Reviews (page 3 of 13)
Every element of this album is iconic. More of a historical artifact than a collection of music.
Dark, moody, stark. Yes please Perfect summer tunes
I don't think I've ever actually listened to Joy Division... Good Lord it's great. New Dawn Fades is incredible. Shadowplay iconic lyrics. Wilderness bass start is awesome too. It feels like it gets better as it goes somehow? This shit slaps.
Obvious classic, no doubt 5 stars
As I’m under 50, I have no working memory of Britain before Thatcherism. This is what I choose to believe it sounded like.
Ian Curtis's voice makes me Feel Things
A trailblazing album for generations of post-punk acts. Thematically consistent, and oke of a kind (even from Joy Division).
Nostalgic
one of my formative albums
Absolute classic and genre defining album.
I could put Disorder on repeat and listen to it all day. Frenetic to brooding, sparse and dark a true classic.
Dark, Moody. A crazy isolated drum sound. An album cover design I've seen so many times on Tshirts. Just a classic for me. If you're looking for the bridge between punk and Goth, it starts here.
Shocker, but I'll probably describe it the same way most people do. It's dark, it's gloomy, it can be a lot to take in. But it's also fantastic.
ive already relatively hashed out my long fraught relationship with this record several months ago, and its been hard for it to not just grow and grow from there...tho i will say i do feel some intuitive distance from it still, this is still not completely for me, and esp given the fact that i was spinning the much more instantly Part Of Me pornography by the cure yesterday it became very very clear lol...my tastes just run a bit more expressive, baroque, and otherworldly. still, this was the most i enjoyed this record yet, and prob the most thrilled ive been at it song for song...even if some other things are more to my taste its difficult to deny that joy division were just one of the coolest sounding ensembles rock music had seen to that point, and everyone's part feels absolutely pivotal. so textured and imaginative, all-timer bassline record, capable of soundtracking both a dark cavern and a one-person party at a dingy warehouse. reflecting on my own history of being unable to project things into the outside world, and feeling a bit more compassion for my past self, was apparently the thing i needed to do for ian curtis' uncanny cardboardy voice to start making full sense, yk
Listened in the truck via YouTube music. This one never gets old. Peter Hook actually just played at the bandshell but we weren’t able to go. I’d give it a higher rating if I could.
Great album
What awesome post punk record. This is og/proto goth and I love it. I love the lyricism and the bass being used heavily to the point you may find it to be a guitar riff.I
-i’ve listened to this album many times since i first fell in love with it in November and it just keeps getting better augh. incredible atmosphere, incredible musicianship, incredible lyricism -i credit this album with turning me on to post-punk and certain 70s rock sounds. it’s so consistent and good idk it kinda changed my life -Favorites are Disorder, Day of the Lords, She’s Lost Control, Wilderness, and Interzone
This is freaking amazing. Ian Curtis like bob Dylan isn't the greatest singer but the passion in his voice makes it great. The lyrics and stories behind the band and songs like I lost control. Make this a very sad listen. Bonus that this basically paved the way for post punk moving forward. 5*
Loved it.
well
Loved this
Classic Dark shit
Classic.
Was so excited to see the artwork for this to pop up. Instantly recognizable for the cover and automatically hearing the opening chords of Disorder in my head. Layer on Ian’s voice and you have one of the most influential albums ever.
Dark, sombre, and moody New Wave music - I love it. My favourite tracks are the opening track, "Disorder", "New Dawn Fades", and "She's Lost Control".
simplemente magistral.
Let me tell you, listening to "Insight" in an aquarium, watching a thousand jellyfish cycle through the water as the lights changed and they took on different colours was transcendental. When it feels like there's not enough equilibrium in the world, maybe there is. What I mean is, this is perfect theme park music for me. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it.
Love this album
All about those thumping, dark baselines for me accompanied by simple striking melodic guitar work. This album has a hypnotic effect to it. You get kind of lost in it. The macabre and brooding that Ian brings to the table has such depth at times can be visceral. Sad figure where is tragedy on a sleeve, but there’s also a playfulness to a lot of his songs. Though the temple never gets too crazy, this is punk. It’s simple it’s raw and it invokes emotion took me a while to really get Joy Division. I remember being in my practice space with no windows laying on the floor, listening to Kanye West, and when the album ended, this album came on And I immediately started to float. I listen to the whole thing just laying on the floor in complete darkness everything clicked for me. Disorder such a great song, great opener. She lost control pulls you down a black hole. Highly recommend checking out the other Joy Division albums just to get a sense of it. They’re easy listen even if you’re not digging it the consistency throughout all their songs. It’s just amazing. They created such a unique sound. That’s now meant emulated many times over not a huge new order fan definitely some really cool songs ceremony is one of my favorites Originally Joy Division song and the dancing of New Order is excellent, but they always gave me this empty feeling like something was missing obviously it was RIP Ian
Favourite track: the one with the spacey drums, driving melodic bass, guitars like shards of glass, and the one word title that gives virtually nothing away about the lyrics. And She’s Lost Control of course.
Perfect music to have a nervous breakdown to. New Order was great but Ian Curtis may be #2 to Otis in the "taken from us much much too soon" stakes.
Excellent.
I said it in a previous review: Punk music is either a hit or a miss. Some people aren't going to like it, and that's fine. I like this album. It set the tone for me.
pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Once again I ask, do BOTH Joy Division albums need to occupy space on this list? It's their ENTIRE discography. Wouldn't it make more sense to feature one Joy Division and one New Order album? I gives the implication that The Author™ does not respect our limited time. The "Must Listen" imperative just seems cruel at this point. I doubt that it is what Ian Curtis would have wanted. Rant Over. Great album. And to have it appear on World Goth Day was a nice coincidence.
Tight, orderly, dour punk album from a band with a core of warmth and vulnerability. I much prefer this branch of punk to the snotty California pop punk that would come to dominate the genre.
Great 80's synthwave music, good album to jam out to as well. I feel like this album takes you through so many feels too.
I’m still an outsider when it comes to Joy Division overall, but this album has been one I’ve been trying to crack this year and, still, it eludes me. It’s a massive building block of a project for a genre that would become timeless, and it’s a puzzle piece I love fiddling around with in my pocket - running my fingers over the grooves and divots and thinking about how it all fits into the bigger picture, as I hold it in my clenched fist. Monumental.
I already listened Unknown Pleasures from start to finish at least twice last year. It is timeless essential post-punk album, but personally I prefer Closer (1980), which is more intimate and resonating with me. So many depressive bangers on this album though
Before even relistening this is an easy 5 / 5. When I first listened to this album it scratched an itch that I didn't know I had. Love the dark sludgy nature of it and (as I said on the other recent review) the snare punch is so goddamned satisfying. Don't have much in the way of specifics to call out here. Love the epic slogging nature of Day of the Lords and New Dawn Fades. Also love the driving tempo of Interzone and the guitar on Shadowplay. As I said, easy 5 / 5 for me.
One of my favs of all time
The lyrics, the production, the controlled aggression - an absolute classic
Great album
Another classic. The influence it's had on pop culture is hard to deny and basically all alternative music of the past 40 years sounds like it. I think it still holds up well and is fun to listen to. Lots of great songs here and Curtis' delivery along with the almost robotic backbeat works really well. I feel these songs really get better as you listen to them more.
Iconic cover design aside, the is such a phenomenal album. Track after track of sparse, moody post-punk bangers.
Meme record that I never bothered to listen to, but I was very wrong.
Oh cmon. Classic. Post Punk Goth. Interpol has no chance.
Very little out there sounds this good.
This is where post-punk begins
Dark, gothic, and atmospheric! Absolutely perfect ❤️ Also, Ian Curtis' voice is just 🤌🏼 Album rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
* Unknown Pleasures is best appreciated if you occupied the time and place from which it came. I was living in Manchester in 1979. A poverty-stricken, post-industrial, part-wasteland, corrupt, dangerous city, offering a glimpse into a future that felt all too possible as the country slid into class warfare with a few 'haves' and a lot of 'have nots'.
