Joy Division – Known Pleasures (Box Set)

Joy Division were formed by school friends, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook after both of them had attended a Sex Pistols concert in Manchester, mid 1976. Ian Curtis joined soon afterwards as their vocalist, with the line up completed by the addition of dummer Stephen Morris. They initially called themselves Warsaw, inspired by the song ‘Warszawa’, a David Bowie’s instrumental from his ‘Low’ album. This name did not last very long as they did not want to be confused with a London band going by the name Warsaw Pakt. The name they chose to use instead was Joy Division. It was the taken from a novel called ‘House of Dolls’ and referred to the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi Concentration Camp. Nothing too controversial there then. 

Early recordings were very much in the punk vein and the band managed to create enough of a buzz that they were approached by RCA to record a cover of N. F. Porter’s song ‘Keep On Keeping On’. The band were not too keen on the idea, preferring to record their own material. Matters came to a head and the band asked to be released from their contract. Not standing still, the band recorded and self-released their ‘An Ideal For Living’ EP. The EP featured a drawing of a Hitler Youth member on the cover. This and their name did make people wonder what their political allegiances were.

The band were signed to the newly formed, and soon to be iconic Factory Records. With gigs outside of Manchester and sessions for the legendary John Peel, the band were starting to get noticed but there was trouble on the horizon. Ian Curtis started to have epileptic seizures and the band realised that if they were to continue, this would be something they would need to work with. 

Work they did, and their first album, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ was recorded in April of 1979. The band began a gruelling tour schedule which caused Curtis’ epilepsy to get worse. He started to have seizures on stage, which some members of the audience thought was part of the act. Curtis was also a married man with a young child, but had started a relationship a journalist which put his marriage under strain. This, his epilepsy and a tour to the USA seems to have too much of strain of Curtis’ mental health. On the eve of the tour, he took his own life. 

For a band that lasted for only four years, Joy Divisions’ fans have been well served with compilations and reissues down the years. However, their rather excellent ‘Heart and Soul’ box set from 1997 had number of emissions from it. Originally, this project was designed to put together what was left off of that box set as a bonus disc, but there was too much outstanding material. I then got a bit carried away and thought it would be good to include all of the available live material. In the end, I rejigged the ‘Heart and Soul’ box set and it has turned into pretty much everything that I could lay my hands on it has become an 11 disc set.  As far as I can tell, this would be a comprehensive set, even though I am sure that I have missed a song here and there. 

Disc 1

1. Disorder – Unknown Pleasures
2. Day Of The Lords – Unknown Pleasures
3. Candidate – Unknown Pleasures
4. Insight – Unknown Pleasures
5. New Dawn Fades – Unknown Pleasures
6. She’s Lost Control – Unknown Pleasures
7. Shadowplay – Unknown Pleasures
8. Wilderness – Unknown Pleasures
9. Interzone – Unknown Pleasures
10. I Remember Nothing – Unknown Pleasures
11. Warsaw – An Ideal For Living EP
12. No Love Lost – An Ideal For Living EP
13. Leaders Of Men – An Ideal For Living EP
14. Failures – An Ideal For Living EP
15. At A Later Date (Live) – Short Circuit: Live At The Electric Circus
16. Transmission – Single A Side
17. Novelty – Single B Side
18. Digital – A Factory Sample 
19. Glass – A Factory Sample
20. Auto Suggestion – Earcom 2: Contradiction
21. From Safety To Where…? – Earcom 2: Contradiction

Disc 2

1. Atrocity Exhibition – Closer
2. Isolation – Closer
3. Passover – Closer
4. Colony – Closer
5. A Means To An End – Closer
6. Heart & Soul – Closer
7. Twenty Four Hours – Closer
8. The Eternal – Closer
9. Decades – Closer
10. Atmosphere (Licht Und Blindheit) – Single A Side
11. Dead Souls – Single B Side
12. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Single A Side
13. These Days – Single B Side
14. Komakino – Single A Side
15. Incubation – Single B Side
16. As You Said – Single B Side
17. She’s Lost Control (12” Version) – Single A Side

