Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An Album Of Despair and Lost Love That Isn't Emo, Jul 12 2004
This is an emotionally draining album, straight from the broken, depressed mind of Ian Curtis, who on another note looks a bit like Elijah Wood. Most people already know the tale of Joy Division and Ian Curtis, a band whose singer suffered epileptic fits regularly on stage and at the age of twenty-five took his own life. Now I'm not one to give a band better letter grades because their singer died tragically, I hate Sublime, Drowning Pool, and am not too fond of INXS. Listening to this album it's not at all a surprise that Curtis killed himself, the album is dark and devoid of almost any hope. But let's not focus on Curtis, but the band as a whole. The sound of Bernard Sumner's guitar is stripped down to a skeleton, brittle and unpolished. Peter Hook's booming bass would later become a staple in post-punk and new waveish bands for years to come, and Stephen Morris's drums are loud and slow, pacing the music. Ian Curtis is still the star of the show though, and is a very engaging frontman, his droning, broken voice demands your attention.Let's get down to what matters though, the tunes. The opener Disorder is an excellent opener, and ends with Curtis screaming "I've got the spirit, but I'm losing feeling" and it really gets the blood pumping. There is not a sucker in the bunch though, and every song is excellent, of course some moreso than others. Insight is particularly noteworthy, as is She's Lost Control which may or may not be about Curtis's epilepsy. If you're looking for lots of synths in this album ala New Order, you may be a bit disappointed as the music is alot rougher. The lyrics are excellent but I'm not going to comment on them much. Whether Unknown Pleasures or Closer is better I'm not sure, because their both almost flawless.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Debut album by hugely influential band, Jul 11 2004
Not as good as Closer due to the production and weakness of the songs included. It sounds really stunted and nowhere near as emotionally engaging as Closer. Transmission is not included, even though it was their first proper single, which is crazy. However, Disorder, New Dawn Fades, She's Lost Control, and Shadow Play are included and they are just perfect songs. However, I do prefer the live versions of all of the songs here, because on Unknown Pleasures, all of the songs sound like they have been recorded from a mile away, so everything is really quiet and toned down, whereas Joy Division always seemed to excel in their ability to engage the listener with their mania.
Some of the songs on here are just crap really. I mean Interzone and I Remember Nothing do nothing but make me want to skip them as soon as possible and go back to Disorder. I personally think they were best when playing short, sharp, bleak 'pop' songs with the best lyrics ever written. I think I Remember Nothing and Autosuggestion (not on this album) are too similar to Velvet Underground ramblings really to be any good. But if you like that sort of thing they could be for you.
Enough of the negatives. New Dawn Fades is the ultimate existential song of all time: 'Directionless, so plain to see, a loaded gun won't set you free, so you say'. No one toys with the idea of suicide in such a devastatingly bleak and serious manner. It really sends shivers down your spine. She's Lost Control is so sparse and hypnotic, it feels like you are the one having the epileptic fit. Shadow Play has wonderful images of 'assassins all grouped in four lines dancing on the floor'. Very manic and out of control. Wilderness shows the same profound sadness through the eyes of victims throughout history. Not as good as Closer, but in comparison to all of the vile wannabe bands out there today, it tears them into to little shreds and spits them out.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome, Jun 26 2004
JD's debut Unknown Pleasures is an extremely strong debut, an essential record. Each song is full of Ian Curtis' emotional power and all songs on here is written through human emotion, no fakes here. Great record, I suggest it. The sophomore album (and last album) Closer is amazing as well. But I think Unknown Pleasures is better, just by a little.
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