Dark with great lyricism.
Ian Curtis gone way way too soon. This album is perfect.
Amazing riffs in this album, very interesting and dark sounds. Honestly just loved jamming out to it, even though that probably wasn't necessarily the intention
Amo esse pena que o Morrissey é um arrombado.
Classic with no skips.
It's another easy five stars but when they come up, imagine I'm giving New Order fifty as I like them disproportionately more
⭐ Rating: 3.8/5 Well-Groomed Sad Boys in Perfect Harmony It’s clean. It’s charming. It’s not trying to change the world—just trying to get their girlfriend back. And you know what? There’s something comfortingly dramatic about that.
Even if you are not a fan it’s hard to deny its huge impact on the music. The way it sounds , the way it looks and even tastes. I’m not a cult follower but the “New Dawn Fades” takes me somewhere where most of the songs can’t Solid 5
I have heard multiple times that this album is too depressive for some. I used to play in a post punk band for some time and my band mates were even scared to listen to it, saying that they don't want to experience what this album would make them feel. But what would be music without feelings? I believe that it's the ultimate goal. For me this album has been very comforting. In my early 20s when I would be frustrated or something I'd just blast this album to the max. I think there is joy in there, just different type of joy, not the "happy happy" joy. Absolute masterpiece!
I saw Hooky live the other night, he played Disorder, Shadowplay, New Dawn Fades and She's Lost Control, it was bloody ace and despite the many immitators I don't think anyone will capture the same magic that Hannett and Joy Division did here.
An absolute masterpiece
I can’t tell you anything new about this album but if you aber felt the need to wear a black outfit, this is your soundtrack for that. Solid 10/10
This is one of those albums I always felt like I should have listened to, but somehow never did. I wish I’d got round to it sooner.
What an amazing album. Sonically and thematically immaculate and ahead of its time. 10/10
I’ve listened to this album a few times and it always hits me with its dark beauty but when you put it in the context of 1979 (!!!) it’s absolutely remarkable. The Cure doesn’t exist without this. Sludge metal doesn’t. I’m not sure if grunge does either. Neither does half of 90s alternative. Worth listening to and paying attention to every detail.
One of the greatest debut records of all time
There aren't enough stars for this one....
Knew 1-2 songs before, had never listened to it in its entirety. Very good and very sad
shadowplay live was easily one of the most iconic things i’ve witnessed irl
Unmatched atmosphere. Encroaching darkness accompanied by one infectious groove after another.
This album isn't my favorite Joy Division album but it's so obviously great. As time goes on I see more and more people just kinda say it isn't as good as everyone has said it is or that the production is bad or that the songs are bad, etc. It weird to read this backlash from people my age because, I can't picture an album more timeless like this one, I can't imagine another album sounding like this one, way it sounds so cavernous and sort of making the most of how simple it is and how simple their playing is (something they use negative space). When people say "Post-punk" this is it, this is the album that very plainly puts to practice the idea of random idiotic punks like these guys taking the fundamentals of punk and stretching so far away from what The Sex Pistols and The Clash were doing into something that knew how add so much atmosphere and interest to such simple playing and inspired god knows how many people. Like I said, not my favorite of theirs or of this genre, but I still love what it does so much, I can come back to it so comfortably so many times and still have a great time with it, absolute monster of an album.
One of the greatest albums of all time. It is a revolutionary album in the Punk scene really moving to the post-punk/new wave moment. The band is incredible. Hook’s bass lines amazing. Curtis exudes feeling. Perfect on every front.
Áhrifamikil plata. Ótrúleg saga kringum þetta band. Soundið er einstaklega þétt og sérstakt fyrir þennan tíma. Gott plötuár 1979.
FRÁBÆR plata! Flottasta cover allra tíma og gríðarlega mikilvæg plata og hljómsveit. Lögðu grunninn að postpönkinu og höfðu áhrif á það sem á eftir kom allt fram til okkar tíma. Elska þennan hráa og kuldalega hljóðfæraleik og sönginn hans Ian Curtis. Svo eru það textarnir hans. “I’ve been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand. Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?” Angist í hverju orði sem gat ekki annað en orðið honum ofviða.
No puedo creer que este disco sea de los 70s. Es una biblia del género y sigue siendo súper actual a pesar de los casi 50 años que tiene. Masterclass de roles de instrumentos, las líneas de bajo cuasi guitarrezcas y cantables (te amo peter hook), la performance vocal es única, batería acústica casi electrónica por la gated reverb (además del timbre específico de la electrónica). Los noises y sintes, el bajo (de nuevo) ya guitarra intercambiados qué carajo peter hook te amoooo
This is absolutely a milestone in modern music history and culture. I love this album, I've recently gotten more into both Joy Division and New Order and not only recognize the cultural influence and importance, but love the sound of this record.
One of my (if not THE) favorite albums, 110/100 <3
classic t-shirt
I LOVE IT. I've listened to this album quite a bit in the past. Disorder goes so hard it’s unreal. Actually unreal. It’s one of those albums you either “get” if you’re in the right mindset, or else it doesn’t appeal as much. Peter Hook is my favourite bass player along with Simon Gallup from The Cure There’s a reason this album was used as the cover to one of the versions of the 1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die book. And it’s not just because the album cover is so cool (even though it *is* a really cool cover)
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures This was such a HUGE improvement that I had from last time when I had to hear the entirety of Devil Without A Cause by Kid Rock, the difference of quality between that album and Unknown Pleasures is INMENSE. WOW, what an album. Probably the most darkest and yet warmest album I have heard in awhile. Way ahead of its time. It feels nostalgic in a way listening to this album, and how despite it being grim and obscure, still feels human to listen to it. There's fewer albums that were ever made that can make you feel emotions you never had in your life, and this is one of them. That last song was absolutely devastating to hear, it's beautiful. Overall, this is amazing. 1.- Disorder = 9/10 2.- Day of the Lords = 10/10 3.- Candidate = 8/10 4.- Insight = 9/10 5.- New Dawn Fades = 10/10 6.- She's Lost Control = 9/10 7.- Shadowplay = 10/10 8.- Wilderness = 8/10 9.- Interzone = 8/10 10.- I Remember Nothing = 10/10 FINAL SCORE: 9.1/10
Dope
The splendour of bleakness
После 1-4 композиции: Звучание: наисочнейший бас, интересные гитарные риффы, но приглушенный вокал фоном Эмоции: басс+вокал нагоняют много грустных мыслей, особенно о том что я упускаю каждый день. Заставляет задуматься об этом, и хоть и создает боль в сердце, грустное настроение, зато мотивирует использовать все возможности сегодня.
This generator got me on a good day. While I have never sat and listened to Unknown Pleasures, I’ve heard songs here and there. I know this iconic cover. I would not have thought I’d give it a 5 but here we are. I would and will listen to this again. I’m sad we only get one Joy Division album and we have to suffer through multiple New Order albums on this list.
This shit hard. And make me wanna die. But in the best coolest suicidal way. Divine tragedy in one of its most paletable forms.
Overall: 9/10 I listened to this one twice: once in the morning before I went to work and once on my way home. The first time I picked up on the vibes and I knew I'd have to listen to it again when I could really pay attention and soak in a the melancholy. That's exactly what happened on the second listen. This album hits like a brick. Peter Hook plays the bass like he's the only person in the world who matters. The mix of acoustic and electronic drums can give the tracks an eerie vibe. The guitar work is simple yet effective. And then there's Ian Curtis...who's voice I have mixed feelings about. He seems to have graduated from the Lou Reed School for People Who Can't Sing But It's Chill Cause They're Chill. He had a way of showing off his energy and personality with his voice that a lot of classically trained singers can't pull off. I'm rambling a bit but overall, I think this is really great and well worth your time (just be patient with the vocals). Fav Song: Disorder Least Fav Song: Candidate
Masterpiece. One of my favourite albums
The album that launched a dozen bands! Shit is an absolute masterpiece!
