Joy Division - Day by Day

They were already Joy Division when the first version of An Ideal For Living EP came out. Great song anyway

 

They are now but they were originally released separately... the Warsaw album was for RCA records before they signed to factory, the early demos were released on the ideal beginning ep... the extra track, you're no good for me didn't get released until later I believe

 

Yeah, you’re right. I was referring to the version on Substance, and that’s ‘JD’.
The long intro sets up such a chilling mood and when you think the tension will ease once the song really starts things only get darker. Never fails to get to me, that one.

 

I personally prefer the RCA version of no love lost

 

Day 3

The Kill


This is the penultimate song off the early Warsaw demo, and was apparently an early version of The Kill that was eventually found on the album Still.... personally I think it bares no resemblance at all to that song, and like Gutz was a thrash punk attempt at being brash.... another throw away song..

 

Nice thread, which I'll enjoy watching. I have my JD collection organised in chronological order (ripped to HD) based on the information contained in the 'Heart And Soul' boxed set booklet, and some other websites. I saw JD twice in mid and late 1979, so I'll chip in with those memories at the appropriate time.

I was never a fan of punk, but welcomed its brashness and the shake-up to the stale music-scene at the time. What I did enjoy were the bands that drew inspiration from that shake-up, in what has been called post-punk, new wave, indie, and much else over time.

The July 1977 session that spawned 'Gutz', 'At A Later Date', 'The Kill', and two other songs saw a young band finding its way in the new "anything goes" music environment, but none of the tracks are JD music, and should be left for Warsaw completists. Their exclusion from 'Heart And Soul' tells you what Hook and Sumner think of those demos, even though they are acknowledged in the booklet sessionography. I rarely play them, and another spin now was not that enjoyable!

JD begins to emerge later that year with the December 1977 session, and the following May with the RCA sessions.
Bring it on.

 

Nice tread. I was never a massive fan and still isn't even though I like dark, brooding music. Will be interesting.
Day of The Lords is my fave JD song. It's really melodic, unlike some of their other material, the guitar sound is exceptional, and it's very dark indeed.

 

After Tuesdays song things start stepping up a gear..... And become more interesting. The early demos, although for "completists" are essential to understanding where JD came from. It's like looking at The Beatles history and not including The Quarrymen in it. Skiffle is nothing like what the Beatles became, and likewise Punk is really nothing like what JD became.

I also forgot there were 5 demo tracks, therefore the Kill isn't the penultimate song as incorrectly stated above

I'm hoping that through this journey some people may gain a better understanding of the band, and that they're not just Love Will Tear Us Apart, of which I'm not personally a fan of.

I just realised that I forgot to post the song for day 3.....

The Kill

 

The Kill (Warsaw version) : Throwaway, trying too hard punk number. Not much more to it.

Looking forward to recollections of those who saw Joy Division live. I share a birthday with Ian Curtis which is pretty cool. I was born on the same day that he enjoyed (presumably!) what was sadly his last birthday. So there was no chance I was going to see them live. I have seen Peter Hook playing JD stuff, perhaps I’ll chime in more on this later. I know not everyone likes Hooky, but personally I loved hearing JD songs performed by an original band member.

Fortunately things will pick up in the coming days with some better songs

 

Just one song a day ? Ooh difficult.
Well, it won’t be Dead Souls which goes on forever forgetting the melody along the way
So, Atmosphere it is then

 

Yeah don’t get it. Are people voting for more than one song at a time ?m

 

Yes, you could vote two if Im not mistaken.

 

Wow, Ian sounds like he's impersonating Johnny Rotten on this first demo. Interesting how his vocal approach changed.

 

If I don’t post for a few days it will be because people bashing Dead Souls has made me throw my phone at the TV screen

 

Really?

Can I ask, do you know how many songs Warsaw played?
I wouldn't be surprised if you said no idea. How about, do you recall how long they played for then, roughly?

I noticed in that recent Hooky auction there's a cassette labelled something like "Warsaw Electric Circus At A Later Date & Novelty". Then some of the items in the auction were pulled before the actual auction but I don't know if the Electric Circus cassette was pulled.

I feel this is going off-topic a bit and as I'm a new member (although a long time lurker) I think I'd better stop here but I would like to ask you something else about The Fall from the same gig. Can I PM you?

As for fave JD - Dead Souls of course, followed by Sound Of Music.

 

Dont ruin your phone beacause of Dead Souls. Not worth it.

 

Yeah, kind of boggled my mind for a bit there as well...

Anyway, I get the jist now, a song a day...

Gutz and The Kill is pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff. More enjoyment can be found with At A Later Date in which you can hear the first baby-steps into JD- land: The guitar riff that follows the chorus sounds strikingly similar to the one in These Days, which also comes after the chorus.

 

By no means i want to be trolling but i sincerely would like to know your opinions about Dead Souls.
What is the reason you (fans of DS) put this song above any other average JD song?
Personaly is not the case i find it bad, but i think is a little dry to my taste (the lyrics sugest me something much more darker than this), and it seems to go on forever with that long intro.

 

I’d figure we discuss it when we get there.
Your thoughts on that, betssaj?

Anyway, excellent as it is, why weren’t the RCA demos and the Warsaw album included on the Heart And Soul box set? Not to mention the live half of Still?

 

Ok. I can wait.

 

Yup, probably a week or 5 before you can unleash your atrocity exhibition.

 

The inevitable ‘Why wasn’t this on that?’ begins already. A question I’ll be asking myself over certain things.

I am rather surprised that At A Later Date wasn’t on H&S. Yes, it’s been officially released, but on a very obscure title. The box set was a perfect chance to get it out there in a more accessible way

 

The way I see it is that the set was designed a) to kick off with what most probaly consider where the band found their niche; the Digital / Glass single, b) so that the running order of Closer wouldn’t be compromised and split over two cd’s.
Better, they probably thought, to lump earlier recordings with (pre-)UP demo’s and the like, which does make sense.
Still no excuse to pass by what basically is historically relevant JD.

 

I consider Closer to be the single greatest album ever recorded by any artist in history. I revere this album as a masterpiece frozen eternally in the greyness of time.

Having said that I am not a big fan of their earliest work. I feel that artistically everything came into sharp focus on Unknown Pleasures (another album in my top 5 of all time). And then something happened. Something more than just another album by just another artist. Call it synergy if you must have a word for it. Everything came together at a time and in a place and state of mind to create a work of art unparalleled in music. That's what Closer is to me.

I will be watching this thread with anticipation and curiosity. I will join in from time to time. Kudos to bettsaj for starting the ball rolling. As you were.

 

I had a very interesting chat with Stephen Morris about these early recordings, he said that Warsaw/JD just wanted to make a lot of noise and basically be a punk band. It was only when Martin Hannett got hold of them that he put the arty slower drama production on them, but at the time they hated it.
Stephen said Martin was in hindsight completely correct in his production choices and was extremely grateful that he had the confidence to argue with the band and push them towards his recording ideas.

Interesting to think JD may never have progressed much past these punk workouts and gained such a reputation without Hannett's 'genuis' (or maybe not....maybe another thread!)