Unknown Pleasures

Manchester punk rock band Joy Division surfaced in the wake of a Sex Pistols gig in their home town that appears to have spawned many of the other leading Northern English lights of late-1970s punk. After writing a series of derivative punk rock knockoffs, the band, in particular its driven yet emotionally fragile singer and songwriter Ian Curtis, hit its stride with a trio of songs that was to form the template for its brief career: Shadowplay, She's Lost Control, and Transmission. Signed to the innovative Manchester record label Factory, Joy Division recorded its debut UNKNOWN PLEASURES with the maverick producer Martin Hannett in 1979. As Chris Ott relates in JOY DIVISION'S UNKNOWN PLEASURES, his entry in the 33 1/3 series of extended essays on significant albums, Hannett's eccentric working methods, exacerbated by his drug and alcohol intake, were initially frustrating to the band. But they resulted in an album that sounded simultaneously chilling and compelling, ultimately becoming one of Factory's biggest sellers. Ott's well-researched essay combines a fan's enthusiasm with a journalist's eye for significant detail; it's a must for musicologists and punk rock devotees alike. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.