My first 5 star on here. Amazing album. Insane imaging. Clearly influential.
11/10 There is nothing closer to perfection than listening to this album while staring at the ceiling. I love this album and it has a permanent spot in my top five of all time. 2-18-2025
One of the greatest of all time. Easiest 5 stars.
Seminal album. Another example of a band with small output and huge impact. Everything about Joy Division fascinates me - from Ian Curtis’s dancing to their evolution into New Order. While this is the only album that JD released in Curtis’s lifetime, I still somehow own eight of their records. Evidence that their fans will buy as many bootlegs, live recordings, and demo albums as they can get their hands on. Absolutely one of the best.
A classic for a reason
6/5
That I had to phone her friend to state my case And say she's lost control again And she showed up all the errors and mistakes And said, "I've lost control again" And she expressed herself in many different ways Until she lost control again And walked upon the edge of no escape And laughed, "I've lost control" OK, so there's a good reason why you see this album cover everywhere. 5/5
Det er så vanvittigt at det her er et debut album lavet af unge knægte i starten af 20erne. Det er standarden alt dyster musik holdes op imod. Verdens bedste plade når man har lyst til at danse og græde samtidig 🖤 Det er ultimativt dyster, deprimerende, cool’t og alligevel så rytmisk opløftende at man som minimum bare må vippe foden og boppe med hovedet. Jeg “opdagede” desværre først pladen alt for sent i mit liv. Eller også er det heldigt, for jeg er ikke sikker på at teenage mig nogensinde var kommet ud fra mit værelse igen hvis han havde det her album.
A stunning album and very influential too, so an easy 5 for me. I love the unique sound they produce, with a dragging tempo adds to the feel of the songs. A great instantly recognisable rhythm section with tight drums (almost like a drum machine) and an aggressive bass which often plays lower than the guitars. Love Ian Curtis (RIP) vocals and contained anger. As good as it gets for late punk/ early new age, whatever box this fits is - just great music.
Pretty perfect
Moody, dark and great to fuck.
Incredible album for my first selection. Original, intense, and dark. Owned and listened to Substance since college but not this iconic album.
This album was and continues to be massively influential in defining the sound of post-punk.
I like to imagine hearing certain albums played live, in the era and place where the album landed, and this is one of them. There's a counterpoint between the sparseness of the production and how full the songs feel that must have been mesmerizing to witness in person.
This is thr first record to come up on my list that I already had in regular rotation.
Omg I listened to this so much in my 20s I can't not love it now. Would be interested to know what a tabula rasa experience with this lp is like. Gotta 10/10, sorry not sorry.
Sure, why not?
Proto Post rocky
There's a film producer called Jon Davison, whose credits include "Starship Troopers," and whenever his name came up at the end of a movie I used to shout JOY DIVISION.
Killer album. I was obsessed with this in high school and college. As I got older, I stopped listening at much but it still holds up super well.
Didn't like them as much as New Order when I was younger. Then I started liking The Doors a lot more. Now I get it.
Post-punk could’ve ended after Joy Division. Doesn’t get better than this.
Weird soundscapes are my thing and this album has a lot of chaotic bits in the background. The music itself has a kind of inconsolable feel to it, a sense of otherness, outsider feeling that younger me would've embraced. This music is born of pain and uncomfortable existence. No wonder goth scene has embraced this darkness for well over 4 decades.
10/10. The story behind Joy Division is fairly depressing. The lyrics are very sad. The mood is sad. However, everything has been constructed in such a fantastic way. When I first listened to this album, I didn't get it. I felt like Joy Division are overrated. However, upon listening to them more, I eventually realized that they are an incredible band! What an awesome band! They paved the way for so many post-punk bands!!! Take my bloody five stars!!! :)
Totally original
This gave some eerie vibes. I was captivated throughout. Great stuff!
Easy 5/5 Favs: New Dawn Fades, Shadowplay, Wilderness
Listened to this with dad. Always saw the t-shirts, never listened to the album. Totally thought they were like a Tame Impala type band— but this is both different from my expectations and fantastic!
Hearing Unknown Pleasures with fresh ears reminds you why it’s considered such an essential work. It captures a moment in late-1970s Britain, a time when punk's energy had begun to fragment and become darker, more introspective sounds began to take root. Yet, this album transcends its era, sounding as fresh and evocative today for me as it must have upon its release. Unknown Pleasures it#s bleak beauty, innovative production, and emotional resonance make it for me at least a true masterpiece of its time, and all time. Martin Hannett’s production work not only elevates the band’s music but also defines the sonic template for much of what post-punk would become. I know some people don't like his production but for me it's almost as much a part of the album as the band is and the lyrics. This is not just an album to hear for it’s an album to experience. The first time I ever heard this was in a car I was about 14 traveling down the mancunian way in manchester, like the perfect setting for this album on a bleak january night, cold, dark, dreary. the car which had been talking since we left home just silenced as my friends brother put this on and it's like we all had this moment in time. by the time we got to where we were going the final notes of 'we remember nothing faded, as if perfectly timed for the journey.Two days later I brought the copy I still have on Vinyl, it's very worn these days but this is where I fell in love with post punk... obviously a 5/5 for me I couldn't rate it any other tbh, as much a part of my life as breathing at this point
Loved it, moody but propulsive, good lyrics and guitar. I can see if this is monotonous to some, very specific sound, but its a genre definer.
Peak cover.
pulsar go pew
Without a doubt one of the most beautiful yet devastating albums ever made.
Fantastic post-punk / new wave album, maybe the best. The magnum opus of Joy Division is diverse, dark and lyrically and musically (close to) perfect.
Lekker donker. De hoes is misschien bekender dan het album zelf, maar dat is onverdiend, want wat een topalbum! 4.7
Perfect :)
classic
Ну штош. Несомненно прекрасный альбом. Как неадекватная фанатка смитс, готовая с фанатизмом проводить аналогии между творчеством своих любимчиков и чего угодно, могу сказать, что мне зашло из-за сходства в звучании. Тем не менее, если у смитс настроение песен неочевидно, пропитано иронией, насмешкой, такое "ЕХХПХРХАХАХ Я ХОЧУ УМЕРЕТЬ", то джой дивижн более последовательны, понятны.
One of the greatest album covers of all time.
One of my favorite albums ever... Dark, sad and painful. Ian Curtis voice is captivating.
A Classic. Pure. Raw. Dark. Beautiful. Poetic. Moving.
Classic. What could have been if Ian Curtis had continued?
Get the edition with live tracks and hear the eerie difference Martin Hannet made - two untimely deaths with this record.
I too was once a grumpy angsty teen who needed something to cry to. I still do.
Perfect ???
Favorite of mine, oc. Kinda ahead of its time. after years of listening to it I seemed to hear a similarity in the voice of Ian Curtis and that of Jim Morrison, am I going crazy? Disorder - 5/5 strong start Day of the lords - 5/5 (personal fav) Candidate - 4.8/5 Insight - 4.8/5 New dawn fades - 5/5 She's lost control - 4.2/5 Shadowplay - 5/5 Wilderness - 4.7 Interzone - 4.9/5 I remember nothing - 4.6/5 4.7/5
I only started listening to this album about a decade ago. I didn't understand what the fuss was about and it took a few listens before I started to get it. This isn't an album I would've liked when I was younger. But know I think it's in the super badass category. I hear a lot of influence on things I've listened to over the years. Peter Hook has some killer basslines. 5 stars all day.
This record opened many doors for me. I had never heard anything so raw and cold and incandescent at the same time. It was and is a fascinating thing to feel, late in the night, in the city or in the country. It's winter music, a soundtrack for an uncanny world, still here not far under the surface of the one I live in now. A brutal beauty in the air.
