Unknown Pleasures

I just straight up don't get Joy Division. It's not bad, and I was hoping that listening to this all the way through would give me some better understanding. But try as I might, I just don't get it.

With as iconic as the album cover is, I really thought I'd like this album more. It was pretty disappointing.

con lo famoso que es este disco de mierda y esta portada esperaba muchisimo. una poronga la verdad.

Surprised this album is such a big deal. Broadly speaking, I found it really boring.

Very dull.

All the songs kinda sound the same, nothing really stood out. Not bad but not amazing imo

Possibly the coolest album cover made, ever. As for the music, well... Have tried Joy Division before without success, and after this album I must say I still don't get it. I don't know how to better describe this music than "uncool". I get that Ian's singing might be a style (not too far off David Byrne), but it just doesn't sound very good to me. The drums sound very bad and boring as well. The whole rhythm section is just so lackluster. I didn't find any interesting melodies in any of the songs either. Really disappointed by this album that is supposed to be a real classic. I get that it's a "me" issue, but still. Does it deserve a place on the list? Sure. But I didn't enjoy it at all. Maybe it's blown up because of Ian's tragic story, not sure.

Not very enjoyable to me. Vocals aren’t great, the songs themselves don’t appeal to me at all. The closest I was to liking a song was the opening track. I’m not giving this a 1 because it’s at least listenable unlike some other albums.

I really want to like Joy Division more…

is this the most overrated album in the history of music it's not even offensively bad. it's just quite boring.

meh

Kept one song. I like the singer's voice but otherwise not impressed

Found it kind of boring.

This felt moody but not in an interesting way for me. I liked Interzone, but it really all blended together. The album cover is cool so it makes sense I see it on T-shirts and phone screens, etc. but I would’ve thought this would be a better album because it’s everywhere. 2.5/5.

A softened version of punk rock, but punk nonetheless. Even the slow songs, which were ungodly slow (I’m looking at you, New Dawn Fades), had a punk feel about them. As the album went on, the music got worse. I’m hoping the last song is prophetic (Remember Nothing) so I can forget I ever listened to it.

Rough listen overall, but couple decent songs in the mix. I found the bass interesting, drove most of the songs and provided the dark moody tone. That's all I got, trying to find positives after yesterday's review, I was tired and cranky. Even brightsiding this one I can't go more than a 2, some cool elements here and there but just a bummer album.

Sounds like it’s made in a factory

No. This music is not for me. I don't find too many redeeming qualities in it honestly. Listening to it though it surprises me how people who were around Ian Curtis somehow were surprised by his unfortunate demise. Did they have ears back then? And if yes, why didn't they use them? Even I, who really don't like this kind of music, can hear that basically every song is a cry for help. "Where will it end?" as he cries out. Luckily for me, it only lasted a day. Rest in peace Ian.

I kinda hated most of it, some of it was bearable, but mostly I was like "are there really people who enjoy this?"pretty excruciating listen So yeah, hope the next one is better. But now I know I do not like this kinda music. I don't like post punk or whatever this was.

I thought I liked JD, but I don't. But I do love New Order. Chalk and cheese.

Never have connected with Joy Division and it's the same here

While this was revolutionary in creating the upcoming 1980s post-punk sound, I found it quite boring. Both Joy Division albums are boring. It's obviously still a tragedy that Ian Curtis took his own life, and for all we know, they were the next big band, but it's just not my cup of tea. Favorite Track: "I Remember Nothing".

First song was great. It's around a 2.9

Was fine.

It’s crazy cause I should be eating this shit up. These guys are pioneers for a lot of the stuff I love. This feels a lot more gothic than even early cure, and honestly I’m just not a fan of Ian Curtis here. I had never sat down and listened to a joy division album before, and I’m realizing why. Interzone is kinda cool. Just feels like filler fodder to me though🤷‍♂️ I don’t think I’ll be back to this one either. Rip.

meh

I was not put on this earth with the comprehension of how people enjoy this

I have never really got Joy Division. None of their songs really make me feel much so not my cup of tea.

Not my style. First songs pretty good though

I thought I only knew one Joy Division song, Love Will Tear Us Apart, which wasn’t on this album. I knew one on this album, Shadowplay, but I had no idea it was a Joy Division song because I have it as a cover by The Killers. The album was fine.

I remember this album, it was circulating around campus when I arrived for my freshman year in 1980. The name of the band was far more controversial than the music, which is basically lo-fi new wave (NOT punk, as it seems to be labelled in many places). I sort of got it, it had the bleak vocals, bleak lyrics, and minimalist instrumental foundation that people talking about Derrida and Foucault were really into at the time. And on some meta- level I guess it is anti-virtuosic, anti-performance music, which is in keeping with the excitement generated by deconstruction theory without lapsing into irony. It almost screams "what does this music mean?" But it really is music of its time; I haven't listened to it in over 40 years, and if I listen again before I shuffle off this mortal coil I'll be (pleasantly) surprised. 4 stars for its place in history, 2 starts for execution and deeper power--a total of 3 stars.

Melancholy monotone Brit rock.

I swear that I tried, but man, this is bad. I mean, REALLY bad. A bunch of shitty musicians barely capable of keeping time and rhythm, childish melodic ideas. 2/5 because at least the cover is a good t-shirt print

I'll just never really get this ablum. Have tried many times through the year, but I just don't love the production or song writing. I get what they were going for and can see how they were influenential but it's not for me. 2-stars for Disorder and She's Lost Control but the rest is forgetable

It's.... fine. Just not a fan of mopey albums.

Sad man sings into a bucket: the album!

