Unknown Pleasures

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

This was a surprising treat. Reminded me of the Doors and I love the Doors. Good music, and lyrics that say something.

One of the most iconic albums, and covers, of all time. The blueprint of post-punk to come, and when the list of bands you've influenced include U2 and The Cure, you know you've hit it big.

The shape of post-punk to come.

A stone cold classic at the birth of the Manchester sound and New Order.

Una joya de disco Me gustó todo

a clasic

Yep, that's pretty much how it feels. It hurts, but there's so much beauty in it too.

Great start I've listened to this album before. It's great!

Nothing I write about this album is going to be cohesive so here goes: Ian Curtis and dancing - darkly interesting. A favorite album of a close and deceased friend I feared listening to this and hating it. This album grew on me over time. This album seems like a dark veil that I want to remove but I'm afraid of what hides behind it. This album is like walking in quicksand and the deeper you sink, the less you panic and accept what lies beneath JD and New order are like night and day where New Order is a terrible sound (except for Ceremony and Age of Consent) and JD is darkly original. Artwork on this is a classic I'd much prefer this to punk or any New Wave Highlights: Shadowplay, Day of the Lords, Disorder Lowlights: Nothing. Unless you count the depression that comes along with it.

Cracking from start to finish. Phased me that Atmosphere is included in the playlist and jolted me out of my listening, but great always.

Yep

Star ratings suck

I wish I could have seen them play a live show

One of the most iconic album covers of all time. Can't go wrong with this one, will be hard to not give it a perfect score. Love the variability of the emptiness that each instrument uses; there is always sound to listen to, but the back-and-forth between each part of the music makes it very interesting to pay attention to. The music videos paired with these songs are very 80's but in the good way; feel very fitting to the music being portrayed. Hard to believe this was made in 1979, has an extremely modern feel even by today's competitive standards. The number of other bands that this album influenced must be uncountable, it is so familiar. Wow, the last song, 'I Remember Nothing' is AMAZING. Sounds extremely similar to Swans. Loved it. Great album, nothing else to say.

Absolutely amazing album. One of my all time favorites. 5 stars easily.

Heard many times. Truly a classic. Aged very well. Dark, danceable and genre creating. Ahead of it's time really. This reminds me of the Velvet Underground where a band proved all you need is good core songs and interesting instrumentation and you can define a unique sound. This on top of the fact that these guys had better chops than the velvet underground IMO. Ian curtis's very unique vocality. The reverbed/washed out instrumentation. Upon relistening, I found deeper cuts like "Insights" weird synth passages or "She's Lost Control" ear worm bass line more compelling on top of what I think are the better know songs such as "Disorder" which is one of my favorite opening tracks of any album or "New Dawn Fades" rocking guitar passages. The album really is the cover. A straight grid of white lines that turn into mountains. In the sense that you recognize all that went into this album in term so instrumentation and style but the way it's done makes the songs gargantuan in comparison to other acts still to this day.

Insane album. First 5/5

made me wanna smoke a cigarette and call the 4 corners

ian curtis i get you...

seminal work for the goth girls and i get it! somehow, existential dread feels good in a place like this!

i will not listen to slander

reminded me of my goth club days

First note....so many current bands attempting this same sound today. And failing. The Depeche Mode/Joy Division for me, has been settled. Joy division all the way. Added 6 of 10 tracks to 1001 Playlist. Could've been more.....

Loved it. Totally awesome album. The percussion was complimentary to the whole album.

Heard before: Yes Favourites: Disorder, New dawn fades, she's lost control Great stuff. Dark sound but dancey at the same time. Guitar and bass riffs so good and drums are unique.

Un grand classique, très efficace, du post-punk glacé et sophistiqué comme une dépression à Manchester, 5/5

Ah ben c'était top. Fait partie comme d'autres de cette liste d'albums que j'ai dû écouter littéralement plusieurs centaines de fois, mais à raison. C'est super de bout en bout, c'est dark et gloomy comme Manchester dans les années 1980, et pour autant ça reste de la très bonne musique. 5/5, et sans surprise ça sera pareil pour le deuxième s'il est bien sur cette liste (y'a intérêt)

Classic. One of the best Joy Division albums.

