Joy Division Album: “Heart and Soul”

Yes, there was definitely too much of a lag between the European release and the US release of this one -- so much so that I myself had to take advantage of the fact that I was living in Spain to get my hands on this one a couple of years ago. Even still, after all this time I'm still somewhat at a loss for words to describe "Heart and Soul," so that's a good sign.

One thing that I can say is that everything about this box set is just beautiful, from the packaging to the lyrics to the songs themselves. The cost may be a bit off-putting right now, but it's probably the most thorough anthology that's likely to come around, so it's well worth it. You get all the tracks from "Unknown Pleasures," "Closer" and "Substance" (though not "Still") -- plus some assorted live and demo versions that had been previously unreleased.

The albums and the compilation are standards, of course. Some of the demos are pretty much hit-or-miss, and I've heard that the sound mixes and even the playing itself at Joy Division concerts were often pretty bad. But even with the diminished sound quality, the live tracks here (particularly the ones from The Factory in Hulme -- roughly the first half of disc 4) have this rollicking, transcendental power that makes current bands like Nickelback, Staind and Fuel, not to mention the pretense behind most of the genre of "emo," seem like adolescent journal entries put to bland rock arrangements in comparison. And there are a few songs toward the end (the live "Autosuggestion" and particularly "Ceremony" and "In a Lonely Place" -- the latter two from the last recording session before Ian Curtis's suicide) where you can really hear how close he was to the final breakdown. Personally, I haven't been able to listen to these few songs since Madrid.

Then there's a booklet containing all the lyrics, listings of releases and recording sessions and even books, a couple of stream-of-consciousness articles on what Joy Division were all about and a more straightforward, strictly journalistic account from "Mojo" (courtesy of good ol' Jon Savage, one of the compilers). The photos are pretty eye-catching, too -- particularly the vidcaps.

Sure, some stuff got left on the cutting-room floor (the typo-ridden liner notes acknowledge this). Sure, you may never hear their version of "Louie Louie." And, sure, the songs and the lyrics and the packaging all whisper that eternal "What if. . . ?" When you're talking about a band like Joy Division (and especially a man like Ian Curtis), there will always necessarily be more questions than answers. At the very least, "Heart and Soul" tips the ratio a bit more in our favor.

I had more than a passing knowledge of Joy Division when I decided to purchase this box set, and from the time I bought it, untill the time I put the cds into my stero, I was nervous it would be a waste of money. I was VERY quickly realizing that those fears were silly at best...This collection is astounding. With songs like Atmosphere, The Eternal, New Dawn Fades, and Atrocity Exhibition, you get a real sense of what thoughts and emotions drove Ian Curtis to be one of the most haunting vocalists on record. In Atrocity Exhibit, the lyrics paint the picture of himself, and make it quite apparent why he would eventually kill himself. Joy Division's music is Ian Curtis's Heart and Soul, he put everything he was into his lyrics, and in the end that is his legacy. This collection is a must for anyone who loves music, or who loves poetry.

This is a good back up for any fan who has everything. Discs 1-3 has everything from Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Substance, Still and every demo inbetween that could be found. Disc 4 is collection of unreleased live tracks, which are probably some of the best live version ever done IMHO.

'Heart And Soul' is a boxed set good enough to turn a Joy Division neophyte into a seasoned connossieur. Both of their studio albums are represented in full, their non-LP singles (complete with b-sides) are represented in full on the first two discs, their complete John Peel Sessions (later released as The Complete BBC Sessions), Picadilly Radio Sessions, and RCA Sessions, as well as the only known Joy Division recording of 'In A Lonely Place' on disc three, also included is a bit of the pre-Joy Division material, from Warsaw. Disc four is full of assorted soundboard recordings from a few live shows. Given, the live material doesn't have great sound quality, it's certainly passable.