Aldri skjønt meg på dette albumet. Pappa sverger det er et at de beste albumene noen sinne, men høres drit ut for meg. Par kule partier her og der hindrer det i å få bunnscore (Shadowplay er tålelig OK), men svak 2. Høres ikke ut som noen i bandet har det spesielt gøy egentlig. Mye likt og traurigt. Kanskje teksten er bra, men det vet ikke jeg noe om.

Just not feeling this one. Nothing wrong with it - just not feeling iconic

Ian Curtis has such a unique voice. Fav song is ‘Disorder’.

Since I’ve been seeing this album artwork a ton over my lifetime and hearing praise for this album needless to say I was excited to crack into this one…only to be pretty let down. The vocals aren’t the prettiest, but the production early was more than enough to cover over that. However as this kept going and became rawer and harsher, it just didn’t hit for me.

Mediocre.

Decent. A little reflective of some other alternative rock bands.

1.5 - Man, I think the cover is the most interesting thing about this album. I'm not a fan of these vocals at all.

As I was listening to this album, I really couldn't decide what I thought about it and I'm still unsure. There weren't any songs that offended me, but there weren't any songs that I wanted to run out and buy either. I will state that the music was different than what I'm used to listening to. The heavy drum beat and strident electric guitar were kind of an assault on my ears especially in "Interzone".

Big up Macclesfield and all that and I'm sorry you died Ian, but this is rather dull I'm afraid. No rizz. Boring man music that I think people like because of the album cover. Makes a cool t shirt I guess

4/10 Seen this album cover everywhere. After listening to it, I find it overrated. Nothing memorable from it

Intos muy largas, demasiada instrumental en la cancion en general. Tiene un tono viejo que no me encanta, además son canciones muy lentas. Siento que no está mal si te salta una canción cada tanto pero no escucharia mas de una seguida y sin duda no lo escucharía por elección. La única que masomenos zafa es Interzone.

First song was good. The rest was dour depressing bleh

Back again with another review. I’m unfamiliar with Joy Division’s works so I’m not sure what to expect. 1. Disorder: Solid opening song. Too early for me to say anything as I wouldn’t typically listen to songs of this genre. 2. Day of the Lords: I’m definitely liking this better compared to the previous song (it’s the bass really). Slow song otherwise.

mm

I understand it’s inspiration for a bunch of stuff that came after, but I don’t really like it that much

I know it's a classic album but I can't really stand it. It moves so slow. I like she's lost control again, but more so for it leading to covers.

Not the biggest fan.

A few good songs, the other were there fill the album

I had a hard time getting motivated to listen to this one because it’s just not my vibe, but it’s finally grey enough outside for this foray into this gloomy post-punk album. Overall I found Unknown Pleasures to be fairly monotonous and boring. The songs are pretty repetitive and I often found myself checking to see how much album was left. I listened to the remastered release, which includes a live show. As a person who typically prefers to hear a band’s actual performance, I was excited for this. Unfortunately it was not a show that I’d attend. It’s essentially the same, but raw and sludgier. Highlights for me include Shadowplay and Insight (live). Can’t say I’ll ever revisit this album, but I can imagine a past version of myself really enjoying it.

It's ok? Some songs are fun, others a bit too disonant for my taste

Did not like

Thought this would be a lot cooler but it all blended together.

I expected to like this more, but there's not much to grab onto.

Cool sound and I can hear its influence but I found it to boring and repetitive.

Did not really care for this. Too monotonous and weird. 2/5

This album started strong in a way I wasn't really expecting and then to my mind fell off a cliff. First track is the best. Not sure I get them to be honest.

I don't get it.

It might be my biggest unpopular musical opinion, because usually I like the classics. In this case,  I just don't get it. While I came appreciate the darkness and moodiness, I listened to it a few times over the years, and nothing stayed with me. I'm sorry.  I don't like the vocals, I don't find the melodies memorable, and maybe the most important, as an atmospheric experience, I don't find the playing especially good. They play well, but not better. Maybe it's an integral album for the genre, and I appreciate it for that, but I don't like it. A shocking 2.7

least annoying punk album on this list so far

New order is a lot better ….

I don’t get the appeal. Their best song isn’t even on this album. I guess I can see Depeche Mode in this, whatever came first the chicken or the egg. I didn’t really enjoy this.

Interesting sound, not for me. Fave song Wolderness

It's really dour and I'm not enjoying it.

Wasn't that impressed with this, for an album who's cover precedes them. It was a bit morose and bland, which is maybe the vibe they were going for - don't actually know the lore behind them. But yeah, below mid for me

i feel like i'm missing something here

Love the sound of the instrumentals. Not a big fan of the vocals, sorry.

me deprime.

I'm aware of how iconic this is but to me it's just miserable, grumpy mumbling over tinny production, boring basslines and a world of reverb. Bleak and boring.

Given how often I see the iconic cover art, I was really expecting a lot more from this album. It's fine but a bit mush-mouthed and the instruments are minimalist. This sounds like the band is playing underwater, or at the bottom of a hollow metal tube.

pas méga kiffé

this is a terrible album to work out to it was overall pretty meh. again, not sure why this separates itself as an album i need to hear before i die.

Music to slit your wrists to.

3.0/10

That was pretty depressing to listen to even while viewing the rainy day outside my window.

this isn't unlistenable but it isn't good. no thank you.

Instrumentation: the drums and guitars sound loose, if that makes sense; not reverb, just not tight. Vocals: neither sharp or flat all the time, just damn pitchy (Mick Jagger sings that way as well but Mick doesn't irritate me so much). This album is so darkly moody and just left me in a downwardly spiraling angst (on Valentines Day FFS). Thanks 1001albumsgenerator.... I don't want to hear this one again. ⭐⭐

0/10 bekannt 5,5/10 Beste Songs: day of the lords, new dawn fades, she’s lost control again

I get the vibes and the timeliness, but sometimes it really boils down to a Brit being sad over cheery guitar track

meh. 2 for effort

Musically there's some really interesting stuff here, but oof those vocals are rough.

