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Strawberry Studios, April 1979. Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris begin work on Unknown Pleasures, Joy Division’s debut album. In collaboration with unorthodox genius, Manchester-born music producer Martin Hannett, they were to record one of the most ground-breaking albums in music history.
Released with only moderate success later that year, the eventual success of Unknown Pleasures was boosted greatly by the Winter release of the band’s second album Closer in 1980, soon after the tragic suicide of lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The new-found infamy that was thrust upon Joy Division in the aftermath of Curtis’ death was perhaps the driving force behind this surge in intrigue.
Unknown Pleasures truly is one of those albums that one is likely to make reference to in a conversation about ‘albums you can listen to all the way through'. Each and every track teems with a unique poignancy and a shocking originality. Curtis’ poetic lyrics bear through the gloomy strokes of Hook’s bass in a baritone that seems to converse deeply with one’s soul. The diversity of the sounds on this album is equally as fascinating as the ubiquitous musical innovation. 'She’s Lost Control' perhaps defines Joy Division’s musical aspirations of the time, with the contrasting 'Insight' almost a relic of the band’s punk roots. 'I Remember Nothing', although not the most critically acclaimed track of the album is arguably the best, with the rhythmic beat of Morris’ drums and intermittent atmospheric bass giving way to shattering glass and the startling commencement of Curtis’ haunting vocals. Each member of Joy Division are doubtlessly massively talented in their respective roles, but it is Curtis’ lyrics and vocals that make Unknown Pleasures nothing short of a spiritual journey into the mind of one of the finest lyricists of any generation.
Joy Division’s debut album was as innovative for the band themselves as it was for music as a whole, and Martin Hannett’s remarkable contribution to this achievement cannot be ignored. There is little doubt that Joy Division independently developed as a band in their short history; transforming themselves from punk rock pretenders to the forefathers of modern indie. But it is perhaps Hannett’s input and influence that allowed this coming of age to be expressed in Unknown Pleasures. His work on the album was not embraced with open arms by the band, however. Indeed, Peter Hook proclaimed that “it definitely didn’t turn out sounding the way I wanted it.” The extent to which Hannett’s musical intuition was ahead of its time, however cannot be illustrated better than a second quote by Peter Hook. In 2006, Hook stated that “there’s no doubt about it, Martin Hannett created the Joy Division sound.” Praise indeed.
Three decades after its release, Unknown Pleasures remains the benchmark in the indie rock genre. Martin Hannett’s work stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best that modern music production can offer. With Unknown Pleasures, the Joy Division and Hannett partnership achieved something that many would hesitate to acknowledge as possible in music. They achieved perfection.
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