Amazing album. I never tire of this dark musical journey.
shocking: this album is really good
Embarrassing confession: I had never listened to this album before. So far, probably the most famous album from this list I had never heard. God damn was I missing out. This album is such a perfect bridge of punk, post punk, new wave, and moody 80s alt. That’s like exactly one of my musical personalities. It’s just brilliant and was way ahead of its time. And not only was the record simply fantastic, it was exactly the right record for the headspace I was in when I played it. You can’t really ask for more than that. One of my favorite new-to-me (ashamedly) records on this list so far. 5/5
Yet another of those albums that I knew HAD to be on this list for me take the list seriously but holy good god what a day to drop it in my ears (2024 US presidential election). A bonus five stars for unnerving timing.
Mitico
Atmospheric Post Punk that was almost accidentally created by producer, Martin Hannett. Multiple members of Joy Division went on to say they weren’t happy with the sound of this record. They felt it should be a lot more energetic and driving like their live shows. I think I would love to hear these songs in a live, more energetic setting, but I also love the way this record sounds. It’s dark, bleak and mysterious. Unknown Pleasures is iconic for so many reasons. One being the cover art, but it is also influential to Post-Punk and New Wave which directly inspired so much of the music I grew up loving. Some of the record gets a little repetitive for me, but I also can’t stop playing it. After hearing of Ian Curtis’ tragic story, it makes some of these lyrics hit way harder. It makes the dark aesthetic so much darker. I knew I’d love this, but put off listening to it for so many years. I finally got it on 1001, and now I can’t wait to hear Closer. A loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say.
This is a great album to me, but I wonder what it'd be like going in blind... Oh well. A review isn't about what others think.
Foundational record for gen-X brits. It's all brilliant but side 2, especially, is a run of absolute masterpieces.
The best album debut in the history of music. Simply fantastic. Of course I had heard of Joy Division before, kind of like hearing of a leyend or a myth, but I had not gotten to listen to any of their songs. I went into this album with no expectations, and to my surprise I discovered a whole new world. From the first line of Disorder, I knew that was it, I instantly got carried away into a new dimension. Reviewers here say this is gloomy, moody and depressing, I personally feel this is uplifting instead. There's a beauty in the somberness of its verses and musical composition that it doesn't weigh down on the listener, it rather transcends the thoughtful sadness and transforms it into something beautiful and soul touching.
Some friends tried to turn me on to this album a few years ago and I didn’t think much of it. But after a relisten it was clear why so many people love this band.
This is fantastic, should listen to them more
geðveik
Sometimes you just know something will be good straight away. The drum and bass intro to Disorder did it for me. Uptempo stuff when the guitars and vocals come in. Second track Day of the Lords is much slower, measured, moody building stuff with the bass and guitars interweaving. There's so many great basslines but New Dawn Fades stands out with its rumbling low end and emotional guitars. Brilliant track. She's Lost Control and Shadowplay are of the same quality, what a 3 track run. My only criticism: the drums sound a bit clicky to me. I can forgive it.
This album changed music forever. Some of the most genius basslines ever written. Amazing. Incredible. 5 Stars.
So fucking good at so fucking young.
Nothing I can say. Just great
5/5
What this list is for. Iconic cover, of course, so much so I'm embarrassed I haven't already taken the time to look up and listen to the actual album; I always meant to. Moody, interesting, but some glaring weaknesses in places, especially vocally. I'm finding Unknown Pleasures doesn't speak to me as strongly as the best Cure does. Still, absolutely deserves a spot on this list for historical import and cultural impact. I've got to go full marks for this one.
Perfection. Amazing record.
Such a haunting record. Ian Curtis broods over every track like a man possesed.
Grupo y disco fundamental. Poco hay que añadir, escucharlo y dejarse llevar. Ian Curtis - voces Bernard Sumner - guitarra, teclados Peter Hook - bajo Stephen Morris - batería Producción : Martin Hannett. Diseño: Peter Saville No incluye «Transmission». Otros discos de 1979, el año del "Disco sucks" y también de maravillas como: The Police-Reggatta De Blanc, THE CLASH - London calling, VAN MORRISON - Into the music, NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - Rust never sleeps y Live Rust, AC/DC - Highway to hell, PAUL COLLINS BEAT - The Beat, THE CURE - Three imaginary boys, The Undertones- The Undertones, THE B-52'S - The B-52's, GRAHAM PARKER - Squeezing out sparks, THE KNACK - Get the knack, The wall de Pink Floyd, Armed Forces de Elvis Costello & The Attractions, We Are Family de Sister Sledge, Look Sharp! de Joe Jackson, Spirits Having Flown de Bee Gees, Breakfast in America de Supertramp, Y de The Pop Group, Voulez-Vous de ABBA , Bad Girls de Donna Summer, Lodger de David Bowie, Discovery Electric Light Orchestra, Exposed y Platinum de Mike Oldfield, Fear of Music Talking Heads, Off the Wall de Michael Jackson, Quadrophenia deThe Who, Reggatta de Blanc de The Police, Prince de Prince, Damn the Torpedoes de Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers , One Step Beyond... de Madness, The Specials de The Specials, Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants\" de Stevie Wonder, Metal Box de Public Image Ltd., Risque de Chic, Real to Real Cacophony y Life in a day de Simple Minds
I've seen several films about Joy Division, but all of them included live performances of the band, which were far more energetic and loud. Strangely, I never listened to this album before, assuming it would be similar, but it's clearly a very different beast. This sounds like a darker Fall, also a little like early Bauhaus. There's more goth than punk/ new wave, which immediately hit the right buttons for me. After my first listen I felt like a need for a second listen, having found some tracks clicked first time, but there was too much to take in from a single listen. This reinforced my feeling that this is a definite 5 star album. The production stands out here, as there's a sense of some sort of architectural construction in each track that invokes a feeling of depth. Just as the album cover shows how a two dimensional image can give the effect of being in three dimensions, the production makes you feel like you could place each instrument in a three dimensional space. Strangely, there's also something very "danceable" about this album, even with the bleak vocal delivery and subject matter. If I had heard this album back when it first came out, I would probably have been a devoted fan. In some ways I'm actually glad I only stumbled across this album in 2024, as it's so good, it might have had a blinkering effect on me. Okay, fifth time through, this is incredible! This is something special, one of the best albums I've ever heard. This is obsessive stuff; I need to stop listening to this, it's too good.
One of the most influential albums ever made, and one of my top 50 of all time. Every generation has its Joy Division inspired bands, from The Cure, Interpol, to The Murder Capital. Ironically, the band initially disliked Martin Hannet's production, (I believe the drums were recorded in a toilet for the acoustics) - it was quite visionary for its time, but they eventually did come to appreciate it. Sumner's glorious guitar playing, Hook's melodic bass, and of course Curtis's introspective lyrics and distinctive vocals created a dark and brooding atmosphere. There isn't a bad track. TmFrom the sad minor key of 'Day of the Lords' to the punkier 'Shadowplay'. My personal favourite is 'New Dawn Fades'. the last time I played this album was on a flight to Venice, and I ended up with that track as an ear worm for 5 solid days. It nearly drove me mad.... Its one the best albums by one of the best bands ever. 100% 5 star job
Life changing album, seeing this so lowly rated here is pretty disgusting
Very good album Favourite tracks She’s Lost Control Day Of The Lords Shadowplay Least favourite All great tracks but if I had to choose probably I Remember Nothing
Damn. What an album. I've heard plenty of good things about Unknown Pleasures in the time leading up to me finally listening to this album, and I've gotta say that it did not disappoint. This album is absolutely fascinating. There's a lot that I could say about it. The sound is great. It's bleak, but not entirely unpleasant to listen to. Ian Curtis's vocals are a bit haunting, especially when you take his lyrics and his life story in to account. Speaking of which, the writing is great. It's very deep and personal, and I love it. There's some great songs on here. The opener "Disorder" is pretty good. The back-to-back string of "New Dawn Fades" and "She's Lost Control" is amazing. Even the weaker songs like "Wilderness" are still pretty good. The pacing is perfect. I also really like the album cover. It's neat. I really like this album. It's not my favorite, but I could see it growing on me over time. Still, I can absolutely see why so many people consider this to be a masterpiece. Light 5/5.