Not listened properly so will come back to it

Dan Flashes can respect it but he doesn’t have to like it

ah the t-shirt album. sounds like a big empty room. i don't really like post punk but i kind of liked the bass-heavy brooding atmosphere. singing and melodies sucked. I'm not cool enough to enjoy this unfortunately

Too droning, too atonal

I enjoyed the music in this one, but the lyrics and delivery didn't work for me.

I just don’t get Joy Division. New Order is leagues better, and you can see where they were headed, but something doesn’t click into place for me with Joy Division. Even the opening track, which is pretty good, has this weird shit going on in the bass that simply doesn’t work. Ian Curtis’s vocals are strange and pitchy. So often, it sounds like they didn’t WRITE the song, they just kind of DID the song. I don’t know. I’ve tried. Great album cover though.

I couldn't say I enjoyed this record very much. Something about the pacing and oddity of the instrumentation didn't really resonate with me. Favourite Track(s): Shadowplay Least Favourite Track(s): Candidate, I Remember Nothing

Well, that’s dreary innit?

An iconic album because of its cover... I guess. This album does not tell me anything at all. It has a very 70's-near-80's-punk-meets-atmospheric feeling, which does not imply anything bad, but the overall is not thrilling or exciting. Instead, it's some bland music guided by repetitive rhythms and sounds. I wouldn't consider it innovative either, so I am confused, I don't know what I'm searching for in this Unknown Pleasures. It isn't that the album is bad, and maybe I'm not currently in the mood to listen to it, but I haven't found anything really of my like on this album except for a few songs that were a bit better. But, again, nothing exciting.

While it's influence on the music world cannot be understated, just listening to the album on its own is not a very enjoyable experience. It just seems a bit boring. Will have to try again at some point.

Honestly, a little boring. It's fine though.

Not bad, just kind of dad rock but not the better kind.

Interesting but not exactly in a good way, Luka did not fw it (he meowed the whole drive oop)

Listened to this album twice and still can’t understand why people like it so much. Definition of overrated.

The only song by Joy Division is Disorder (not from this album). Don't like these guys.

There's no joy here

No

No thanks

Escuchando este disco, creo, finalmente confirme que la única canción que me gusta de joy division es love will tear us apart.

Joy Division isn't bad, depressing, atmospheric, mixed weird yes, but not bad. It's not Oasis elongating so many lyrics I want to smash my head in. So that was nice. I'm in a good mood so some of this was lost on me. It's all very sad and downbeat. You can feel the depression in the music and lyrics. That said if you are thinking of suicide do not listen to this album. A change of speed, a change of style A change of scene, with no regrets A chance to watch, admire the distance Still occupied, though you forget Different colours, different shades Over each mistakes were made I took the blame Directionless so plain to see A loaded gun won't set you free So you say Yeah dude was going though some things when writing this. I was told by a friend of mine he did in fact kill himself. He told me after I read him my review. https://988lifeline.org/

For some reason, I thought I liked Joy Division, but now I'm not so sure....

I have dreaded of the day this album was gonna show up. I have tried numerous times throughout the years to listen to & get the hype around it. Once again, I still do not know.

When I listen to some albums on this list, I don’t understand how they could work for anyone. But while this wasn’t the album for me, I could see it. How others might love this album.

Tedious

Baaaaad. Such a slog of an album. Doesn't feature the bands best music. It must be famous for the cover

Can I go ahead and state the unpopular opinion that Ian Curtis was holding this band back? There are obviously some good (great) Joy Division songs here and there, but listening to this in its entirety is a slog.

I liked the first track ‘Disorder’, but the rest of the tracks I didn’t particularly enjoy - made me a feel uncomfortable/not relaxed… not really my style I guess

Sounds like a guy doing a decent version of bad, weird karaoke.

Dull, dull, god it was dull.

Du rock, pas mauvais mais pas memorable

boring

Kind of boring

Dnf

I don’t really like it

Listening to it as a whole album I found it sonicaly uninteresting and not engaging.

Another British rock band from the late 70s/early 80s. I feel like there can't be that many left on the list by now and honestly I'm kind of hoping it as well. The singing on this album isn't my vibe at all and the guitar parts I liked was suddenly mixed with laser noise and other things in the later songs. I couldn't get in to the album at all and feel no interest in coming back and trying to figure out the band again in the future.

Surprisingly naff, boring with poor vocals One or two tracks would have been good with a better voice

Disco difícil, lo había escuchado antes y probablemente sea el disco más importante del postpunk, personalmente un estilo musical que no me gusta mucho. Lo encuentro un disco denso, pesado, bajos muy rítmicos y distorsionados, baterías con platillos brillantes y haaaarto reverb. Sobre el bajo, yo soy más del estilo de paul mccartney con bajos más melódicos y líneas más interesantes armónicamente, ustedes cachan. Bien interesante en la producción, innovador en algunas cosas, usa elementos nuevos, guitarras al revés, sintetizador, tiene momentos donde hay tensiones y disonancias que si bien son interesantes, no me producen mucho. Si se fijan, sus canciones no tienes estribillos, tienen esa construcción particular. Da la impresión que buscaban eso, algo que no fuera comercial y fuera de lo habitual. Tengo una disyuntiva con este disco, porque se lo importante que es, la revista rolling stones lo pone en el puesto 20 de mejores álbumes de la historia, es un buen disco, pero no mi estilo. Y como la wea es mía y sin intención de faltarle el respeto a este disco tan importante, le pondré un 2 (tal vez sea un 2,5) Canción favorita: she lost control y Interzone Pd: no me gusta mucho la voz de ese vocalista

This is just dark and dull it feels hard to enjoy but accept there is something to it that makes it better than 1 star.

