... it was the attitude of the thing. I remember seeing Lou
Reed on 'Old Grey Whistle Test' or 'Disco Two' or whatever they
used to call it, and he wasn't the normal 'singer in a group', there
was something more to him that seemed to carry on to the way he
lived and things like that. Instead of just singing about something
you could show it as well - put it over in the way that it is, if you
were totally involved in what you were doing."
Joy Division was to make this point abundantly clear in their later
shows, where audiences left the hall totally drained of energy, as
though they had been put through an emotional mangle which
squeezed out every last drop of feeling. For Curtis there was more
to it than 'just singing'. His involvement with the music carried over
into his private life.
Sometime in 1977 he was married to his childhood sweetheart,
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Deborah Woodruffe, and was soon the father of a baby girl named
Natalie. For a time this seemed to be a stabilising factor in his life
but soon he began to be depressed again and in 1979 was found
unconcious at his home after inflicting knife wounds on himself. His
marriage began to go through troubles and on the tour of Holland in
1980 he began seeing another lady. A few weeks later he spent three
days in hospital after taking an overdose of tablets due to an intense
bout of depression. His epilepsy was getting worse and he was
referred to a psychiatrist but only kept two of the appointments.
Matters came to a head when Deborah found out about his
girlfriend and asked for a divorce. She later said at the inquest that
he had asked if she was doing the right thing and seemed upset
about their daughter. He promised to stop seeing his girlfriend if the
divorce proceedings were dropped but apparently changed his mind
and asked his wife not to see him again. The day before his death
they had a row.
On Saturday May 17th, he returned to his home to watch a
televised film, 'Stroszek', by his favourite producer, Werner Herzog.
Hours later, early that Sunday morning, he hung himself. A note
found by his body included the sentence: "At this very moment I
wish I were dead. I just can't cope any more." His wife found the
body at about mid-day on Sunday. She immediately went to her
neighbours for help and they rushed round to the house and cut the
body down. At first they thought that they might be able to save him
but when they found him too heavy to lift and cut the rope, they
realised that he had been there for some time. The inquest into his
death returned a verdict of suicide.
In the spate of obituaries that followed, the best being Jon
Savage's in 'Melody Maker' and Paul Morley and Adrian Thrills in
'New Musical Express', there was much romanticising over the
'glamour' of a rock 'n' roll death. There is, of course, none. Ian
Curtis' death was sad and lonely, the fact that he felt he had no one
to turn to is all too clear. If he hadn't felt that way he would still be
here with us. Dave McCullough of 'Sounds' completely missed the
point in his valediction. Any Trouble frontman Clive Gregson, who
had worked with Curtis, voiced the sentiments of many who knew
him personally when he commented on McCullough's obituary
shortly afterwards: "We were in London the day the news broke
that he'd committed suicide, and I phoned Jeremy (who also used to
work with Curtis) . . . (and) said, 'Hell, I've just read that Ian
Curtis has hung himself.' And Jeremy said, 'It doesn't surprise me at
all. I've been expecting that for six years.' Now, I feel really sorry
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The group was stunned. Tony Wilson said, "It came as one bloody
shock . . .", which was the nearest anyone got to an official state
ment from Factory. The American tour was cancelled and the three
remaining members steadied themselves and decided whether or
not to carry on. In the weeks that followed they decided that they
would, but under a new name. The band and the label decided that
all the unreleased material should be issued. The first songs to be
released were three compositions recorded for 'Closer' but which
did not make the album. They were issued as a totally free flexi-disc
available just by asking for it at the counter of record shops. The
three tracks were 'Komakino', 'Incubation' and 'And Then Again'.
The third track was not credited on the label and along with
'Incubation' were the only instrumentals that the group had ever
recorded.
One week later 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' was issued to the
critical acclaim that had been awaiting it, with or without the extra
attention it was now given. The sleeve looked like a tombstone and
visitors to Macclesfield Crematorium will notice a memorial stone
with the simple inscription: Tan Curtis - 18.5.80 - Love Will Tear
Us Apart'.
The single reached number seventeen in the UK national charts.
The posthumous album 'Closer' was issued by Factory on June the
27th. Again the reviews were hardly restrained in their praise, but
this time they at least tried to argue their points a little better.
'Closer' contained nine tracks and pointed towards a softer, more
subtle sense of fear. Where 'Unknown Pleasures' had a soundtrack
of muffled screams and breaking glass, this album contained a
collection of lighter effects, mists rather than cold, glaring light.
August 1980 saw the release of the 12" version of 'Love Will
Tear Us Apart' which was quickly followed by the UK release of
'Atmosphere/She's Lost Control' which had been released in
America a couple of months previously and was being sold on
import at an inflated price. The release of the 'Transmission' single
on 12" in December, in a sleeve with pictures taken in a fairground
at night, completed the 12" single releases.
The release of further material was left until a time when there
could be no accusations of 'cashing in' levelled at the group, its
management or Factory Communications Ltd and it would be
fifteen months from Curtis' death before the retrospective collection
would be available to the general public.
Meanwhile in the John Peel Show's Festive Fifty at the end of
1980, 'Atmosphere' was voted number two and 'Love Will Tear Us
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substance.
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XXVIII
JD: The Recordings
XXIX
JD: The Recordings
XXX
JD: The Recordings
XXXI
JD: The Recordings
XXXII
JD: The Recordings
XXXIII
JD: The Recordings
2,4-5 'Malvern/Erics' b.
XXXIV
JD: The Recordings
XXXV
JD: The Recordings
XXXVI
JD: The Recordings
XXXVII
JD: The Recordings
XXXVIII
JD: The Recordings
Gig:
1. Dead Souls
2. Wilderness
3. Twenty Four Hours
4. New Dawn Fades
5. Digital
XXXIX
JD: The Recordings
XL
JD: The Recordings
XLI
JD: The Recordings
XLII
JD: The Recordings
XLIII
JD: The Recordings
XLIV
JD: The Recordings
1-3,5,7-12 'LeThermePartII',b.
Gig:
1. Incubation
2. Wilderness
3. Twenty Four Hours
4. The Eternal
5. Heart And Soul
6. Love Will Tear Us Apart
7. Isolation
8. Komakino
9. She's Lost Control
10. These Days
11. Atrocity Exhibition
2-11 'Kimakino' b.
1-4 'How Many Echoes Are There' b.
XLV
JD: The Recordings
XLVI
JD: The Recordings
XL VII
JD: The Recordings
Gig:
1. Ceremony
2. Shadowplay
3. A Means To An End
4. Passover
5. New Dawn Fades
6. Twenty Four Hours
7. Transmission
8. Disorder
9. Isolation
10. Decades
11. Digital
1-11 'Still'FACT40
XLVIII
CAUTIONAny person who (1) falsifies any
D. Cert. of the particulars on this certificate, or (2)
uses a falsified certificate as true, knowing
it to be false, is liable to prosecution.
ual address
8. Cause of death
Signature
of informant
Signature of registrar
jC:..^-L..V^^su De
"^Superintendent Registrar IH '7''l1?^.Date
GA 270370