This is dark. This is beautiful gloom laced with an ounce hope. I have plenty of favorite moments on this fantastic record. My one and only issue is sequencing on side 1. I've seen the movies and documentaries suggesting it was all experimental production at Factory Records in the late 70's, etc - and for the most part it captures a feeling very well. Disorder - a great opener. You can feel the darkness, but see light in the distance - then you get slapped in the face with: Day Of The Lords - Too gloomy for a track 2 in my opinion. You've hooked the listener with a great opener and pull the rug right out from under them with this slow doom number. And then you have Candidate - talk about darkness. Light is no longer in the room and the chains are getting wrapped around your wrists at this point. All hope is lost. Insight - which I think would have benefitted the album at track 2 (only my opinion) It's a great step into the darkness, while light is still in the room - but you can feel it fading during the course of this song. New Dawn Fades - a perfect side 1 ender. Slow and interesting guitar chords underneath (actually on top of) typical and gloomy vocal delivery. Side 2 She's Lost Control - probably Joy Division's best song. hollow, dark and minimal with a fantastic build up at the end. A perfect S2 opener. Shadowplay - a song where the rhythm section stands out the most. The cymbal-heavy drums and opening bass riff (that continues throughout) make for the heaviest song on the album. I imagine metal bands like to cover this one. Wilderness - dark and kinda playful, both lyrically and (again) with that rhythm section. Repetitive guitar chords weigh this one down a bit, but it sets a great post-punk tone that the band would be forever known for. Plus, the song has a perfect ending. Interzone - the "punkiest" song on the record. Feels like they wrote and recorded this one while they were still called "Warsaw". Finally - I Remember Nothing. - Definitely an experiment in the studio. Ian Curtis is actually "singing" on this one (and not well). It is a great ender, due to the dark, minimal tone. Overall - put INSIGHT before DAY OF THE LORDS and it's a perfect album. the ART - I can't think of an album cover that sets the stage for the music within as perfectly as this world famous photo of Radio Waves (out of an Encyclopaedia of Astronomy) reverse engineered by Peter Saville. A very important album which I believe more people in the world are familiar with the cover art than the actual music... which is a shame. 10/10

Deep and brooding masterpiece

I would give this 6 stars if I could!

listened to this a long time ago and couldn't get into it this time around it's solid disorder new dawn fades she's lost control shadowplay transmission dead souls interzone

One of my all time favorites already!

RIP Ian Curtis

I've always had a block on Joy Division. I've never listened to them until today. I had only read about them and every description includes the phrase "post-punk". To me that meant they were just like the Cure, Talking Heads, or The Smiths or something. I REALLY dislike those bands and that kind of music. I couldn't have been more wrong. I would give this album 5 stars just for Day of the Lords. It's the second track and I didn't even bother moving past it until I listened to it 4 times in a row. Awesome song! The entire album is now in my rotation and I'm a new fan.

I was born in 1979 when this came out and never really got this album until I got way older. It was groundbreaking and I realized that some of my favorite artists today wouldn't be around if it wasn't for this album.

The cooler Daniel 😎

Always have loved this. Most seminal of seminal albums!

I just really like Joy Division. It's the atmosphere, the rhythms, the sound of the instruments. It all just comes together for me even though I generally do not care much about the genre.

Lucid feelings make me feel heavy, screaming into my steering wheel as I drive I just wanna go home

/ Disorder - one of the greatest, if not the greatest, post punk songs. The drums, bass, and guitar will never not hit. / Day of the Lords- such a slick but bleak sound. Sounds like the moonlight reflecting off an oil stain on the pavement, like black paint running down a brick wall. /Candidate- the drum fills are cool. Extremely moody, make man wanna wear a suit and walk down an alley. Nice subtle yet unbelievably dark sound /Insight - the video game lasers going into the drums and chord progression were too good. Painful nostalgia vibe on it. Drum buildup in the last 45 seconds is heavy but I wish it would’ve had an explosive ending. /New Dawn Fades- dirty bass off the jump. Very cinematic. Preparation for war. Almost hypnotic guitar throughout the whole thing. Peter Hook and that bass are sumn else /She’s Lost Control- never been one of my favorites, but I get why it’s popular. Song does have a good drive on it, always moving forward. The middle instrumental section is really good, maybe I been sleeping on it. /Shadowplay- sounds like liberation but still has restraint. Damn good riffs on this. sounds like the shadows of a crowd on a dark wall. /Wilderness - crazy driving bass. Gives me slaughterhouse 5 vibes for whatever reason. /Interzone- super energetic, probably the most punk sounding one on here. Song feels like speed, driving on a dirt road in the dark /I Remember Nothing - Starting off slow, controlled, and dark. Super angsty yet cute vocals. I can feel the isolation and loneliness dripping off this track. Very subdued and angry closing track. >I can definitely see why and how this album is so influential. Every member brought their own aspect to the mood of the album and played off eachother beautifully. It perfectly captures the angst, anguish, and isolation of adolescence, but with some interesting political/societal lyrics. The album sounds like taking a stroll through the dark, wet city streets. Favs: disorder, day of the lords, insight, shadowplay Least fav: candidate Overall: 97/100

joy division is fucken awesome

Brilliant album, brilliant band.