So many of my favorite bands were inspired by Joy Division and I'm always disappointed. I think maybe you had to be there to understand it.

Somewhat boring

Kinda difficult on first listen but I think there’s something there I could get into

Started strong but then got a bit dead - sounds kinda like my dad doing karaoke

The pleasure was indeed unknown

A lot of the melodies are cool and so are the vocals but I have no idea what he's saying because the music is so much louder than the voice. I really dislike that style so this is a 5/10 for me

I have no conscious memory of hearing this album or band before. I did however come in with strong preconceived notions based entirely on my interpretation of their fans & associated acts. The first 1/3 of the album had me thinking "oh shit I've misjudged, there's def sthg here I'm digging." The next third brought me to "ok already, jesus christ get on with it." As the final third drew to a close I had arrived at "thank fuck that's over. At least it's off the To Do list." +2 stars because a lot of the music is quite intriguing and even homeboy's vocals at points work really well. -3 stars because holy shit bro, I understand the knob goes to 11 but what if we try a 5 or 6

Didn’t want to listen to more Joy Division because I like to be a different kind of bummed out. But Decades from the last album was one of my most played songs this year, and I think I almost like this? I definitely like Candidate. Insight would be such a great song if it didn’t go crazy laser mode in the middle?? What’s up with that? Also really dig the bass on New Dawn Fades. There are moments on every song that I like, but also found it really hard to get through this whole album. RIP Insight, I almost loved you.

Sounds like mud? I want to like this but I just don’t really. 2 stars I guess because I think I want to like this

Nothing great. Sounded like an early 80s new wave band, but not particularly interesting.

The dark, goth singing just isn’t for me. Tried to enjoy the music as best I could but the voice just brings the mood down. Might work in some situations for me, but will not go into my normal rotation.

Gitarrensound zwischendurch nicht so schlecht, aber Rest ist sehr deprimierend. Name ist nicht Programm.

Horrid vocals

Pleasure is definitely unknown in this depressing album. Talent is real though. Tracks to Track: Disorder

The best of the album for me is the cover artwork. Musically not my jam.

One of many classic albums I should have listened to by now. While haunting and a good fit with the general vibe and theme of the album, I just can't get behind the cadence in the vocals. Instrumentals are pretty good. Favorite Track: New Dawn Fades Least Favorite Track: Insight/I Remember Nothing

Was feeling any of it really. The singing is bad.

This shit is only popular because the album cover looks good on a shirt.

The inevitable consequence of dividing joy is having less than you began with. That is a very apt description of my experience listening to this drudgerous album.

Meh

24/1089 я не понимаю зачем это здесь

вначале прикольно было потом уже надоел этот голос записанный на диктофон. вайб такой же как у этих рок альбомов которые ничем не отличаются, но чуть получше. ожидала большего…

Just okay. Pretty boring and unmemorable. How do some of these albums make the cut?!

Favourite songs on this album shadowplay and she lost control. Okay album but just not my style bit to gloomy

Mja

Pretty intense moodiness if you're not prepared for it. Didn't quite "get it" but I could maybe see why others enjoy it.

Gonna be honest: I had a shit, dull, and meeting-filled day at work when I listened to this album. I barely retained anything and it didn't improve my mood. So much for the 'Joy Division'.

It was ok. Dark and moody, Not the most fun I've had listening to an album.

Didn't turn me into a Joy division convert. Found it quite depessing. I think Closer is a much better record

Dark, depressive, whiny. Retrospectively a non-explainable success - except "Disorder"

Varmaan brittiläistä, mitälie jenkutusta. Ei herättänyt oikein mitään erityistä fiilistä, ei mikään huonokaan joten kaksi tähtee

1.5 not good but I save my 1 stars for unlistenable albums

Aika masentavaa musiikkia, laulajan äänikin tulee jostain haudan takaa.

Eka biisi kun lähti, niin ajattelin että täähän on tosi jeppis verrattuna siihen aikaisemmin olleeseen Joy Divisioniin. Kakkosbiisi oli sitten semmoista köyhän miehen Danzig kohtaa kuolinkoreissaan köhisevän Jim Morrisonin -meininkiä, niin se kyllä latisti välittömästi tunnelman. Valitettavasti meininki jatkui sitten paljon enemmän kakkosbiisin kaltaisena. Oon nyt kahden levyn verran ihan yrittänyt tykätä tästä, mutta ei vaan lähde. Plussaa levyn kestosta.

I have heard of Joy Division many times, but I have never listened to them. First thoughts, is there is not a lot of Joy with this band. I am a 50 year old male, this late in life, I am looking for more new music to my ears that bring me joy. Today this moody depressive shit is not for me, maybe my younger self would have enjoyed it, maybe I dont know. Its funny how the main Wikipedia article focuses on the creation of the album cover and not the music itself, so maybe it doesn't belong on this list, well then again its shrouded by a musicians death and this list tends to like that subject, whether the music is good or not.

I just don’t get the hype

Not really my speed. Didn't know they were as old as they were, it's kinda post punk 80s sound new wave.

Oh my god, this sucks. I've said it before and I'll say it again, New Wave music sucks. This is unbearable. This is like a William Shatner album with this guy just talking over Cure music expect people took this seriously. Interzone is the best song on the album.

I really wanted to enjoy this album, but at the end of the day I couldn't. Nothing really clicked, and I won't probably ever listen to it again. There are some light redeeming qualities, but not enough to justify higher than a 2/5.

