Joy Division Redux… or how did I manage to forget these guys? August 18, 2007
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Culture, Music.trackback
It’s funny. Last week while I was listing those who had been influenced by Joy Division I was aware that I was leaving groups off. What’s surprising to me is the names of those groups. Most of them would actually be in the higher tier of successors.
I’m thinking of Disco Inferno, whose first album In Debt was explicitly Joy Division in sound, but whose later EPs and CDs went on a completely different tangent, part New Order, part Post Rock. If anyone has an MP3 of their Summers Last Sound EP, and in particular The Last Dance, I’d be very very grateful seeing as the original purchase copy was robbed on me a decade ago. A fantastic group whose second album D.I. Goes Pop (cover above) is one of the most remarkable blends of guitars and synths I’ve ever heard.
Then there is Killing Joke. Their mid-period, with singles like “Love Like Blood” and albums such as Nighttime and Brighter than a Thousand Suns were again a sort of commercial nod to Joy Division and New Order. But even the early material utilised a sparse simplicity which was contemporaneous to Wire (whose later 1990s incarnation was very New Order-like) and Joy Division.
Or what of Nine Inch Nails, who married Industrial to the Joy Division sound, and even covered “Dead Souls” on the soundtrack to The Crow. Successfully it must be said.
Then there’s Moby, who covered “New Dawn Fades” for the movie Heat. Again, successfully.
Post-rock being a couple of steps over from the Joy Division sound produced such luminaries as Trans-Am whose instrumentals were very very close in tone.
Going way back we have Josef K and their “It’s Kind of Funny” which was specifically about Ian Curtis.
Donagh over on Dublin Opinion has even more on this…
Of course, as interesting in its way is who were the influences on Joy Division and New Order?
I think Krautrock bands (Kraftwerk,Can and maybe NEU!) were an
influence on Joy Division. They had a similar drumming style.
I’d certainly think NEU! were a big influence.
Damn it, I meant to include “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness” as well as a more recent example…
Yeah, I was thinking of Disco Inferno too. You can have a loan of that Summer’s Last Sound/Love’s Stepping Out single if you want.
Butterfly Child also fits nicely on this axis although I would tie them more to Durutti Column than to Joy Division.
As for Nine Inch Nails and the like – the less said the better!
Cool Wednesday – that would be much appreciated. I’d come to the conclusion that I was the only one who had ever heard those tracks. By the by I have the other DI EPs up to the one which sampled Iggy whose name escapes me, but you probably have them anyhow, and I’ve Technicolour which is also remarkable, but most notably for “Can’t See Through It”… the way the single note keyboard/organ sound comes in after the intro when he starts singing is … well pure New Order really.
Ah muso’s… nothing sadder really.
Never heard of Butterfly Child. Interesting.
I know what you mean about NIN. It’s very overdone angst, but have to admit there were a couple of instrumentals on The Fragile that had a MBV tinge to them that was good. But it’s like some US stuff – Christian Death et al, which sort of overdoes things…
Oooh, you never heard of Butterfly Child?! You’re in for a treat. I think I have some blank CDRs lying around so I’ll stick their debut, + Summer’s Last Sound on one for you.
I actually don’t have the other DIs and would love to hear them.
And many, many years ago, when I was too young to know better, I used to like Christian Death *hangs head in shame*
Better again re Butterfly Child.
Still have to say I like “This is Heresy”.
Exceedingly dodgy lyrics aside, “Romeo’s Distress” was my favourite back in the day. Although I still have a bit of a soft spot for “Ashes”. I can’t believe I’m admitting to this.
I still have Mission albums. It’s not something I’m proud of.
Oh, I’ve been listening to “Antics”, and it occurred to me that if you like Joy Division, you might like Interpol. Well worth a listen.
Surely I mentioned Interpol already in the previous post on Joy Division? Got to be honest they strike me as much as having a Chameleons tinge to their music as a JD one. Seen them live twice and like them quite a lot but I’m not sure I’ll ever love them.
Ah, so you did.
I’ll just go into a corner and cry for a while.
Listening to Joy Division?
Anyone remember Furniture, who had a hit with “Brillant Mind” in
1986? They sounded very Joy Division/New Order-ish. right down
to the basslines.
Vagurely remember that song. Vocals weren’t too NO were they? Surprised to find out that one section of them went on to found Transglobal Underground…