(and I'm sure there's at least the odd person or two out there who doesn't like Joy Division or anything remotely associated with them...(shame on you!) have no fear though, normal service will be resumed soon... Whatever normal service is at Spoilt Victorian Child???)
Joy Division - New Dawn Fades (Live - Amsterdam 11.01.1980)
Possibly my favourite song of theirs, this features one of the darkest lyrics ever written in "Directionless, so plain to see, a loaded gun won't set you free.... so you say..."
On a happier note this has one of Hooky's best ever bass lines, so simple but so so effective.
This version can be found on the Les Bains Douches Live CD
Bis - Love Will Tear Us Apart
A change of speed a change of style... indeed.
Love Will Tear Us Apart is one of Joy Division's most covered songs by artists such as The Cure, Squarepusher (previously posted here), 10,000 Maniacs, Swans, Frank Sidebottom (I Thank You!), Nouvelle Vague and bloody Paul Bloody Young amongst many others, all of which I could have posted (apart from Paul Bloody Young obviously), but I thought I'd treat you to a little bit of Electrotastic Vocoder Action...
This version stands out a mile from most of the other ones for me purely for the fact that it doesn't sound anything even vaguely like Joy Division, which I think if you're going to do a cover of a song it's always a good idea not to sound like the original.... Otherwise why bother?
Anyway, this is great.
Smashing Pumpkins - Isolation
This was recorded under the pseudonym "Starchildren" for the A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division compilation, which also features great versions by Low, Tortoise and Codeine.
If you're expecting loads of heavy guitar action you'll be sorely disappointed I'm afraid, as this is pretty much an electronic version of the song, kind of a precursor to the Adore album recorded a few years later by them.
I like it though, and I also like the Smashing Pumpkins a lot... Drown and Starla being a couple of absolute belters by them.
Joy Division - Insight (Demo)
"Guess your dreams always end.
They don't rise up, just descend,
But I don't care anymore,
I've lost the will to want more,
I'm not afraid not at all,
I watch them all as they fall,
But I remember when we were young.
Those with habits of waste,
Their sense of style and good taste,
Of making sure you were right,
Hey don't you know you were right?
I'm not afraid anymore,
I keep my eyes on the door,
But I remember....
Tears of sadness for you,
More upheaval for you,
Reflects a moment in time,
A special moment in time,
Yeah we wasted our time,
We didn't really have time,
But we remember when we were young.
And all God's angels beware,
And all you judges beware,
Sons of chance, take good care,
For all the people not there,
I'm not afraid anymore,
I'm not afraid anymore,
I'm not afraid anymore,
Oh, I'm not afraid anymore."
I've had a real problem picking a track to finish on here, there's just so many truly great tracks to pick from... and this is good but I'm not sure if it's what I would play to someone who I was trying to introduce Joy Division to...
lyrically It's not the best, musically It's not the best, performance wise It's not the best....
But for some reason I picked it....
Maybe it has something to do with the line "We Remember when we were young"...
I've been doing a lot of that lately,
Memories of a time when everything was wide open, there was no past only the future... Not sure!
A lot of people think that Joy Division made sad and depressing music for sad and depressed people, but nowadays they just seem to take me back to a time when I was young and I had my whole life ahead of me, and I was happy.
But there again I always did find Joy Division uplifting not depressing...
Blah Blah Blah!!!
This is available on the excellent Heart & Soul box set.... Please buy it.
Ian Curtis hung himself at the age of 23....
Please Buy And Read - Touching From A Distance By Ian's widow Deborah... You'll have to trust me on this... It's Essential.
Visit - Shadowplay
Visit - Matts Smashing Pumpkins Page - About a million Pumpkins links
Visit - Bis
Visit - Joy Division Central
Have a good weekend everyone.
Simon
X
No comments:
Post a Comment