Man, I hate having to do this review. Joy Division is just one of the bands you’re *supposed* to like. But I don’t. Like the album from KOL the other day, the vocalist (too lazy to google him) is uhhh not great! The the guitarist (too lazy to google him too) sounds like he learned to play a week before they recorded the album. What is that riff on Shadowplay? Really? Anyway. It’s not offensive, but it doesn’t have much staying power for me. So sorry everyone, and a special apology to all the 90s kids who wore Joy Division t-shirts in high school who I thought had some real street cred for doing so.

Not sure this is the best work from this lineup. I’m a much bigger fan of New Order and the sound they developed in the 80s.

Nice background I guess.

Ça ne vient rien révolutionner dans mon cœur.

I’ve tried several times to get into this album. It just doesn’t do it for me.

not my kind of music, sort of boring

Quite mid

not for me

Top track: Shadowplay

Yikes, that one was tough. Perhaps if your formative years were in the late 70s early 80s it sounds a little better to your ear. Kind of cool to hear those 80s drums sort of early cars type sound but not my favorite.

Boring as fuck except for disorder because it was in skate 3 and is also the only good song on this album

No standouts, not for me

Joy Division’s other album is still the only album I’ve given 1 star to so I had very low hopes going into this. This was marginally better but still such a slog. Whiny sadboi music that was unrelenting in how boring it was. A solid 1.5 stars for me.

No ha sido mi rollo, pero el bajo me ha gustado mucho.

The pleasures were indeed unknown, at least by me.

not for me

Generally good, I don't have much to say about it though.

Never really did like them, this jsut confrims it.

Not a fan.

Great start with Disorder, but for me nothing else really stood out from the album

Best track is the first one, the rest are alright

I know this is a "classic" but I just don't like it very much.

Repetitive, dreary.

Still don’t get this album… sorry music nerds everywhere! It sounds like it was recorded on a microwave and nothing about it compels me rip.

Скучный рок, но понятно, откуда взялось звучание многих известных групп

Didn’t do much for me. I did enjoy some of the guitar licks. My favorite was “New Dawn Fades.”

Oh we are so back ! I am a big fan of dark lyrics put to moderately upbeat music (The Smiths being my ultimate fave example of this). Unknown Pleasures is in my opinion, one of the most influential albums to come out of the 70's. After listening fully, which I haven't done since I was a teenager, I'm seeing the album in a very different light, Unknown Pleasures represents the rage, the anger and the frustration. It's Ian's fighting against his feelings, not quite wanting to let go, but not really having any strength to keep going. In my opinion it's a bit colder and more isolated than Closer, Its minimalistic stripped back nature is creating such a bleak feeling. The production is incredibly seductive and attractive in a strange way. With a lot of reverb on the whole mix, the dynamics between Stephen Morris' stellar echoey drums and Peter Hook's addictive bass lines are leading the mix, while the disoriented eerie guitar riffs are surrounding it and creating its isolated cold atmosphere with plenty of feedback. Lyrically the album is immensely tortured , with Ian going head first into themes of loneliness, religion, death & depression (my favourite cocktail). I really enjoyed relistening, although it has set my weekend off in quite a strange way. 3/5 (A full point lost because I hate listening to men complain on my Friday morning) - HF xo Joy Division is one of those bands I heard people talk about but never listened to myself so I'm going into this with an open mind. Opening track has everything of the 70s Brit Pop/Rock formula, opening with a memorable bassline, monotone lead vocals and high tone distorted and almost haunted guitar, iconic for it's time but leaves me little bored. Lyrically dark and with a tone that leaves each track eerily tortured and with an air of doom about it. I can see why folk enjoy this band and I enjoy aspects of it however it leaves me a little underwhelmed overall , don't think I'll give this another listen tbh 2.4/5 MTW Think it’s fair to say that this album fucks, it fucks hard. I haven’t listened to this from back to front in like 5/6 years probably and I actually think I like it more then I did when I first heard it. The bass tones on this album from start to finish are just delicious, great atmosphere throughout, it’s a dark dingy album and it just goes full force into that. Lyrically I think it’s fine, but maybe too much complaining from Ian, have a gaviscon and run a bath dude you’ll be fine by Monday. Standout album of its time and will definitely re visit next time I want a wear a black trench coat and walk menacingly through winter weather. 3.6/5 FTW

2/5

Okay album. The vocals don't do anything for me. Most of the songs are okay though.

Not my style

Aright. On the underside of good. it all sounded the same, focal point of the song was the stinger who didn;t really have a gripping listenable sound. Guitars and bass had some good moments, just not enough.

No where near as good as Closer. Very much a garage band at this stage and better things to come.

No known pleasure here It didn't speak to me in any way

seeing the album art on so many shirts, came expecting something special. i can see how they might have influenced other bands that came after. but as a stand-alone, doesn't seem to hold up. i guess you had to be there.

i love what joy division became, but joy division itself i struggle with

Not my style

How eerie.

Never listened to Joy Division. I’ve heard all about them though. Let’s give this album a whirl. Ok, unpopular opinion. This sounds like demos and not finished recordings. I’m realizing I’m an audio snob. The songs feel like that drag. Some of the recording sound ok. A lot of ideas don’t feel finished. That was all for “day of the lords”. As I typed the above “candidate” came on. I like this song best so far. And I like the minimalist approach. Not a fan of the vocals still. But musically it’s growing on me. “Insight” sounds like someone is rubbing against a microphone. I’m trying to figure out if it’s intentional or not. I’m digging shadow play. Well, it’s over. 😂. It’s the not the worst thing I’ve ever heard and there are things I like. I feel like I need to listen again to really give it a fair shake.

