Rate The Musician/Artist #36 - Joy Division

[El Fangel]

Joy Division



Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and vocals), and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion), who replaced three previous short-tenured drummers in late 1977.
Music critic Jon Savage said "Joy Division were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy." Joy Division gradually moved away from their early punk rock influences and developed a dark and gloomy sound that placed them as pioneers of the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. The band self-released their debut EP An Ideal for Living in June 1978, and soon caught the attention of Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division's debut album Unknown Pleasures was released in 1979 on Wilson's independent record label Factory Records and drew critical acclaim from the British press. Despite the band's burgeoning success, Ian Curtis was troubled by his crumbling marriage and his diagnosis of epilepsy, which made it increasingly difficult for the singer to perform live. On the eve of Joy Division's first American tour in May 1980, Curtis committed suicide. The group's posthumous second album Closer (1980) and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became their biggest commercial successes. After Curtis' death, the remaining members soon reformed as New Order and went on to achieve much critical and commercial success.


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