Thursday, November 1

Joy Division and Control.


This is one of the bands I liked that always fell under my radar when they were all alive. I always liked rock sound with English accents. Ian Hunter was one of my favorites. And Bowie. And the Stones. And The Jam.

(One of my current favorites, LCD Soundsystem makes fun of that in their lyrics North American Scum)


Oh oh oh

oh i don't know, i don't know, oh, where to begin

we are north americans

and for those of you who still think we're from england

we're not, no.

we build our planes and our trains till we think we might die,

far from North America...



That was an aside. Got off the subject. Love their fake accents though.

For all the times I heard this song (below), I bet I couldn't tell you who the band was.

They were, (thanks wiki):

Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and vocals), and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion), who replaced three short-lived drummers in late 1977. Music critic Jon Savage said "Joy Division were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy." Joy Division gradually moved away from their early punk rock influences and developed a dark and gloomy sound that placed them as pioneers of the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. In May 1980, after the suicide of Ian Curtis, the remaining members reformed as New Order and went on to achieve much critical and commercial success.


Here is one of their songs, Love will tear us apart. It's got more than a 1/3 of a million hits so I guess I'm not the only one that likes it.

A new movie came out in this year, Control.

(more wiki):

Control is a black and white biopic about the late Ian Curtis (1956-1980), lead singer of the post-punk rock band Joy Division. The screenplay is based on the book Touching From a Distance, by Curtis' wife, Deborah, who is also a co-producer of the film. The film details the life of the troubled young musician, who forged a new kind of music out of the punk rock scene of 1970s Britain, and the band Joy Division, which he headed from 1977 to 1980.

It also deals with his rocky marriage and extramarital affair, as well as his increasingly frequent seizures, which were thought to contribute to the circumstances that led to his suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first U.S. tour. The title is a reference to one of Joy Division's more memorable songs, "She's Lost Control". The song title is believed to be a reference to an epileptic girl Curtis befriended while working at a Job Centre in Manchester. The girl died during a seizure and thus inspired the title.

Control.

Which brings me to one of my favorite covers of Love will tear us apart, New Order.

And a little dated but pleasing, Transmission and She's lost control.


And lastly a 10 minute, mirror ball, flashing lights, guilty pleasure of mine:

Perfect Kiss by New Order.

2 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Control opens here on Friday and I am so excited, as I have been waiting for forever. Thank heavens the rumours of Jude Law playing Ian Curtis proved false, that would have been a disaster.

I hadn't seen that clip for Love Will Tear Us Apart before, and great as it was to see the real thing, I have to admit that I am a trifle disappointed at the lack of dancing. Ian Curtus pretty much single-handedly started the whole school of spastic dancing, even if it was partially epilepsy.

Unknown said...

Hi Barb.

Hope the movie's as good as it is expected to be.

I love spastic dancing. Ha. Joe Cocker?