For a band called joy division they’re not very joyful

Maybe you’ve just got to be in a mood in order to appreciate this.

So I know this is blasphemy and will assure my blacklisting from the hepcat record club, but this...sucks. Some interesting early electronic sounds but tuneless and can't deal with an extremely morose "singer" who makes Bob Dylan sound like Luther Vandross. The 70s seemed like a rough time to be into alternative rock.

creepy basement 80s 2/5

It's atmosphere over content. and I hate the drumming, they always sound out of tune

*reviews, given on first listen disorder - (7/10) gives a lot of 70s feels, very retro and vibey interlude day of the lords - (6/10) he's spitting truth lol, "when will it end?" candidate (5/10) - it went over my brain *sigh* insight (6/10) - weird background music lol new dawn fades (7/10) - bass lineeeee she's lost control (6.5/10) - cool guitar riffs i guess shadowplay (8/10) - this and new dawn fades intros kinda sounds like wilderness (6.8/10) - okayyyy interzone (8.3/10) - a vibe i remember nothing (6/10) - the title describes how i feel about this album 1/2 jk overall - (6.66/10) you need to read lyrics to understand, because it's kinda repetitive. the album's theme is about real life iykwim. not my usual cup of tea but not bad for my first album either. i'm actually generous with my ratings lol

Tis felt like Duran Duran on NyQuil and I didn't have any feelings otherwise

#622. So... when people say Joy Division is good, they literally just mean that song Love Will Tear Us Apart, don't they? Because there's certainly nothing on this album that's any good. 2/5: not

I've always maintained that this album is overrated. Still holds true.

This seems like maybe one of my more controversial ratings. Joy Division is a band that I just really can't get into and I feel like I'm missing something because in theory I should like them. I just get really bored when I listen to them. I've tried to get into this album multiple times and I've always bailed because I get too bored. It's Monday and I'm so bored with this album that I want to bail again. They seem like a band where you just really had to be there to get it.

Lite tråkig, upprepande. 2

I do not care for Unknown Pleasures

I prefer much more what Joy Division became. ———————————— My non-musician scoring system. 5 - Love it. Would play anytime, buy, see live… 4 - Good music. 3 - Average playlist. Depends on time and setting. 2 - I can’t listen to whole songs. 1 - No.

I quite like the energy this band brings. It was a great era for a new sound. But absolutely required to hear before I die? I don't think so.

I thought the album started off strong, and I can see how this was pretty influential to atmospheric bands like the cure that would take this and run with it, but those bands fixed a lot of what I don’t like about this. It’s got a lot of minimalism going on and that’s about it. There just not much here for this to stand on.

Tolerable, a bit too background music-y to me. On more listens might get the hang of it

Bit depressing

This was a tough listen. Several of the songs I actively disliked. But some of them were pretty good. I think my ears just weren’t impressed with their sound or the singer. I’d never listened to Joy Division, but had heard of them and knew they were highly regarded by some. But it just wasn’t for me, apparently.

Unknown Pleasures gets a ton of praise, but it didn’t do much for me. I’ll give “New Dawn Fades” some credit — it had a cool, moody heaviness that almost felt like a nod to Black Sabbath — but that was about it. The rest of the album felt flat and repetitive. I get that Joy Division helped shape post-punk, but influence doesn’t always equal enjoyable. Just wasn’t my vibe.

Confession: I've never really liked Joy Division. Apologies. It's too dark for me. Unknown Pleasures did little to win me over. The songs aren't there. It's just noise.

I had little to no knowledge of Joy Division before listening to this album so i had no real expectations, i had however heard some small snippets of the first song in the album which i did enjoy I don't think this is a bad album, it just doesn't speak to me in the way people are claiming it does for them. I can definitely appreciate the depth of the music, however i think i would enjoy the album more if i was more solemn and melodramatic. not bad, just not for me either.

Ei mitään kappaletta, jota haluaisin kuulla uudelleen, ikinä.

I mean it was eh, nothing great, would probably not listen again. Music just didn't stand out to me. 4.2/10

I grew up seeing this plastered on t-shirts from Hot Topic, H&M, Forever 21, and similar retailers. Yet, I never had any interest in listening to the album, especially after Ethan told me it was overrated. It was different than what I expected it to be. Unknown Pleasures was gritty and raw, with a great collection of drums + guitar + bass + synths. Unfortunately, I do not think this album is my speed. Punk is a genre I don't frequently dabble in because of the vocal style. That being said, the instruments and production made up for my dislike of that aspect. I would not listen to this again but appreciated my time with the album!