Chill vibes, good background music

Fantastic. Maybe goth is my new genre? Who knows. Much more subdued then what I'm used to, but the vibes were there.

Hubris alert. This reminds me of every garage band I started when I was at University. But in a good way. Wish I stuck with that. Maybe I could have been the next Joy Division.

Dark and brooding, UP is a masterclass in post punk. Every track is dominated by both the drumming and the crooning of the late Ian Curtis, to brutal effect. A must listen album

Rating: 10/10

Favourite tracks: disorder; day of the lord's; she's lost control

A great album 5/5 I love the melancholic atmosphere created by the bass and electronic drum sound.Ian Curtis’ vocals are amazing and the guitar licks are simple and memorable just like the album art.I love this album

10 out of 10, delightful record.

Sweet deep dark bliss!!

I could here so much influence on bands I listen to and love.

Love this. Read the 33 1/3 and also the oral history of Joy Division. Strongly recommend.

а что вы ожидали от меня?

Yks maailman hienoimmista äänitteistä! 5/5

mora biti baš taj trenutak da ovaj album bude top topova, inače meni je Closer draži, ali opet ne vidim razlog zašto bi dao manje od 5, iako bi dao negdje 4+.

What makes this album so great is that the full on desperation is kept on a tight leash. Constantly threatening to explode but just keeps desperately pulsating. Make sure not to miss the amazing live version of Shadowplay on the collectors edition.

I don’t know which I like more, this or Closer. Both are classic post-punk albums, I got nothing critical to say about either. Listening to Joy Division, I’m always so impressed with how tight they are, the drums are so clean. The whole record is great, Interzone is an under appreciated track of theirs. This is another easy 5 for me

What an amazing album!

What an album. Disorder is one of the strongest debut songs of all time. Those drums, the live wire bass line, the lyrics - outstanding. New Dawn Fades, She’s Lost Control, and Shadowplay is a killer sequence. The only thing you can ding this album for is its bleakness - it’s not something you want to listen to on a sunny day. But that’s part of the fun. Essential listening, easy 5.

One of the all-time rock tragedy stories. But this is all about the music and this is magnificent. Dark, brooding, post-punk doesn't get any better than this. The heavy influence of Bowie's Berlin work (and by association, Iggy Pop) is apparent, but Joy Division amps up the sense of dread and closed in feelings to 10. It all works and the second greatest tragedy (after Ian Curtis' death) is where they would have gone after this.

I love this album entirely

Dark, poetic, silencing. Pure beauty. Album reflects the days of Thatcher and Reagan and their croonies. Youth unemployment, nuclear arms race, social welfare being slaughtered, trickle down economy.

Cliche to say but there's no skips here. Easiest 5/5

I own this on Vinyl! Now that I've established my superiority, this is such a fucking great album. Also Peter Hook is a fantastic bass player, New Order's "Age of Consent" was one of the first songs I was able to figure out on bass without any sort of chart. It just so happened to be by complete accident trying to come up with some cool riffs and it caught my ear because I recognized it. Now that is technically a different band, but my connection to the music stands. I have heard the songs on this album so many times that nothing on it surprised me in how good it was. But it just holds up so much better than most of the post-punk albums of the late 70s. I will say the same as I did on my review of Joy Division's Closer, it should be a crime that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was never released on an album. This is just such a fucking good listen! 5 stars every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

If I could vote 6/5 I would

I like it a lot. Not much to be said that hasn’t already been beat to death. Not my favourite genre typically but this album excels. Certified classic.

album notes got deleted >:( but great atmosphere created 5/5

Instant 5 stars.