One of my top albums of all time. Love it. 5/5
I’ll always slightly prefer Closer, the uglier younger sibling, but this is an amazing debut, and sounds as biting as ever. A-
Brilliant throughout, loved it one of the best albums I've listened to, shadow play probably my favourite track on the album.
Perfectly simple, deliciously complex, and far more heartfelt than anyone ever gives them credit for. I feel I could listen on repeat for days and never tire of a single song.
classic album that is really easy to listen to but also incredibly innovative and creative considering the time that it was made. It's easy to see the influence on a lot punk, indie, pop, and garage music going forward.
This is #day9 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how many times must I have died listening to this record? Joy Division happened to me in 2008, when I was 18. I guess it was tied with that Control movie by Anton Corbijn, The Killers' cover of Shadowplay, which I didn't first know was a cover (I still cherish that Sawdust compilation, btw), and also my then infatuation with Interpol (how come Turn On The Bright Lights isn't on this list?!) Funny how I didn't quite like what I heard when I first turned on Unknown Pleasures. "A 50-year-old tired man struggling to get through the stark darkness of minimal post-punk", my first impression was. But, time went by, and I kept coming back to Unknown Pleasures... Now, have I discovered those pleasures? I'm not sure (actually, I prefer questioning things to finding answers to them, so I don't mind keeping it unknown; isn't that what pleasure is about?) But as I'm writing these words and listening to this album for not even a tenth time in my life, I must admit it has become an essential part of me and my taste in music, rooted in the '80s indie and alternative. I don't get to listen to this album that often, but when I do, it's always a "special moment in time". I think, however, I'll stay in a camp of those (how many of you are out there?) enjoying more of an "in-the-flat-field" type of Joy Division, like "Day Of The Lords," "Candidate," "New Dawn Fades," and "I Remember Nothing." This is a "me-in-my-own-world" music. A solid 5 this time. Looking forward to #day10.
Really liked how stripped back this is. Good mix of styles as well. No real standout songs to me, all were pretty solid. 4.5/5 still not sure if I’ll rate up or down yet.
Own this, good reason to dig out the vinyl. Underplayed.
Love it
Very important. Five stars
One of the post punk/goth great albums of all time!
Excellent!
Il y a des jours, dans ce projet un peu fou des "1001 albums", où l'on tombe sur un disque qu'on connaît par coeur et qu'on a usé jusqu'à la corde. Et puis, il y a des jours où l'on tombe sur "Unknown Pleasures". Et là, ce n'est plus tout à fait la même chose. On ne se contente pas de l'écouter. On se recueille. Parler de ce disque, c'est comme essayer de décrire le vide de l'espace en ne regardant qu'une seule étoile. C'est une tâche vouée à l'échec, mais bordel, il faut bien essayer. Commençons par le commencement, par ce qui est devenu une icône pop, un putain de t-shirt que des ados portent sans même savoir ce que c'est : la pochette. Ce graphique blanc sur fond noir, oeuvre de Peter Saville, représentant les ondes d'un pulsar. Jamais une image n'a aussi parfaitement incarné le son qu'elle contenait. C'est froid, clinique, mathématique, et pourtant ça hurle une angoisse cosmique. C'est un électrocardiogramme de l'âme à l'instant précis où elle décide de tout lâcher. Rien que pour ça, on sait qu'on ne va pas écouter un disque pour faire la vaisselle. En 1979, le punk a déjà balancé son glaviot à la face du monde et commence à se regarder le nombril. L'Angleterre de Thatcher pointe le bout de son nez, grise, industrielle et sans espoir. Et du côté de Manchester, ce trou du cul du monde ravagé par la crise, quatre types vont ériger une cathédrale de béton et de verre brisé. La première mandale, c'est le son. Oubliez tout ce que vous savez sur le rock. Martin Hannett, le producteur, n'a pas enregistré un groupe, il a sculpté un espace sonore. Chaque instrument est isolé, baigné dans une réverbération glaciale, comme s'ils jouaient chacun dans une pièce différente d'un hangar désaffecté. La batterie de Stephen Morris n'est pas un battement de coeur, c'est une horloge implacable, le tic-tac d'une bombe à retardement. La guitare de Bernard Sumner, ce ne sont pas des riffs, ce sont des éclats de verre, des lames de rasoir qui déchirent le silence. Et puis, il y a cette basse. La basse de Peter Hook. Mon Dieu, cette basse. Elle ne soutient pas, elle mène la danse macabre. Haut perchée, mélodique, obsédante. C'est elle, la véritable voix du désespoir, le chant funèbre qui court tout le long de l'album. C'est la première chose que l'on entend, et la dernière que l'on oublie. Par-dessus tout ça, il y a Ian Curtis. On ne peut pas parler de Joy Division sans parler de lui. Sa voix, ce n'est pas du chant, c'est une incantation. Un baryton d'outre-tombe qui ne cherche pas à séduire, mais à témoigner. Il y a une distance, une froideur clinique dans sa façon de poser les mots, comme s'il était déjà ailleurs, un observateur de sa propre déchéance. Les textes sont à l'avenant : l'aliénation, la maladie, la mort, l'impossibilité de communiquer. "I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand". On sait très bien de quel guide il parle, et ça vous glace le sang. Cet album est une autopsie à coeur ouvert. Il n'y a pas de single évident, pas de refrain pour chanter en choeur dans un stade. "Disorder", "She's Lost Control", "Shadowplay"... Chaque titre est un clou de plus sur le cercueil. C'est une musique qui ne vous prend pas par la main, elle vous pousse dans le dos au bord du précipice et vous regarde tomber. C'est lent, lourd, et pourtant ça vous donne une envie irrépressible de bouger, de danser comme un épileptique sous stroboscope, ce qui, connaissant l'histoire de Curtis, prend une dimension terriblement prophétique. Le mythe, bien sûr, a été scellé par la tragédie. C'est le seul et unique album sorti de son vivant. Un an plus tard, il se pendait dans sa cuisine. À partir de cet instant, "Unknown Pleasures" n'était plus un disque, c'était un testament. Une chronique annoncée de sa propre mort. Et ça, ça change tout. Chaque écoute devient une quête d'indices, chaque parole une clé pour comprendre l'incompréhensible. Cet album est passé de mains en mains et des générations de jeunes se l'ont procuré. D'abord les goths des années 80, pour qui c'était la bible. Puis les fans de cold wave, puis les indie kids des années 90 qui découvraient que Nirvana n'avait rien inventé. Presque 50 après, "Unknown Pleasures" n'a pas vieilli. Et d'ailleurs, il ne le pourrait pas car il est né vieux, hors du temps, comme un bloc de granit. Il n'a rien à voir avec son époque, et c'est pour ça qu'il parle à toutes les époques. Il ne cherche pas à plaire, il EST. Ce n'est pas un disque qu'on "aime". C'est un disque qu'on subit, qu'on endure, et qui, au final, vous marque au fer rouge. C'est une expérience nécessaire. Un chef-d'oeuvre absolu, froid et intransigeant. Le genre de disque qui vous fait dire que, décidément, la musique peut aller bien plus loin que le simple divertissement. Un 5/5 et cela semble presque insuffisant. On devrait d'ailleurs inventer une note spéciale pour ce genre de monument. Son successeur posthume, "Closer", est également dans la liste. Une autre messe noire nous attend. J'ai hâte, et en même temps, j'appréhende. C'est ça, la force de Joy Division.
This was probably ground zero for Goth Rock. One of the most disconcerting albums in rock history. But still a timeless classic!
I mean come on
Nerds! <3
One of the greatest albums ever made. Hannett’s production and Curtis’ lyrics and amazing and capture the edgy, raw feelings of a city on the cusp of decline and rebirth.
This album is a vibe and it is good. I really enjoyed this and it holds up pretty well for an album that's almost 50 years old. Moody, awesome bass grooves, and fun to listen to. The songs are mostly similar, but it works foe this album. Day of the Lords is my favorite, but it's all good.