I've Got The Spirit, But Lose The Feeling 1001 Albums Generator 34 (05/20/2025) Radio astronomy is not a field of study that is ubiquitous to really any part of everyday life. The study of radio waves from space has perhaps two great claims to fame outside of those few who choose to pursue it professionally. Firstly, it led to the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background, a seminal piece of evidence for the Big Bang Theory. Secondly, and most importantly, it created some pretty cool shirts. You see, Harold Craft was a radio astronomer who created an image for his dissertation in 1970 that featured a collection of radio waves measured from a pulsar, cleverly organized vertically as opposed to the more traditional horizontal method of visualization. Nearly a decade later, after inverting the colors, Joy Division used the image as the cover of their debut album Unknown Pleasures, and a couple decades after that, Hot Topic made like a gazillion dollars selling the design to moody 17 year-olds. In my review for The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, I mentioned Loveless and Velvet Underground & Nico as my hottest music nerd takes, but I had actually forgotten about Unknown Pleasures, which maybe shows what my thoughts are on this iconic album. Out of every album in the Western music canon that I have heard, this is the one that I would say I understand the least. I hear that it had influence that it had on the music of the 80's, but it just doesn't feel as ahead of its time as other similarly regarded albums such as the This Heat's Deceit or the aforementioned VU&N. I mean, hell, Marquee Moon came out two years previous and did everything this album tries to do but way better. By virtually every measure, I should love this album. There are many post-punk albums that are some of my all time favorites, the 70's are my favorite decade in music history, and I even love The Cure, who have a similar sound to this album. But while I find The Cure's songwriting to be interesting and Robert Smith to be an interesting frontman, Joy Division and their lead Ian Curtis do not resonate with me in the same way. By the way, I know that Ian Curtis had severe mental health issues and that he took his own life. This is a tragedy, but does not affect my enjoyment of the music on display here. REST IN PEACE Ian Curtis. He died at 23. Oh and don't mishear me; I do not hate this album. Opening track Disorder and penultimate track Interzone have great energy and feature my favorite aspects of Joy Division's post-punk, which is at its best when it is danceable, rather than gothic and brooding. I am also happy to report that Day Of The Lords and New Dawn Fades are perfectly moody and show that this more chill side of the band that they are most known for certainly led to some fantastic songs. I would even go as far as to say most songs on this album aren't bad; instead the quality, unlike the energy emitted by dying stars as they rotate in space, is relatively linear. As a whole, this album feels a bit like a formless, mushy substance. Peter Hook's messy bass playing and Stephen Morris' drumming lay interchangeable foundations for all of these songs, while Ian Curtis' sings imperfect, unmemorable vocal melodies in his low register and Bernard Sumner's lightly distorted guitar plays some high register chords. Sure, Insight has some electronic stuff going on, but does that really make that song better or just more annoying? There is no X factor here that made this album click for me in the way that it has for others, even two years after I heard it for the first time. And that makes me sad. Enjoying music is so much more fun than not enjoying it. However, while everything is for someone, nothing is for everyone, and Unknown Pleasures, while never straying far from the path of "just okay", is not for me. 2.5/5, rounded down to a 2/5. Favs: Disorder New Dawn Fades Interzone Least Fav: I Remember Nothing

Prefer watching “24 Hour Party People” than listening to JD. Respect tho.

I wanted to like this album, but found myself skipping through most of the first half of this album and then couldn't finish it. Felt a bit all over the place.

It's funny when we get the same artist in quick succession. This is another very recognizable album cover and then one I associate with Joy Division. I guess I like this one better than Closer, but I really don't care for Joy Division after these two. Very Depeche Mode. I'll give this a higher 2.

I am glad we knocked out Joy Division's only 2 albums in 4 days, because man something about them makes my ears want to run away from my head and brain. I liked this one more than their other album, but that is like saying i'd rather drink pee than eat poop. I understand that everyone has different music tastes so I don't want to say this album sucks because it's all subjective. All I am going to say is that I am personally happy that Joy Division only made 2 albums.

Nfm

Joy Division walked so New Order could fly

Joy Division walked so New Order could run

2.4

Not my style

Want in the mood for it. We’ll produced but didn’t really grab me

Oh boy I did not feel this

I think I like it a little more than their "Closer" album which I recently reviewed, but it's still not for me. I feel like I should like it, but the vocals aren't that great and it's repetitive. Musically it's alright, sometimes I get some The Cure vibes (whom I love), but it's more experimental than that. Will pass.

This album was neither unknown nor a pleasure. Discuss.

It must be hard to be too exuberant when the music you make sounds like you’re trapped in a well.

hard listen

Some good music on here but the writing is crap.

1. Disorder / 5.5 Sounds familiar. I like the opening sounds but the sing does't take you to new hights after that. It becomes nagging/repetitive 2. Day of the Lords / 5 Also sounds familiar. Nothing special though. 3. Candidate / 4.5 Eery. Not a pleasurable listeing experience really 4. Insight / 4.5 Again nothing special really 5. New Dawn Fades / 4.5 Opening sounds cool, but also similar to all the previous songs. Some dark ominous guitar sounds and nothing more. 6. She's Lost Control / 4.5 Don't know what to think of it. I could.t see myself ever puting this on. 7. Shadowplay / 5 The songs dont seem to change. All the same. Cool little guitar solo though 8. Wilderness / 5 Little different, which makes it ok 9. Interzone / 5 Also a bit different. Nothing special really 10. I remember nothing / 5.5 minimal voice makes the mot listenable song for me Feels ahead of their time for 1979. Although i dont really like it it sounds influential for their time. I recognize some Cure and a lot of other bands take inspiration from this

Not my thing

I was so hopeful for this one since it’s such a cult classic and I’ve liked other joy division songs. But this album just seemed so monotonous to me and maybe I didn’t listen closely enough but I just don’t get it.

The album cover is iconic, but the music is forgettable. The album sounds like it was played through a bad stereo inside a cavern, and they put one microphone in the cavern to record the crummy stereo. The production was bad, the songs were boring, and I’m glad to be done listening to this.

It was okay. I think this is what I expected Bowie to sound like. (The Bowie album was better.) Didn't finish listening to it. I like the cover art.

I expected to love this but it just feels really flat. If I'd never listened to them before I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them again following this.

Album is just overhyped to me based on the review. It was okay but not great and nothing memorable.

His voice got a bit annoying

(sigh). another brit/nuwave band that I just don't get the appeal of.