Warsaw in manchester

W album listened to some of it while running 🤪

what’s left to say? A masterpiece from start to finish - production, the driving bass and guitar, brilliant drumming and an amazing vocal performance. Best tracks: disorder, new dawn fades, she’s lost control

- Heard this album many times before - Classic - Not ideal for a Monday morning, but perfect for this type of music - Fav songs: Disorder, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay

Undeniably one of the most influential and one of the best albums ever made. Perfect album cover as well 10/10

I'm deligthed by this record! Now, I'm listening to it while I work and it calms me down a lot.

Brilliant

- There's something in the production of Joy Division I just don't hear in anything else. It's so dark in tone but so light in weight. I don't even know if that makes any sense. Joy Division might be what you get if you went through a list of what I love in music and created a band from it. Yearning vocals; production which simultaneously sounds like they've spend hours crafting the perfect sound but also sounds like they've just struck up a bunch of shit instruments in the house next door and you're hearing it through the walls; clever use of repetition; over a shifting background; careful use of effects but basically still four people with guitars and drums singing about their lives. I've talked a lot on albums that the context of the album sometimes makes it more important than the music itself. This is one of the albums where both things are huge. Everything about this music and the context and story behind it feels huge. Sitting in here in my adopted city of Manchester it feels even bigger. There was no way this was ever gonna be less than 5 stars.

Kanskje karakteren er påvirket av to dager på rappen med Joy Division? Jeg likte godt Closer, jeg liker dette enda bedre. Instrumentene er enkle, men aldri kjedelige; hovedvokalistens stemme er monoton, men fortsatt interessant. Jeg nikket i takt i 40 minutter, heldigvis er nakken ikke støl. Mine høydepunkter: Shadowplay og She's Lost Control

faggot shitter

I don't have much to say about this one, it's an incredible album but obviously quite dark! I have to be in the right mood to listen to it the whole way through.

Love this album, Want the t shirt. Love the emotional intensity and brooding darkness. Just brilliant stuff.

Post-punk immortality. Cold, callous, cunning, claustrophobic. Perfect.

This is another album that I was introduced to by the No Dogs in Space podcast, and if you like this album, I would recommend checking out their series on Joy Division. This is one of those albums that seems weird at first, but gets more comfortable the more that you experience it, at least in my experience. It's an absolutely revolutionary album for 1979, and is one of the many great albums that marks the close of that decade. The slow fusion of punk rock and electronica that occurs through out this album is so interesting. The drumming sounds like a drum machine at so many points. The raw emotionality of the lyrics bring real depth to the album, and provide the perfect compliment to the music 5/5, an absolutely iconic album in so many ways

Excellent excellent album. Only listened to a very small amount of Joy Division before. What i learnt listening to this is that so many bands i like that came after Joy Division borrowed so much of their style. Just everything here is great. The singing, the heavy atmosphere. Just great

The songs are amazing, the album cover iconic, and the band at it's height. What's not to love? This is Joy Division at it's best and the beginning of punk/new wave's transformation into what the 80s will be.

One of my favorites

5 Come on, it’s Unknown Pleasures. I’m not sure that I have much to say about this one that hasn’t already been said a million times already, but I’ll take a stab at it. This album isn’t like anything else I’ve heard, nor something I think anyone else had heard prior to its release, yet its influence is still felt in music today. You could argue artists like Siuoxsie Sioux and Kraftwerk helped pioneer the bass-driven gothic sound we associated with post-punk today, but Joy Division was truly the band that popularized and expanded it, and I think much of new wave and even modern indie has them to thank for that (if you want say New Order too, sure, but same diff). And much of that success and influence I think can be chalked up to the sheer talent of the band - Ian Curtis, brilliant lyricist, and while not everyone’s cup of tea, iconic vocalist. At the forefront of the goth and emo subcultures, I think it’s fair to credit Ian as among the first frontmen to sincerely utilize melancholy and personal anguish into popular music (yeah yeah Brian Wilson whatever). Sadly, we all know where that story goes - if you haven’t seen his biopic Control, I’m going to plug it again here, but know what you’re getting into. Continuing on, Bernard Sumner is also an incredibly talented composer and frontman by his own merit, and I think a large chunk of New Order’s identity and success comes from him. Peter Hook is an absolutely insane bassist, and his development to the aforementioned bass-driven sound really helped lay groundwork for numerous genres and artists even today, with his recent contributions to Gorillaz being a case in point of that. And finally, shoutout to Stephen Morris for a technical ability so good it almost sounds like a drum machine (though it may actually have been on later New Order releases…) Not just a great album, but probably one of the most important ones out there. Disorder is one of the greatest songs ever written, though She’s Lost Control, Interzone, and Shadowplay are also personal favorites here - if you haven’t heard The Killers’ cover of that last one, I would strongly recommend giving it a listen. Honestly though, every track is great and flows perfectly into the next, creating an immersive and broody atmosphere unlike anything else. Like it or not, this is a mandatory listen for any music fan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-KvyKNSV7U