Disc 3

1. Inside The Line – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
2. Gutz – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
3. At A Later Date – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
4. The Kill – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
5. You’re No Good To Me – Warsaw Demo (18th July 1977)
6. The Drawback – RCA LP Sessions
7. Leaders Of Men – RCA LP Sessions
8. They Walked In Line – RCA LP Sessions
9. Failures – RCA LP Sessions
10. Novelty – RCA LP Sessions
11. No Love Lost – RCA LP Sessions
12. Transmission – RCA LP Sessions
13. Living In The Ice Age – RCA LP Sessions
14. Interzone – RCA LP Sessions
15. Warsaw – RCA LP Sessions
16. Shadowplay – RCA LP Sessions
17. Exercise One – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
18. The Only Mistake – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
19. Walked In Line – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
20. The Kill – Unknown Pleasures Sessions
21. Something Must Break – Transmission Single Session
22. Ice Age – Licht Und Blindheit Sessions
23. Sound Of Music – Love Will Tear Us Apart Session
24. Ceremony – Demo
25. In A Lonely Place (Detail) – Rehearsal
26. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Pennine Studios Version

Disc 4

1. Exercise One – BBC Session
2. Insight – BBC Session
3. She’s Lost Control – BBC Session
4. Transmission – BBC Session
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart – BBC Session
6. Twenty Four Hours – BBC Session
7. Colony – BBC Session
8. Sound Of Music – BBC Session
9. These Days – Piccadilly Radio Session
10. Candidate – Piccadilly Radio Session
11. The Only Mistake – Piccadilly Radio Session
12. Chance (Atmosphere) – Piccadilly Radio Session
13. Transmission – Something Else TV Show
14. She’s Lost Control – Something Else TV Show
15. Insight – Eden Studios Demo
16. Glass – Eden Studios Demo
17. Transmission – Eden Studios Demo
18. Ice Age – Eden Studios Demo
19. Walked In Line (Re-Mix) – Still
20. Something Must Break – Central Sound Studios Version
21. Ian Curtis & Stephen Morris Interview – Richard Skinner Radio One

Disc 5

The studio cuts from the RCA sessions are added here because the mixes used on the ‘Warsaw’ album released by MPG Records in 1994. These songs were also released in 1997 on the ‘Heart and Soul’ box set, but the mixes sound slightly different so they were included here form completeness. 

1. Dead Souls – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
2. The Only Mistake – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
3. Insight – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
4. Candidate – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
5. Wilderness – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
6. She’s Lost Control – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
7. Shadowplay – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
8. Disorder – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
9. Interzone – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
10. Atrocity Exhibition – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
11. Novelty – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
12. Transmission – Live at The Factory, Manchester 13th July 1979
13. I Remember Nothing – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
14. Colony – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
15. These Days – Live at The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth 2nd November 1979
16. The Drawback (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
17. Interzone (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
18. Shadowplay (Alt Mix) – RCA LP Sessions
19. As You Said (Alt Mix) – Komakino Single Session

Disc 6 – Live at Les Bains Douches, 18th December 1979

1. Disorder
2. Love Will Tears Us Apart
3. Insight
4. Shadowplay
5. Transmission
6. Day Of The Lords
7. Twenty Four Hours
8. These Days
9. A Means To An End
10. Passover
11. New Dawn Fades
12. Atrocity Exhibition
13. Digital
14. Dead Souls
15. Auto Suggestion
16. Atmosphere

Disc 7 – Live at the University Of London Union 8th February 1980

1. Dead Souls
2. Glass
3. A Means To An End
4. Twenty Four Hours
5. Passover
6. Insight
7. Colony
8. These Days
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart
10. Isolation
11. The Eternal
12. Digital

Disc 8 – Live at High Wycombe Hall 20th February 1980

1. Isolation – Sound Check
2. The Eternal – Sound Check
3. Ice Age – Sound Check
4. Disorder – Sound Check
5. The Sound Of Music – Sound Check
6. A Means To An End – Sound Check
7. The Sound Of Music
8. A Means To An End
9. Colony
10. Twenty Four Hours
11. Isolation
12. Love Will Tear Us Apart
13. Disorder
14. Atrocity Exhibition

Disc 9 – Live Preston 28th February 1980

1. Incubation 
2. Wilderness
3. Twenty Four Hours 
4. The Eternal 
5. Heart & Soul
6. Shadowplay
7. Transmission
8. Disorder 
9. Warsaw 
10. Colony
11. Interzone

Disc 10

1. The Eternal – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
2. Heart & Soul – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
3. Isolation – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
4. She’s Lost Control – Live Lyceum Ballroom, London 29th February 1980
5. The Sound Of Music – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
6. Wilderness – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
7. Colony – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
8. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
9. A Means To An End – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
10. Transmission – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
11. Dead Souls – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980
12. Sister Ray – Live at The Moonlight Club, London 2nd April 1980

Disc 11 – Live at The High Hall Birmingham University 2nd May 1980

1. Ceremony
2. Shadowplay
3. A Means To An End
4. Passover
5. New Dawn Fades
6. Twenty Four Hours
7. Transmission
8. Disorder
9. Isolation
10. Decades
11. Digital