No matter how many times I’ve listened to this, I just don’t see what’s so great abt it. Maybe it influenced some other bands, but there’s just really nothing that sticks out abt it to me aside from the uniqueness of the singers voice, which can be annoying. 2.2/5 Fav song: Disorder

Another unimpressive Brit-punk band. Hooray

It was alright, maybe I wasn’t a product of the time. His voice is a bit too monotonous for me, not very inspired riffs, I like a bit more colour to the tracks. 2/5 a few tracks were decent,

« Joy Division » bro où est la joie dans ta vie?? ☀︎j’aime pas Day of the Lords, Insight, She’s Lost Control ☀︎j’aime vraiment pas: Candidate

Sounds like it was recorded in the bathroom. I have made better sounding recordings on GarageBand with one mic and zero idea of what I’m doing. But “Shadowplay” is gloriously moody and broody.

Some longer songs with sound effects, some short songs with sound effects. Very British, solid beats

Not much joy but I didn’t hate it

Heb hier m’n leven lang niet in kunnen komen, ik vind er niks aan. Sorry als ik mensen hiermee teleurstel

Genuinely did not like.

2.5 - not bad!

Some of the tunes are alright pity about the SINGING. Why did they let him away with being so off key? Is it supposed to add charm? It does not add charm.

Eh, OK. Too moody. 2/5

Das stelle ich mir unter dad Rock vor, nur das dad Rock normalerweise gut ist

I don't get it...this album is sooo gloomy and depressing. ALSO, please...for the love of God sing in tune...ugh. he's a horrendous vocalist. Not good. The album is not unbearable, but bleh. The bass lines are cool, but this is just bad. Similar to Depeche Mode but wayyyyyyy worse. Play something not slow PLEASE. It has moments tho so I'll be nice and give it a 2. Actual rating....1.5. Liked Songs: "Disorder" , "She's Lost Control" , "Shadowplay" , "Interzone"

I didn’t much care for this, the only stand out to me was “She’s lost Control”, that beat has a hook.

Joy Division and this album are criminally overrated. Fight me. 2.5/5

Please stop giving me whiny British people who think there too cool to make good music

Sounds flat, heavy—but not in a good way— and repetitive. The mixing is not great —“singer” sounds disconnected from the musical backdrop. And, the vocalist is mainly talking through the lyrics. A 2, but on the edge of a 1.

Meh

Iyt wasn't terrible, but neither was it very good. The vocals were pretty awful. I did think it was quite interesting that you could hear the New Order sound in there. I made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars!

So....I believe this album has been hailed as timeless and a genre defining album....I just found it really really boring. I feel like I should like it but honestly I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Didn’t enjoy this.

Certainly influential and basis for many great things, but really dated and improved upon so much by newer indie rock bands, that this pales in comparison.

Ég vann einu sinni með manni sem var forfallinn Joy Division aðdáandi. Á þeim tíma fattaði ég ekki alveg hvað var svona æðislegt við hljómsveitina. Ég fatta það ekki enn. Mér finnst þeir frekar leiðinlegir

This was ok. Nothing special or standout here and honestly, mostly forgettable. It was fine to listen to once. 2.5/5

First half is dreary and unispiring but second half saves it. Too happy to listen to music like this. Would have scored higher in the past. Stand out song - Shadowplay

Not a fan!

I get the importance, and Ian’s voice gets better throughout, but I’m not coming back to this one

IT was OK, but got repetitive.

I liked Joy Division after they became New Order. There are only a couple JD songs I ever liked and this album doesn’t contain them. I don’t understand how this is considered a great album. It’s almost like I’m being gaslighted.

Better T-shirt than album. Yeah, I said it.

Roughly as cool as the dudes wearing the t-shirt

This is what the emo kids in South Part listens to, when they hang around and smoke their cigarettes, «longing» for the sweet mercy of death

there wasn't much about this I enjoyed, largely boring and similar sounding songs. Did not need to listen...

Just meh

This is named appropriately because any kind of pleasure from this album is completely unknown. Seriously, why are there so many British Albums on this list? We haven't cared about anything they do since 1776!

I didn’t love his voice.

Joy Division has always been a major head scratcher to me. They are frequently cited as a hugely influential band and listed among many people's must listens. This isn't my first time diving into Joy Division and I still just don't get it. I keep feeling like I'm missing something because their music just ends up so hollow to me. I can't say it's outright bad in any way, but it does little to nothing to resonate with me. I respect that this is an early example of the post-punk movement, but somebody please educate me as to why they are held in such high regard. Until then, they will remain shelved as a band that I find overrated and mostly skippable. 1.76 stars

it was ok

not for me, though some were nice sections of early punk

i don't get it...

“the singer sounds so depressed and moody” well he did kill himself this album suffers from the thing that plagues old classics. it is so referential that it seems boring. it’s inspired too much and luckily we’ve gotten some of the best music due to their influence. not for me, I much prefer new order. but appreciated the time to sit with this

To quote song 2, Day of the Lords, “when will it end”? Kinda wish they would’ve kept this album to themselves so I didn’t have to listen to people impersonating this singing style for the last 8 years. My hatred of this vocal style is personal and due to people attempting to give homage to Joy Division, so I will refrain on giving it a 1 for that. Giving a 2 because the background music is okay. However, if a restaurant played this I would probably walk out mid-bite.

I see a lot of people describing this music as "dark" or "moody". I think you have to show some sort of emotion to be considered moody. I also understand that there is a whole spectrum of emotional tone to art but I really can't imagine anyone describing this as "dark". It's not chipper and poppy, but it ain't dark. The vibe seems more like the absence of a vibe. It's the loneliness of depression. Numbness. Anyway, it was fairly boring but thankfully pretty short,

Oof. This was not enjoyed.

I remember liking this album alot more, never been a huge fan of the droney singing. crazy Joy division turned into New Order who I love

I have listened to Joy Division songs, but never a whole album. I liked this album, but I didn't really hear anything special that would make me listen again.

It was okay