I don't any other album like this
anyone who hasnt heard this before definitely needs to. 5/5
Rating: 9.5/10 Amazing album, one of the best debuts of all time. The atmosphere on this album is very unique, simultaneously haunting and melodic. It is impressive how dark this is lyrically (and at times instrumentally) while still being so catchy. The bass takes the lead on almost the whole album and the bass lines are incredible. The drums and guitar perfectly match the mood for the entire album, bringing the whole thing together. Favorite songs: pretty much all of them. Least favorite song: Candidate.
Not as good as closer
Сейчас будет тут сочинение. Сложно разобрать, откуда и в какой момент я узнала про жой девижен, ведь именно эта группа в большей степени повлияла на моё дальнейшее изучение музыки, в частности поц панка. Данный альбом я знаю наизусть, до каждой строчки спетой Кёртисом, до каждой струны или ноты, зажатой Бернардом Самнером. Абсолют 5/5.
Dark, moody, indie, layered, really amazing Listened on a Saturday morning on the couch with the sun coming in
What is there to say. One of the best albums ever.
żałuję że nie poznałem tego wcześniej
"Unknown Pleasures" might not be the first gothic album, but it definitely hit the right spot. Ian Curtis, his persona and voice tone, and the somber rhythm section are one of a kind. I am saying this knowing that many imitators have plagued the post-punk scene since - some of them worth listening to, others not so much. When the cover of your album is pressed below the epidermis of thousands of fans, you know that you made history. This album is a masterpiece. It delivers a sad yet delightful experience, like an avant-garde movie, let's say Eraserhead.
This is one of the truly great post-punk albums. The songwriting is excellent and the production by Martin Hannett exceptional (though the band weren't so keen). I love every track on this album.
The industrial sound, the Gothic rock music and the eerie vocals, really make this album special. Dark lyrics and heavy bass create a sense of tension while making you dance to the beat. It's an eccentric mix, but it sounds great!
Oh yeah, this is a great album. Fun fact is my better half offered it to me mostly because of the cover (it's adapted from the very first detection of a pulsar, in '67, by Jocelyn Bell Burnell -- yeah, we're nerds). I vaguely knew them, and felt in love with their cold and yet dancing music. I love how overwhelming the bass sound is. Songs as New Dawn Fades are close to perfection.
A forever favorite.
Amazing
Brilliant album through and through. Sets a high water mark for a tone of punk that only had been tangentially explored.
This has been one of my favorite albums of all time for years. Completely changed my music taste in 2019. Disorder, day of the lords, insight, new dawn fades, she's lost control, shadowplay, and interzone are my favorites on here. A highly innovate, influential, impeccable sounding, dark, masterfully written work of art.
My discovery of Joy Division was a coincidence that came by way of two different bands, and came way too late in my life. There's a song I used to hear on the local alt station when I was young called "Let's Dance to Joy Division" by The Wombats. I liked it but never stopped to ask "what the fuck's a Joy Division?" About a decade later in 2020, Third Eye Blind, who I discovered on the same radio station, released a song called "Disorder", and I LOVED it. I put it on all the playlists I made that year. I kid you not, I listened to that song for a whole year without knowing it was a cover. Then one Monday in 2021, I booted up Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist and heard a familiar bassline. "There's a WHOLE BAND with more music like this?" "This band is what the Wombats have been talking about??" I listened to this album and loved every melancholic minute of it.
Wonderful and influential post-punk album. Melodic, memorable, but simple bass lines help drive the sound while Ian Curtis does his depressed, almost monotone singing type thing over it all - which makes it all the more exciting when he really gets into it. Guitar sound is often grinding and grating and serves an interesting counter to the melodic basslines. Touches on sounds that resemble gothic and industrial rock. Brooding sound. Iconic album cover.
I have a special relationship with Joy Division. I never am able to place it exactly. But of all the bands and music and styles I love and like and listen to, few particular bands or musicians affect me quite the same as Joy Division. I feel the music more than groove with it. There are only a small handful of bands that affect me like this: where I have to kind of stop what I am doing and just feel the vibe. It is like reading a good book or poem or viewing special art, and for a moment the world kind of stops and you just exist with this connection with the artist(s). There are individual songs that do this, but rarely a band, or album that does. But here it is.
Classic. Makes me want to get day-drunk in a hipster bar.
Grate post punk album, summing up the dourness of late 1970s Britain
The best band making one of the best albums
Amazing and succinct masterpiece
Iconic.
Closer is Better
A masterpiece from one of the greatest bands of all time.
"Unknown Pleasues" is the debut studio album by English rock band Joy Division. Post-punk, gothic rock and new wave. Yes and some defining songs in those genres. The album was recorded in three successive weekends at Stockport's Strawberry Studios. It was produced by Martin Hannett who contributed a number of unconventional recording techniques including digital delays, tape echo and bounce and various random sounds (i.e. glass breaking). The album received wide-spread critical acclaim with many naming it one of the best debut albums of all time. The tom-tom drums and melodic bass open "Disorder." That guitar enters and we're rockin.' Ian Curtis' deep voice is perfect as he sings about: Someone trapped? Epilepsy (Curtis has)? Suicide? The song ramps up to the end. Just brilliant. "New Dawn Fades" is slower with the drums pounding. Peter Hook's descending bass line. Bernard Sumner guitar sound has a Black Sabbath edge to it. It's about a break-up and something bad after that. "She's Lost Control" begins the second side with a banging cowbell or some percussion. An echoing PiL-esque guitar and various noises overlayed. Curtis sounds like he's describing an epileptic seizure. The deep bass and rockin' guitar highlight "Shadowplay." Alienation and helplessness. This is very goth. The album closes with "I Remember Nothing." It's stark. There's bottles breaking. A crawling, eerie guitar and bass. Now, we're very post-punk. It appropriately ends with a swirling noise and something falling. This is dark and atmospheric. Ian Curtis' deep voice is commanding as he describes hopelessness, epileptic seizures, break-ups, suicide and giving up. The production is great with the weird noises adding to the atmosphere. The guitar, bass and drums are all crucial and heard clearly. An iconic album vover. As mentioned earlier, defining songs in goth and post-punk. This is a fantastic album and still sounds great today.
Legendary album in the genre of post-punk/gothic, like nothing that came before it really. The opener 'Disorder' might be one of my favourite songs of all time, the way that bass line moves along with the twangy guitar riff, it's perfect. Then you've got ones like 'New Dawn Fades' and 'Day of the Lords' that are just so eerie and haunting. There's just a consistently dark atmosphere around this album that makes it feel like a full experience. 5/5 classic every day of the year.
I listen to a lot of post-punk and new wave, and it's impossible to do so without respecting the king. This album is just so hugely influential, but also incredible just as an album. Plus the cover is simply iconic.
One of my favorite albums. Easy 5/5 for me.
often find myself forgetting just how good this record is. truly a phenomenal achievement in music. when i was younger i had an unknown pleasures t shirt but to ensure everyone knew i was cooler than them i got one with the colours inverted. once got into a heated discussion with a housemate when it transpired at pres that we were both planning on wearing our unknown pleasures t shirts for a night out. one of us had to change, and in the end i relented. anyway, perfect album, 5/5, favourite songs: day of the lords, interzone.
This album is mind-blowing, the sounds they imagined into reality out of the ethers, at that specific moment in history, nothing ever sounded like this before. And I love it. It's so harsh and soul barren... Everyone knows the story... 5 stars.
Perfect. And it's true, Love will tear us apart. Ian Curtis was not the greatest singer but he was his own deal. I always wonder what if..
Can say this sounds better on vinyl. I find there sound to be subdued yet solid and electrifying. The aesthetic feels authentically dark but as I have said the riffs and grooves carry an energy.
I've listened to this album a whole lot of times and I love it. In terms of precursors to music I love, I think it holds up well on its own. I may quibble with the length and pace of some of the tracks, but that drops it to a 4.5 which just gets rounded back up.
