Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, in reference to the song "Warszawa" by David Bowie,the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards),[1] Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion).
The band renamed themselves Joy Division in early 1978, borrowing their new name from the prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp mentioned in the 1955 novel The House of Dolls.
Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Despite their short career and cult status, Joy Division have exerted a wide-reaching influence.
They became the first band in the post-punk movement by...emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy alternative music in the '80s. The band's dark and gloomy sound presaged the gothic rock genre. While the term "gothic" originally described a "doomy atmosphere" in music of the late 1970s, the term was soon applied to specific bands like Bauhaus that followed in Joy Division's wake.
Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, caught the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division's debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was released in 1979 on Wilson's independent record label Factory Records, and drew critical acclaim from the British press. Despite the band's growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis with epilepsy. Curtis found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.
On the eve of the band's first American tour in May 1980, Curtis, overwhelmed with depression, committed suicide. Joy Division's posthumously released second album, Closer (1980), and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became the band's highest charting releases. After the death of Curtis, the remaining members reformed as New Order, achieving critical and commercial success.
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was written in August and September 1979,. It is one of the few songs in which singer Ian Curtis played guitar (albeit somewhat minimally). The song was first released in April 1980 and, after Curtis's suicide that May, became the band's first chart hit, reaching number 13 in the UK. The band postponed their US tour after his death, performed a few short sets as The No-Names, then finally renamed the group as New Order.
No comments:
Post a Comment