Customer Reviews

The Best Of

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Music: 5 Stars... Compilation: 3 Stars

On the heels of the DVD releases of the Ian Curtis bio-pic "Control" and the "Joy Division" documentary, the band is going through yet another re-evauation phase, both critically and commercially. (I hadn't listend to my "Heart and Soul" box-set in quite a while, but did so immediately after having seen "Control".) There are a lot of compilations on Joy Division, but none recently, and none that simply aimed to give "the best of" to the casual fan, if there is such one. This compilation is supposed to correct that.

"The Best of Joy Division" (14 tracks, 55 min.) brings a non-chronological overview of the band's best known tracks and other assorted album tracks. There is of course the inescapable (even if in my opinion overplayed and perhaps even overrated) "Love Will Tear Us Apart", as well as "She's Lost Control", "Atmosphere" and "Transmission", those 4 being the band's best known tracks (don't call them greatest hits!). The rest is made up fairly evenly from "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer" (the band's 2 studio albums), as well as "Substance", a 1988 compilation. The quality of the songs on here is nothing short of fantastic.

That said, my biggest complaint with this "best of" collection is that, at a mere 55 min., there was room for at least 20 min. more music on here. Why is nothing included from "An Ideal for Living" (the band's first EP, from June '78), such as "Leaders of Men", an essential song in their catalog? Where are other must-have tracks like "A Means to an End", "Atrocity Exhibiton" or "Novelty"? Given the way this compilation is put together, it appers to me that this is stricly aimed at the casual Joy Division fan (if there is such a thing.. I've never met one). The music is great, but the compilation is not.

There are better previous collections than this single disc.

The description refers to the UK edition. There is no bonus disc with the US set sold here.

How can someone sell a Joy Division "best of" and not include the song "Novelty"?

"Glass" and "Atrocity Exhibition" should also be on here.

"Incubation" is a fair instrumental.

If nothing else why not include the 12" mix of "She's Lost Control".?

Joy Division is a great band and I am pleased to see them championed now though I have been a fan since Unknown Pleasures.

I just wish that they were represented by a more superior "best of" than this.

The "Product Description" lists this as a Limited 2-CD edition, but that's only for the UK version, which is more $. It's a great collection nonetheless, recommended for anyone who doesn't have anything by this seminal band. Also check the film CONTROL, & the new documentary about them by Grant Gee.

Don't buy the US version. Get any of the non-US releases, such as the UK or Japanese versions. The US version is one 14-track disc, the others are all a pair of 10-track discs.

The two-disc versions form a collection of (all previously-released) material that is a good starting point for someone new to JD or coming back to the band after many years. See my review on the UK and JP versions. This American, truncated version is kind of pointless, however, as half the draw of JD was their live presence, and the Peel Sessions material deleted from the US release captured that energy, with good-quality recordings devoid of audience-recording racket and other audio issues typical of live tracks from small shows.

This album, released in 2008, will serve little purpose for someone who is already a big Joy Division fan. For those people, you can stop reading my review now, as this is geared towards a different audience.

It is however a solid collection for somebody with little or no exposure to the band, and for these people it is a "must have". I bought this on a whim because (a) It was reasonably priced and (b) Many of my favourite groups at the time were unfavourably regarded as Joy Division clones (and I wanted to make my own comparison). This CD for me did not disappoint as an introduction to one of the greatest bands of all-time.

The obvious starting point was the undeniable classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart", as it was on so many Best Song Ever lists. After a week or so of repeating listenings, it made an impact on me like only a few songs previously had so I decided to explore the rest of the album which proved to be just as good. Songs like "Dead Souls", "Atmosphere", "Digital" and "Twenty Four Hours" are a few more personal highlights but everything on this album is a classic worth listening to.

I subsequently bought Substance to get the 9 additional songs that weren't included on this album and one thing that makes this album better is the sound quality, which wasn't as good on Substance. Also, six songs from this Best Of (Disorder, Shadowplay, New Dawn Fades, Twenty Four Hours, Heart & Soul and Isolation) do not appear on Substance so the two albums are good companions to one another if this is all the Joy Division you want in your collection. If still not satisfied, do what I did and purchase the Heart and Soul Box Set for a more complete look at Joy Division's work.

The only disappointment arising from this endeavour was discovering that several of my favourite bands (i.e. Editors, The Killers, White Lies, etc.) just didn't seem as good anymore when stacked up against them.

This CD for me turned Joy Division from a group I had only heard about to one of my favourite groups of all-time and for that, I can't not offer a glowing recommendation.

Between '82 and '83 I was temoparily Djing at a pub in Oldham near Manchester.Monday nights were goth and indie night this album and the tracks on it take me right back to those nights. Most of these songs are like old friends and for me anyway have not lost any of their power or darkness in the twenty years that have passed since then.I'm also reminded of Peter hook's words about Joy Division which always strikes me as a stark contrast to the music. "Joy Division were just four lads from Macclesfield who liked to get pissed...!"

The bonus disc is also great because of legacy left to us by the great John Peel for four decades the cornerstone of BBC Radio One.If you couldn't get to see a group live then the Peel sessions gave you an insight how they would sound.Also for me on a personal note because the session with "love will tear us apart" was recorded on my sixteenth birtday.I would highly recomend this collection to anyone who has never heard any Joy Division before.My only quibble with this album is the missing b-sides like "novelty" and "these days".Thankfully these tracks appear on "substance" the next album to buy after this and also the great "Unknown Pleasures" album which challenges any by the cure for darkness and depression.

I you love ear;y punk or just great music, Joy Division is a must. Great CD then watch the movie "Control". It's about the band & death of Ian Curtis. Very good. Huge fan!!!

Being a lifelong lover of music ranging from all styles of rock to blues to bluegrass I was amazed to hear Ian Curtis and Joy Division's music and wondered how I had never heard it before.

I happened to catch a late night viewing of the semi-biographical movie "Control" a few months back and the music amazed me. After viewing a number of their performances on YouTube I was hooked.

As I listen to this "Best Of" release I hear bits of punk, techno and Goth mixed in with David Bowie and The Doors. It is outstanding.

The lyrics and music are haunting and my only regret is I took so long to happen upon it. A solid 5 stars.

My thoughts on this can pretty much be summed up by my review of 'Permanent'; although it contains some of the best music of its time, I don't really recommend buying this album. It contains nothing that serious fans wouldn't already have, since there's no new material here. And those people new to Joy Division are better off getting 'Substance' as a starting point, then the studio albums. So who's this supposed to be for?

The track listing here is better than 'Permanent', at least: 'Disorder' and 'New Dawn Fades' are clearly stronger cuts than 'Day Of The Lords' and 'Passover', and 'Digital' is a quality inclusion as well. But once again there is nothing from 'An Ideal For Living', or any of the band's other early work. The band's punk roots are an important part of Joy Division's sound, so it's a pity that 'Novelty' and 'Warsaw' at the very least couldn't be included. And 'Incubation'???? When was this one of the greatest Joy Division songs?? Virtually anything else from 'Unknown Pleasures' or 'Closer' is more worthy than that one.

Yes, all the really essential singles are inlcuded: 'Transmission', 'She's Lost Control', 'Atmosphere', 'Dead Souls', 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. And apart from 'Incubation' everything else that's here deserves to be. But Joy Division had so many great songs that a Greatest Hits type album doesn't work for them.....there are just too many important songs that are missing.

In short: brilliant music, but pointless album.

whether you are someone over 40 who simply misses this great band, or a new listener, then this is the cd to have. It features the essential tunes this standards-setting band recorded in their short career. This band was so ahead of their time that someone who didn't know them would think this music was recorded recently.