Post punk New Wave classic short and punchy right to the point

I've always really loved this album and Joy Division in general. Really solid songwriting and sound, though I see the band's issue with the production not being a powerful as they'd like compared to their live sound. I was waffling between a 4 and 5 on this one but since there's no 4.5, I'm gonna have to round up to 5. New Order is great but I wish we could have heard more from Ian Curtis and Joy Division as well because I feel like they were just getting started. Bonus: some of the coolest album art out there. Standout Tracks: Disorder, Day of the Lords, Insight, She's Lost Control, Shadowplay, Interzone

they should put this album cover on a t-shirt

A masterpiece, one of my favourite albums of all time.

Seminal album

ntm guillaume PREFS : TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN

Interestingly I got this album straight after a New Order album, praise be the 1001 Gods. The template for new wave, you can almost feel the cold walls in the room this would have been recorded in, filled with smoke and an old rug stopping the drumkit slipping around. This sounds like what all the early bands I was in wanted to sound like, but of course couldn't because we weren't actually Joy Division. It's one of those albums that everyone knows the cover from it cos it's been on a million t-shirts but I'd have struggled to name most of these songs as being the tracklist. Anyway, I loved it.

best pair of oven gloves i've ever owned.

Washing hot piss through my hair I realise that this is the most joy I've felt since the time I found my dad getting a tit wank off my mum in the back of our old vauxhall nova. I was 12 at the time and it was my first sexual awakening. Listening to this Joy Division record and being pissed on by my friends is the only thing that has come close to that wonderful afternoon. I miss them dearly.

Known pleasures. Better than Little Man Tate.

Classic

5/5 big into the gothic vocals and subdued punk sound

Terrific album. Joy Divisions debut album really hit the high notes and delivers a well produced album that epitomize gothic rock. It's atmospheric and gloomy but never gets dull. I feel like their follow up album Closer doesn't get the same attention as this one but they're equally marvelous.

One I already know about, but great to re-listen. Clearly a precursor to 80s/90s alternative and grunge

The second best Joy Division album.

An obscure indie album you've probably never heard of Masterpiece

Classic post punk

FACT 10!

THE BEST DEBUTE ALBUM EVER ALONG WITH PEARL JAM TEM.. INCREDIBLE MUSIC AND LYRICS.....MASTERPIECE..A GAME CHANGER OF AN ERA.. YOU LEFT TOOOO SOON IAN FROM THIS PLANET.....ALL SONGS ARE POEMS...UNREAL...A MUST LISTEN ALBUM

Known pleasure

Very influential album. I imagine that nothing else sounded like this when it was released. The singer's struggles with mental health are relatable.

JD mean a lot to me. Their two albums are untouchable bedrock post punk classics Some people will complain that it is too depressing. They have not lived. This, the first of their two albums, is bleak, haunting and essential. "Here are the young men....the weight on their shoulders." These songs are born from despair. Utterly brilliant. Five

Does the term "space punk" exist? That's the only way I could describe how Joy Division's music is like. This album was basically a perfect debut, and marked the start of the post-punk movement alongside many other contemporary and previous albums. I love this record, it is accessible and funky while also being 100% punk and borrowing from experimental genres like industrial. Definitily has a place on this list.

Intense, dark but also varied and melodic. This is another album that I listened to a lot when I was a kids but haven't in a while, and I'm happy to say that it still holds up for me.

This still sounds so fresh. Love the bass lines. The slashing guitars. Floating synths. The vocals and lyrics. Excellent.

Fajne

4.5

I was 10 when this album was released so it fell through the listening cracks I suppose, but wow it is good. Everything about it is wonderful. The sound, feel, lyrics, performances, mixing, and the rest. Love it.

Very good. Drums sound amazing. It’s post punk but you can see the start of the evolution to that 80s synth sound.

Dark, moody, intense. One of my favorite albums of all-time.

Talk about an iconic album cover! My love of Joy Division got its start from the moment I first heard Disorder. That opening riff just does so much for me. It's such a shame that because of tragedy, we didn't get more Joy Division. I mean, I love New Order, but still.