If I don't give this five stars a goth in Demonia platform boots will show up at my house and take all of my black clothes and I will have to wear the joggers I accidentally dyed Pink instead of vampire wine red and my lime green novelty UFO Museum t-shirt
En af mine all time favorites!
one of the most influential albums on goth culture as a modern stance,it’s prevalent among new wave 80s gothic music fans as a statement and stepping stone into the genre that is gothic culture and music,undoubtedly inspired many people and many artists on a branch of music
Iconic cover. I pretty much ignored this band until I saw the film Control (2007) recently. Very cool stylish and atmospheric. And yet tragic which overlays a bit of gloom over this potentially very cool stylish and moody album. At times it can sound bleak but perhaps I. A cinematic way. Not a band which I would have wanted to listen to heaps as a teen, but it has its moments and. I confess I am a very late comer in appreciating the artistry, as I am an 80s child and their posters and t-shirts were everywhere and well know by my music buying comrades at school who knew what cool was (better than I) but hey, they didn't have streaming and this was getting much airplay in the pop charts. I am going to give it a 5 as it was important and influential and marked a time so well. It's an album that means a lot to people and a time and for people who wore a lot black and I can't deny the polished and to me ears anyway, unique and beautifully ominous atmospheric sound. There are detractors - and usually is be with them when it comes to depressing British music and their ability to remind us of rain and fog and bad food, but this, well, it's different enough to out in the pile of 'yeah this is really special to listen to'.... But you DO have to be in the right mood for it not to tear your heart out and suck the dopamine from your meninges.....( But bleak *can* be entertaining - and propulsive bottom beats of the drum kit works well as a cool accompaniment to pensive / hard work in a rainy day today). Putting this on the "yes" pile.
Great stuff, sounds like an early Depeche Mode
My college roommate, a noise music enthusiast, electric guitarist and hardcore vegan use to listen to this album. I appreciated that at that age he knew it wasn't everybody's cup of tea. He never pushed it on me. However I use to listen to Control and New Dawn Fades. The intro to those songs still capture my ears years later. It is now at a much older age and having learned to play guitar that I think I understand why he was such a big fan. It's a sonic landscape that he escaped onto.
Favorite track: Disorder
Riktigt bra med en cool vibe. Lyssna nu i fel tillfälle men har lyssnat förut och sparat hela. Nice mörk goth känsla.
This is one of the rare examples of an album where the first time I listened listened to it I was blown away. Every song has so much atmosphere. This is also one of my favorite albums production wise as well. It is crazy this came out in 1979, everything on this holds up so well. The bass is great and is the backbone holding this album together. The drums have this really unique sound, especially when it mixes in the electronic drums. The guitar has a some really great tones, but it is also very minimal and let's everything breath. Ian Curtis does have an acquired voice (personally I think it fits the album) bit he writes really great depressing moody lyrics. I love this album, I remember nothing is easy my favorite song, I love how dark it is. I recommend anyone who likes this album to buy the vinyl, it is a really good pressing. Almost forget to mention that this is one of the greatest album covers of all time
I had this album in High School love it then and still love it now.
banger
Beautiful album
This album is rad! I don't know that I ever would have listened to it on my own but I did really like it
One of the greatest and most iconic of post punk albums, Unknown Pleasures is timeless, a pleasure known well in the music world.
I have to admit that this is the first full listen to this record. I'm sure that in my youth I did hear these songs, as my friends and I would spend time in punk and goth clubs. This is exactly the type of music that I listened to in the early and mid-eighties. I love the dark and moody atmosphere with the hypnotic rhythms and chanting vocals. That being said there are a few tracks on this record that I don't really like and can be somewhat repetitive, but they will deserve another listen. It is a shame this band was so short-lived. This is another example of a record that this list has brought my attention to.
iconic. amazing album front to back 10/10
We’re really on a hell of a run right now. Another fantastic album (with another fantastic cover), just sounds so cool with the bass and the weirdly distant vocals 10/10
it's my boys again! forgot how industrial this one is compared to 'closer'. anyway five stars
awe shit 2 back to back 5 star albums!!! Something so dark and gothic about this album that is so hypnotic. 5 Stars
An ex of mine really liked this album, she was not a nice person. That being said I really enjoyed this. This whole album was just a mood and I was here for it. Definitely one to listen to in the dark with a good bit of bottom end - definitely need to stop listening to these albums in the car, my car speakers have no bottom end and I lose so much of the tracks. No idea why this album was so enjoyable but it was. Every track felt individual enough but they all followed a theme. That's what I want from my albums. Lasers on Insight was cool, I liked that. Definitely get a spacy vibe from this album. Opening of Shadowplay gave me I Wanna Be Adored vibes which I'm always happy with.
Peter Hook's bass is amazing. This album is wonderful, in all its misery.
Großartiger Klassiker.
Un album emblématique dont on ne se lasse pas
I feel sad.
It is impossible to quantify the value of this record. You could go song by song, listing dozens of bands that had their entire catalogs inspired just by that one song. “Where will it end?”, indeed. The older I get, the more I appreciate this one.
I simply cannot imagine a world where these beautifully bleak pleasures are unknown to me.
Wonderful energy. Also love the dark spaces left in the notes.
I love this album because I too, am waiting for a guy to come and take me by the hand, make me feel the pleasures of another man
Arguably the best album ever.
Deze was al wel known, maar blijft een pleasure.
Now this is more like it. The guitars absolutely rip, deep and grungy, I can imagine screaming along live in true "no one understands me" fashion. I've actually never listened to this album before, and honestly shocked to find out it was from the 70s, and British? The guitars and bass really have the perfect tone, I feel them deep in my bones. Top songs: Disorder, day of the lords**, insight, new dawn fades, she's lost control, shadowplay, interzone
Often imitated, but rarely replicated, Joy Division captured lightning in a bottle in their brief musical stint. For any other act, this raw sound might come across as amateurish, but on Unknown Pleasures Joy Division employs it deftly and to great emotive effect. Curtis’s haunting voice, booming bass lines, guitar riffs shrieking with reverb, and drum beats whose snare hits cut through the songs like the crack of a whip, all serve as the perfect vehicle to deliver the emotions of the album. It is gloomy, dark, and atmospheric, but does not overstay its welcome with a runtime of just 39 minutes. I understand why it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, Unknown Pleasures just works. 5 Fav Songs: Disorder, She’s Lost Control, Shadowplay, Interzone
Haunting, urgent and totally unique. One of the best punk/post-punk debuts ever.
A classic. No wonder the cover has become a staple on T-shirts and other merchandise. Simple, understated punk-inspired riffs and basslines, with Curtis's droning and dissonant vocals layered over the top. Unfortunately this was not the first time I've heard this album, so I didn't have the enviable experience of hearing it for the first time. Fantastic from start to finish.
Look, it's just a 5 isn't it? Fire this up and transport yourself back to your / my tormented teenage angst years. Now, excuse me whilst I go and sit in the dark in my bedroom with some Southern Comfort and New Dawn Fades on repeat.
Joy Division are a funny band, aren't they? They seem to have a weird fan base (i.e. phoney baloney posers). I'm willing to bet that more people own a Joy Division t-shirt than any of their albums. I remember downloading both of them on Napster while at university, and being really confused that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" wasn't on either. Joy Division have featured on mix CDs ever since. This album is fucking brilliant. As soon as the bass line hits in "Disorder", you know you're in for a treat. Not every song is perfect, but they all sound great. Amazing rock. "Dead Souls" was on the re-released version of "Unknown Pleasures" that I listened to. It's a top notch banger; what a tune! In fact, the NIN cover that featured on "The Crow" soundtrack (what a compilation!) is what originally got me into Joy Division. I don't own a Joy Division CD or t-shirt, but I might invest in both. 👍👍
This album is a vibe. And it’s a bad vibe. But it a good way! It’s a brilliant sad album made by a brilliant sad artist with a great band. The bass work on Disorder is outstanding. A great song that probably influenced thousands of songs after it. Day of the Lords is DARK. On Insight, Curtis sings “Guess your dreams always end, they don’t rise up, just descend. I don’t care anymore, I’ve lost the will to want more.” That’s just about as depressing a lyric as you can think of, and it’s obvious Ian meant these tragic words.
