Joy Division Transmission/ Novelty (Factory 12", GOOD 40, 1980)
Joy Division Love Will Tear Us Apart/ These Days; Love Will Tear Us Apart (Factory 12", FAC 23, 1980)
Joy Division must have one of the most distinctive sounds ever!
Hook's melodic bass, Stephen Morris' drums, Sumner's guitar fills, and most important of all - Ian Curtis' vocal style - all make for an utterly distinctive, and compelling, sound.
Of course, Curtis' suicide looms large over these songs - it's impossible for me to come at them without that terrible knowledge. Love Will Tear Us Apart takes on added desperation; Transmission sounds like, well, a transmission from beyond, Ian having broken on through to the other side; and Atmosphere, maybe the pick of the bunch, is just plain spooky now.
This is amazing music. Like listening to blues legends like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters - misery provides rich rewards for the listener in all three A sides.
Hidden gems: no problem here. Novelty is a wonderful song that's propelled forward by Morris' drums, as is These Days with it's archetypal JD sound and She's Lost Control sounds like an A side even now.
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