The booklet is filled with interview segments and quotes from surviving band members, as well as rare pictures of the band in the studio. Towards the end of the booklet is a complete listing of the lyrics written by Ian Curtis (that comes in handy since they were basically unknown before), a discography of the singles, compilations and albums released, as well as a sessionography of the recording sessions with fairly specific dates. Also of note, the book is loaded with odd typographical errors, which seems pretty standard fare in the world of Joy Division and New Order, but a few misprints don't ruin a very good booklet. The overall packaging is accessible and attractive, despite being a little flimsy.

'Heart And Soul' has really almost everything a Joy Division fan wants on it, and definitely has everything someone new to the band would want. Diehards who've listened to them since 1979 and own fifty bootlegs may quibble over exclusions of a few old Warsaw demos, or the inclusion of their cover of 'Sister Ray' which can be found on 'Still'. I'd recommend their two main albums 'Unknown Pleasures' and 'Closer' as an introduction to the band, or 'Substance' for the singles, then get this boxed set after you get a good feel for the music. (Then if you absolutely have to have every Joy Division track put to a cd, there is 'Still', 'Preston Warehouse', and 'Les Baines Douches' which has live material not present on this set).

There's so much to say about Joy Division, its sometimes hard to know where to start. A short lived post punk outfit, they recorded just two albums upon which their entire legacy was built. Getting their start as a punk band called Warsaw in the mid-70s, vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris, the band eventually changed its name to Joy Division (as someone else beat them to the Warsaw name) and brought for a unique sound-- dark, meditative, patient, so unlike the punk roots they came from. Add to this the vocal of Ian Curtis-- haunted is probably the only way to describe his singing-- and the results are nothing short of earth shattering. Sadly, the band was cut short by Curtis' hanging himself in 1980, and eventually the rest of the band would carry on as New Order, but could likely never equal

Having this in context a bit better, this set is just about everything-- broken up into four CDs, the two albums ("Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer") are each given a disc, augmented by singles (a and b sides) and extra tracks (some of this material was releaed on posthumous releases "Still" and "Substance"). The third disc is the remainder of studio recordins-- an early single and some unreleased material from the same era, BBC sessions, and a number of other studio takes. The final disc is devoted to live recordings from the band. All of this is packaged into a gigantic digipack with a rather odd choice of cover photo and a book containing extensive liner notes, detailed discography and sessionography, and the lyrics to all the material. All in all, 35 of the tracks, including the entire fourth disc, have never been released and a further four tracks (as far as I know) have been been reeleased on CD prior to this.

The music though is clearly what this set is about, and it is breathtaking. Discussing only the sound quality-- the material all sounds quite good, clearly the studio material is of higher fidelity than the live sessions, but the whole thing sounds superb. As to the music, what is amazing about Joy Division is that while not every song is a masterpiece, there's precious little unlistenable material on their catalog. I suspect this is because the entire band understood the rolls each member had-- there wasn't the ego of anyone being showy, but rather everyone contributed in thier own space. The music is atmospheric, and brilliant-- categorized as post punk, gothic, new wave... probably all are correct. While this is largely a cheerless affair ("Day of the Lords"), it reflects itself in a number of fashions, from a nearly danceable, infectious rhythm ("She's Lot Control"), total despair ("I Remember Nothing"), near ecstacy ("Transmission"), haunting ("Dead Souls") and melancholy ("Love Will Tear Us Apart"). All told, its an experience to listen to, and it is music that is weirdly compulsive and brilliant. The live material is a bit looser (hey, these guys were punks) and remains its high quality.

The only complaint is the set itself-- the trays don't really grab the CDs well, and they pop out-- I'm actually on my second copy because of this as one of my first copy's discs got scratched beyond repair. Oh, and the box itself is pretty poorly made and tends to get beat up easily-- don't believe anyone who claims the UK packaging is better, I picked up a UK set first (it came out quite a bit before the US one).

But that's a moot point, packaging can be worked around. What's in the package is what matters, and there is little that equals this. Honestly, this is the place to start with the band, its a fantastic set (if you worry about the investment, get "Permanent" first then come back and get this) and is really quite essential material.