Perfect. No notes.

This album meant so much to 16 year old me lol

Yesssssssss. So much better than Morrissey. One of my favorite albums ever.

Absolute quality, sombre, melancholic but with driving beats and intense guitars. This is music at it's finest.

Iconic band, iconic cover, iconic sound. Loved this and still do

really enjoyed this

Amazing album.

One of my favourite albums of all time

Oozing influence one of the best ever

1979! Listened to the Sex Pistols and said we’re going to do something just as subversive but totally different. Really at 4.5 album, but giving it 5 stars for the goth in me.

Absolutely legendary album. Shadowplay is one of the best songs ever written and The Killers cover of it is phenomenal. I prefer "Closer" to this one but only because I'm a sad little emo kid.

On dirait qu'il est meilleur à chaque fois que je l'écoute. Définitivement un album landmark

The laser percussions are cool and the guitar rythms are infectious. The distortions are gritty. Very cool album and so ahead of its time. 4.5⭐

Wow, what an album! It starts very strongly with the up tempo Disorder, then takes on a mellow tone before springing back to life with She's Lost Control. Disorder, Wilderness & Interzone being particular highlights. A post-punk album that can be considered one of the founding fathers of indie rock. 92/100 gecs

They have only made two albums, but it was two perfect ones.

Exquisite. This album stands proudly in my top 20 of all time, without a doubt.

Masterpiece, this album right after Pet Shop Boys gave me my smile back even if it's uppose to be a downer album ;)

Reminds me of Love and Rockets

Somehow it´s very appealing and addictive, u just gotta keep listening once u got into it.

TDK D90: Side A: Unknown Pleasures Side B: Closer Both, very obviously, 5 stars, just like all the other JD material on Still and Substance.

Curtis' not quite hitting the high notes is a little annoying for me, but I nevertheless enjoyed the hell out of this album.

bIt's the most famous album by Joy Division innit. A classic.

This one really grew on me. On first listen, I'd probably have given it a six. However, after falling in a love with New Order, revisiting this one gave me a greater appreciation of the sheer musicality of this record. This is a masterpiece. 9-10/10

Absolutely love this album ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just love the way this album feels from start to finish.

blassic

Who do you think you are to give this album less than five stars? You better have, I don't know, some kind of award you won somewhere for curing cancer through music or something.

Si es que es más que imposible no decir que este álbum es bueno, por dios.

Iconic

La obscuritat feta disc. Gairebé impermeable, opac, dur, amb la producció tan característica de Martin Hannett, que és un dels protagonistes principals del so i del disc, que regnaria com a millor símbol d'un génere, postpunk i d'una ciutat i el seu moment, Manchester. Una obra mestra més pel seu significat, so i valentia que per les seves cançons

Love this album, one of the greatest debuts of all time. So ahead of its time it can still give you chills over 40 years later. An absolute masterpiece.

Menacing and cool as fuck

frábær plata!!!

That was good.

Classic. Redefining. Cover art 5/5

Music is emotion. And there's a lot of that on this album. Of the darker kind. The album isn't perfect, but almost there. 4.5*

Such an important and influential album. A pre-cursor to so many different artists. Mythical

Good sound waves. A candy to my ear canals.

Þyngsli. Gott stuff samt

Discazo

JOY

One of the great and dark rock albums. This album sound is so influential (mainly the bass lines) that youu can trace it in almost every post punk album of the last 40 years.

A classic. The only track I don't care for much is Candidate, but its at least ok. This album is so influential, so emotional, just so damn good.

A classic. Teenage angst listening at its finest.

Pioneers.

genuinely one of the greatest albums of all time. in modern rock music, you don't hear the beatles or the rolling stones, you hear this album and the velvet underground

Incredible. Classic. Withstands the test of time. A godsend. Rope.

best album all time excellent

Excelente marca de ropa 👍

Absolutely brilliant album!

Red Starr, writing for Smash Hits, gave the album a generally positive review, describing it as a "bleak nightmare soundtrack". Starr described the lyrics as "mysterious" and "doomy."

Post-Punk Classic. 5

Tremendo

Топ

One of the best albums post-punk albums of all time.

One of my favorite albums

One of the best albums ever in rock music!

One of the best albums of all time.

The perfect darkness

Solid solid album She's lost control is best

Fantastic vibes on some Great Scott stuff

a flawless desolate post-punk classic

Already listened. Amazing album

one of the best albums on earth, A post punk masterpiece

5/5

Das sind einfach krasse Texte.