I go back and forth on how much I actually enjoy this album, but there are always some moments when I hear it, where it just clicks why this was so groundbreaking and why people still love it today.
Post-Punk masterpiece! 9/10
Incredible album… lots of variety! A couple songs are the most rock n roll songs ever!
More like 6 or 7 stars
Disturbing. Scary. Gloomy. Depressing. Unique. It's beautiful that an album can evoke such feelings. I suggest changing the name of the band to Joy Subtraction. 5-
That abstract way of expressing sadness in post-punk lyrics is something that appeals to me. I could not be indifferent to words packed with that kind of music.
It's not my favorite but it does sound ahead of its time.
I wasn't familiar with Joy Division before this, but I had seen the album cover before. This is a really sad story honestly, the lead singer had a lot of health issues and committed suicide right before their first North American tour. The rest of the band later regrouped as New Order (which was the third album I listened to on this). I wasn't really a fan of the New Order album I listened to so my expectations weren't super high, but this was awesome. It's dark and moody and has this like feeling of desperation underneath it. I'm not totally convinced that Ian Curtis is a great singer, but his delivery just feels super emotional. This is one that I liked on first listen and it's growing on me even more as I've re-listened to it a bit too. "Disorder" is worth mentioning too, it's just such a strong opener. The bass is so unique but so freaking catchy. Great stuff all around here. Favorite song: Disorder Other: Day of the Lords, Candidate, Insight, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Interzone, I Remember Nothing 2/19/24
Znakomite, czuć depresyjny klimat Manchesteru. 5/5
A really must hear album
This is one of my definitive childhood albums. As a baby my dad played this for me and I have heard stories of how I always would giggle at Ian’s vocals. I blame this album for my cynical views and gloomy outlook of the world. This album heavily shaped my interpretation of music and how I view it. This is the best musical documentation of depression and how it alters your state of being. Ian was a troubled man who did not win the battle of his troubles. You can hear this in his music. Did not need to listen to this one as I know each song but did so anyway. Whoever runs the Joy Division Youtube account and created those Reimagined music videos for this album should be shot. What disgraceful, unimaginative, garbage those videos are, holy shit. Those videos are made by people who bought Joy Division shirts thinking they are cool not knowing anything about the band or the context of their music. 10/10
Amazing, love this album already 💗
Oh I very much like 5 songs from this album but the others are not bops of my taste. More importantly what’s up with the official reimagined videos for this album. No offense to the director(s) but what merde. Still a classic album of great importance to my heart.
Very dark and brooding, right up my alley so far. Love the synth sounds. Favorite songs: Day of the Lords, She’s Lost Control.
Buenísimooooo
One of the great albums of all time. Go see Peter Hook while you can.
Feel silly for not listening to this before. No better album for a bad time.
So dark, so depressing. So good
Great album
I don't know why they chose to record an all time great bass line on Disorder with an amp that flubs out on the low notes. There's some live versions that have a better bass sound. There's bass tracks on this very album with a sound that'd work great. Still, great great song. Absolutely love the guitar sound. Not many bands can have a completely different on-record & live sound and have both be very cool. The cold & distant studio production sounds great, so does the frantic mess of live Joy Division. I think every time I hear I Remember Nothing I'll think of the 'Ian Curtis rides a rollercoaster' video. wheeeeeeeeeee. It's hard to overstate how important this one is for its "You have permission to take yourself seriously." vibe, historically important but also just embedded in the sound. Of course some groups tried to use sonic aspects directly, but it's more a vision statement: look around, find which of your own experiences speak to you, warts & all, and the result might be amazing. Maybe it'll be offputting - just go with it. Love it. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)
fucking AWESOME! new dawn fades, day of the lords, shadowplay, interzone, disorder, she's lost control ALL BANGERS 4.5/5
Dark, Gruesome, intense. As far as debut albums go, nothing comes close.
Masterpiece
Feels like a bake off week 1 Paul Hollywood handshake but screw precedent
A great record with a lot of cool tracks. I haven’t listened to it in years I guess so I really enjoyed it
Great album that I could listen all the way through more than once. Experimental and truly has its own sound.
skate 3
4.7
you know what.......
Emotional, New-wave-y. Melancholic. Mood. LOVE this album and LOVE Joy Division!
love it!
Very good
For some reason, Ian Curtis' voice reminds me of a less-pretentious Jim Morrison. Luckily I like The Doors. The atmosphere on this record is one of my favorite points, conveying this bleak, depressed feeling throughout, even on the livelier tracks. I don't particularly know what else to say, it's a landmark album that inspired a generation for a reason. Favorite tracks: "Day Of the Lords", "New Dawn Fades", "I Remember Nothing"
Yet again Joy Division delivers on immaculate vibes. Definitely not fot everyone but if you like what this genre is selling you can't do much better than this album. Its dreary, cool, but bubbling with a lot of emotion underneath. I'd give it 6 if I could.
I dunno why I've never listened to this one before. This is a 5 for me, love the tone throughout the album. Will I listen to again: 100%
Joy Division's first and greatest album marks a turn in the history of not only punk and post-punk, but music in general. This album in a way invented goth-rock and turned post-punk in the way that it first explored depth, timber and atmosphere combined with the rawness of punk-rock, maybe a bit cleaner. This is incredible through and through. Highlights are pretty much every song. Rating: I am feeling a light 10!
There's nothing complicated or difficult here in terms of musicianship or composition, yet it's absolutely original and genre-defining. Punk slowed down until it becomes atmosphere, a gloomy spacious and echoey void they fill in with a sparse reverby snare, stabbed dischordant guitar chords, searching lead lines, ominous bass riffs, and miserable melody. The sound of a haunted and grim post-industrial winter. Primal, despairing, perfect.
Unknown Pleasures stands as a timeless masterpiece, seamlessly weaving post-punk, new wave, and industrial influences into a sonic tapestry. Its emotive and introspective lyrics resonate, accompanied by hauntingly honest and stunning artwork. The album's beautiful production serves as a post-punk blueprint, solidifying its place as an influential and enduring work of art. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 6 STAND OUT TRACK - Disorder
Punk is probably my favorite genre of rock, and I'm happy to know I can bob my head to one of the punk classics.
Depressing.
Went through a phase of listening to Joy Division in 2005-2007. Excellent album.
Moody
When I first learned of the 1001 albums book, this was one of the first albums I bought solely because it was on the list. I remember listening to it for the first time, and being completely blown away that something like this had been recorded in the late seventies. I fell in love with this album from that first time I experienced it, and I've listened to it again several times over the last fifteen years or so. Every song on this album is its own unique journey into lyrical darkness. From that first whooshing on "Disorder" through the last clanging on "I Remember Nothing," Ian Curtis takes you through his feelings of withdrawal, isolation, and general disillusionment with life. Musically, this album matches Curtis's words perfectly. The guitar is clanging, the bass is brooding, the keyboard is haunting, and the pacing of the drums adds to the general unease and dark tone. When I think of post punk music, this is always the first album that comes to mind. The influence of this album spread through the late seventies and early eighties, and its ripple effects can even be felt this century, through bands like Interpol, Chvrches, and Crystal Castles. I think my favorite aspect of this album is how it flirts with contradictions: it's dissonant yet harmonious, enormous but intimate, and its ugly lyrics are sung beautifully. I love this album, and it was such a treat to listen to it today. I think it's one of the best albums ever recorded, and it's a massive piece of rock history.
Arguably the most artistic and revealing post punk has gotten
Like this, can see why so many like it.
Fantastic album and now a classic. Very raw early days of the JD/NO era but powerful, anarchic and soulful. Top, top album