Great album

Beautiful seminal cold amazing post punk

Listen to this one a lot already.

*****

Manc misery never sounded so good. Best Tracks: Disorder, She's Lost Control, Interzone

Great album

LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Goosebumps every time I hear the start of "Disorder".

Not much comes close to joy Division.

Hey guys which JD album had love will tear us apart on it

One of my alltime favorites.

Excellent

it was okay

This album is amazing. Now I really want to read the book you suggested John!

ian curtis was god damn brilliant

amo mas mt dark

A great album. Wonderful stuff.

Love it. So moody, so alternative, so unique. Does this mean I should've been a grunge kid?

Hard 5. Where da 6 at?

5 vermezsem hanım beni keser

Know it, love it

Not as good as the follow up

one of THE albums

Great album, I listened to this and am saddened that the lead singer, didn't make more music and enjoy the notoriety that came with the success.

I really liked this. It's moody, it's dark. It's from the early 80s, but it still sounds relevant. Overall really, really good.

Lo adoré. De los álbumes más importantes del Post-Punk. Amo el post punk tanto como odio el punk Mentira no odio el punk. Es performático. Pero sí amo el post punk, sin palabras

Joy Division is about Ian Curtis. You either like him or you don’t. The voice is deeper with almost a robotic singing style. Their music had the energy of punk but was post-punk and it was danceable. Disorder is a great opener. She’s Lost Control is also good. The rest is good but not great. An interesting thing to me is that as I listen to this I hear the progression to new order in the music. It was always there from the beginning

really enjoyable. never heard music by joy division before but was fye

Its experimental, clinical and Germanic and has a huge gothic element. I find it interesting that with the name Joy Division they have made happiness feel very clinical, here unknown. I like it a lot, it resonates.

Æ e så jævlig conflicted. Musikalsk høres de tidvis ut som et ungdomsskoleband, men det funke jo. Legg godsida til her.

Weirdly good album, lots of vibes and a sound I've never heard before. Loved the goth vibe

3.5

This is a really great album. It does have a similar somber sound to most of it. However tracks like “Disorder” and “Interzone” break it up and show Joy Division’s more punk side. Everyone in Joy Division is great at their respective instruments. Ian Curtis with his deep almost Jim Morrison voice and amazing lyrics, Peter Hooks melodic and intense bass playing, Bernard Sumner playing some of his best Riffs and Bar Chords , and of course Stephen Morris who’s drumming is basically A HUMAN DRUM MACHINE but even better. This album is really great tracks like “She Lost Control” and “Shadowplay” are major highlights. Though I love this album it is very similar as stated above and I’ve always believed Joy Division's next album “Closer” is their true Masterpiece Still it’s pretty iconic and great overall Tempted with a 5, but I’ll do 4.5/5

The album from every indie boys tshirt. It's a classic for a reason, it's a complex but easy listen.

Like the pace / rhythm of Disorder and Shadowplay / She’s Lost Control. Day of the Lords a bit more intense - where will it end - when will it end more like. Generally slower starker ones here don’t really do it for me -(eg the last track was hard work) - New Dawn Fades an exception. 3.9.

Influential

Really solid - chill industrial punk vibes throughout … enjoyed the ride 4

Eerie, dark and a certain sense of coldness... inimitable. hasn't aged that well sonically compared to other post punk records though

I get what some reviewers are saying about this album being a bit of a downer, but it's meant to be that way. It hits a tone, and stays there, wallowing in it. There is actually a fair bit of light and shade if you listen carefully, and the music is interesting in that post-punk late 70s type of way, with early electronic sounds that date it but still sound cool today. Great for if your wanting to feel better about the world, as you might just realise you have it better than Ian Curtis thought he ever did.

For mange år sidan forstod eg ikkje greia med Joy Division, men det var då. No er det ein eigen sjanger for meg, og dette er ei prima plate.

Skikkeleg god plate. Unikt - både lyden, uttrykket og stemninga den byr på. Det er slikt eg tenker på når eg set den på, og det blir ikkje oftare med åra. Sagt på ein annan måte, så likar eg det men tenker sjeldan at “nei vettuka, no hadde det passa med noko Joy Divison”. Glimrande, men ikkje heilt Stevie Wonder der altså. 8/10

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures Den mest deprimerande plata eg har høyrt etter The Cure si "Pornography". Sistnemnte gir ei kvelande kjensle, mens denne gir ei meir tom ei. Trommene ligg og piskar heilt fremst i miksen mens den monotome stemma til Ian Curtis minnar oss om at det ikkje fins noko håp. Midt mellom ligg dei ein gitar og ein bass som fyller inn gapet mellom dei to, men minimalistisk er det tydelegaste stikkordet her. Partiet frå og med "New Dawn Fades" og ut "Shadowplay" er så intens og fantastisk at ein nesten blir i fysisk ubalanse av å høyre det. Verdas kjøligaste plate. 8/10

Found myself liking it more than the first time I gave it a listen. Ian Curtis was never the best singer, but JD’s overall sound draws me in. Experimental and ahead of its time, featuring who would later become New Order after Ian’s death. 3.5 Top tracks: New Dawn Fades, Shadowplay, Interzone, I Remember Nothing

Can’t concentrate on it somehow 😅but always have a good start

One of my favourites of all time, when have you ever heard an album so driven by i bass lines? Peter hook is the real genius here, that bass through disorder an shadow play really make them the stand out tracks. Ian Curtis is so raw, it couldn’t work without him wailing and shaking. I haven’t listened to it in a while and it does get a bit bogged down on some of the middle tracks, and made me realise how much I lean on other singles in their narrow catalogue. Still, nothing like it.

Sounds nice but didn’t finish

Shadowplay

Day 19 Somehow enjoying this album means you're both pretentious and a normie. I agree Fav track: Day of the Lords

I love the darkness and moody feel to it all. Consuming.

(Light 8/10) Dark and depressing, as it's reputation holds, there's songs like "Disorder" and "Interzone" that actually pump up the energy and propel this into a more dancey kind of post-punk album than you would initially excpect. Which makes sense due to the band's future trajectory into synthpop as New Order. Ian Curtis sounds absolutely deadpan and dejected on this record, his voice oftentimes sounding like it's on the brink of falling apart, but the snappy drums, and the unorthodox bass and guitars bring him back from the edge. This record is definitely going to be a grower for me, especially seeing as how I'm not quite in the mood to be THIS depressed lol, but it's status as one the most influential albums of it's kind is well-deserved.

Very pleasurable

Songs you've heard before but didn't know it. Solid guitar, clear individual instruments, deep vocals. Danzig + early punk / pop + Lou Reed. Great combo vocals. Worth another listen, a great album.

Pretty good sound from this band. Def step up that punk/new wave scene.

So this is what the wombats were referring to with "let's dance to joy division"?! I don't think this is my dancing music (I have looked up the background to that song and it is referencing the irony of dancing to a sad song). I enjoyed the 80s sounding noises and vibes.

This bassist is doing things that make my body do things. Every criticism I can think of is evaporated by just how interesting this is. Very moody if a bit rough around the edges.

This album's got one of the most iconic covers in punk, Ian Curtis has the mythos around him, but ironically enough, it's one of the most unassuming post-punk albums there is. Everything about this album sounds like it was recorded down the end of a long hallway (the cover on vinyl, which has a smaller image of the pulsar, is actually quite a good representation of the sound of the album); though Peter Hook worried it came off sounding like Pink Floyd, it totally lacks that self-important grandiosity of superficially similar albums like Dark Side of the Moon. Personally, I've never *loved* this album, though I recognize its importance, and there's a few songs on there that I truly do really like! Martin Hannett's production here is one of the high points of post-punk, even if all too often the songs Joy Division turns in sound a bit too much like the Doors if Ray Manzarek were on vacation. But hey, I can't argue with "Disorder", "She's Lost Control", or "Interzone", so it's still pretty good!

So in my last joy division album I said about how good Atrocity Exhibition was because the layering and interesting effects being overwhelming and the rest of the album was subpar because of how good Atrocity Exhibition was. Every song in this album is as interesting as Atrocity Exhibition was in their other album, with this being their debut I guess they struggled to come up with new ideas in a year. Seems like they were under a lot of pressure with being forced to do a world tour and release a new album in a year I think every song is great but I will say the album got worse as it went on. Mid 4

4.5

It's pretty good! But I think the artwork has had a longer-lasting impact. I see the art and font modified to fit other bands, etc.

“let’s dance to joy division, and celebrate the irony” a lyric by the wombats is all i knew about joy division. i had a good time

Enjoyed most of this album.