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Still

Joy Division - Still Audio CD

A fair review of the Joy Division "Still" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Joy Division reviews here, or go back to the Joy Division tabs.

Band: Joy Division
Title: Still
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-02-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Exercise One 2: Ice Age 3: Sound of Music 4: Glass 5: Only Mistake 6: Walked in Line 7: Kill 8: Something Must Break 9: Dead Souls 10: Sister Ray [Live] 11: Ceremony [Live] 12: Shadowplay [Live] 13: Means to an End [Live] 14: Passover [Live] 15: New Dawn Fades [Live] 16: Transmission [Live] 17: Disorder [Live] 18: Isolation [Live] 19: Decades [Live] 20: Digital [Live]

Okay music, useless album
While the idea was good, the execution was not, and the release of better Joy Division collections such as 'Substance' and 'Heart And Soul' have pretty much rendered this album worthless. 'Still' is basically a collection of Joy Division rarities, combined with a recording of their final concert just days before Ian Curtis' death.

The first half contains a range of studio out-takes, demos and B-sides. The highlights are clearly the previously-released 'Glass' (the B-side of 'Digital') and 'Dead Souls' (the double-A with 'Atmosphere'). These two apart, none of the songs had previously seen release; they are unpolished studio out-takes and they sound like it. 'Exercise One', 'The Sound of Music', 'The Only Mistake' and 'Something Must Break' are okay, but sound as if they are not quite finished, lacking the depth and mystique of the truly great Joy Division songs.

The second half contains Joy Division's final concert, and there are even more problems here. Whoever recorded or mixed the performance did a terrible job; the first half of 'Ceremony' goes missing, the bass seems as if it became unplugged halfway through, and Curtis' voice is mixed either too low or too high, either barely audible or drowning out everyone else. The synth goes horribly out of tune, completely ruining the performance of 'Decades'. And the band themselves are in ordinary form; both Sumner and Hook fluff notes occassionally, Curtis messes up some of his lyrics, and 'Passover' is thrown into confusion when Morris loses his rhythm. The highlight is a skeletal version of 'Isolation', and the invigorating performances of 'Means To An End' and 'Digital'.

Due to its problems, 'Still' is certainly not intended as an introduction for new fans. Die-hards, though, would probably already have 'Substance', 'Heart And Soul' and at least one of the better live releases. So who's the album for?.

AWE-INSPIRING!!
d. Thanks for the Joy Division "Still" c. I'm so glad I have this beautiful music to listen to make me feel happy. They're such a great band. I love them! :).

Not for the faint of heart....
For this they are either notorious or revered, depending on the person. Joy Division were never a technically proficient band. I myself am of the latter persuasion. With this being said, I find Still to be a very difficult listen. The album's inadequate production has been well documented in many of these reviews. The inadequacies further exacerbate the band's lack of technical skill.

I myself happen to love Joy Division MOST for their unique approach to their instruments and songs. But to the uninformed, this cd makes them sound like the worst band ever. Peter Hook's bass is nearly impossible to hear on the average stereo system. It lacks a fullness that drives the album recordings. Since Hook's melodies are such a crucial aspect of the band's songs, I feel this is the worst part of Still's sound. Also, Ian Curtis' vocals on Ceremony are silent until the very end of the song, destroying any excitement one might glean from hearing such a rare recording. For these reasons, the album as a whole is not an easy listen.

So why do I give it five stars? Because Joy Division have influenced me tremendously. Despite all of it's shortcomings, Still communicates the band's final performance. It stands as a historical document to the world, an empowering testament to critics and fans alike. The imperfections in the band's performance bring the realization that it's members were indeed mere mortals. It gives hope to those of us who one day may wish to create something as beautiful and compelling as those brief years of Joy Division's life. .

An unusual document
So, in that regard this is a rather unique (and grim) audio snapshot of a truly tortured soul. First off, the morbid truth: the live album that makes up the second half of this collection is the last thing the band ever recorded; two weeks later singer Ian Curtis hung himself.

But dark romanticism or cheap sensationalism aside, the live set is almost all top quality, and well worth the purchase price. If you already have the box set, you have all the studio stuff - although one or two of these studio tracks have some extra (over?)production by Martin Hannett.

As far as the studio out-takes go, Dead Souls (a b-side) is essential. It's one of J. D. 's best songs, and also one of their best-known songs thanks to Nine Inch Nails' cover of it on the "Crow" soundtrack (a decent version, too). "The Only Mistake" is very good; it features the only 6/8 time signature in any J. D. song, and thus has a fast waltz-type feel. "Sound of Music" is great, but I like the Peel Session version better. Ditto for "Exercise One. " "Something Must Break" is solid; "The Kill" and "Walked in Line" were basically early "punk" type songs that don't really work well with Ian's somber baritone.

"Sister Ray" originally closed Side 2 of the double album. On the CD, it sounds out-of-place in the middle of the album. And if one song had to be left off the disc due to space constraints, this probably should have been it. (They could have put it on the box set. ) HOWEVER - I happen to love this cover of the Velvet Underground song - compared to the original, this is downright radio friendly! Plus it has my favorite Bernard Sumner moment ever: at the end of the song, he begins strumming a very bizarre chord and slowly decends down the neck. It's gloriously discordant, ultimately resolving perfectly. Then you hear Ian mumble "You should hear our version of Louie Louie" - an amusing image in its own right and also a reference to "John the Postman," a regular attendee of Manchester shows who used to leap on the stage at the end of shows and lead the crowd in a singalong of the Kingsmen classic.

The live album (or, in CD-speak, the last ten songs) captures the last J. D. show at Birmingham University. Unfortunately, the show opener, "Ceremony," has a cut-off beginning, and the vocal mic wasn't working for the first verse. Still, it sounds pretty amazing. This version of "Isolation" is, for me, the definitive version of the song; almost everything sounds really good, with one glaring exception:
"Decades" is one of the worst-sounding performances I think I have ever heard. Sometimes I just break down laughing at how utterly wrong it sounds. The problem was that Bernard's synthesizer had some kind of internal problems that caused its pitch to slowly increase; by the last chorus he was playing in a totally different key from Peter; Ian always had enough trouble staying on pitch when the band was in tune, so you can imagine the chaos that resulted here. Heck, they should have left THIS track off the CD if there wasn't enough space.

"Digital" is perfect, until the very end; Peter messes up the ending. Kind of fitting that this crazy band went out on a bum note.

WHAT ABSOLUTELY STINKS ABOUT THIS AND THE BOX SET: Once upon a time, "Still" was a double album. And at the end of side 3, there was a "hidden" track, not listed anywhere on the cover or label: "24 Hours. " Since I still have my vinyl copy, I can attest to the fact that it was a great version of that great song (even though some of the vocals got lost in the mix). The fact that they cut it out of this CD reissue is lame. The fact that they ALSO didn't include it on the box set, meaning that it is completely unavailable on CD, is inexcusable.

This CD is worth buying just for "Dead Souls" and "Isolation. " .

Half and Half
Half of the album is comprised of remains, leftovers that didn't make it on an album. Still is a decent album for what it is, half and half. While these songs are outtakes, they are strong on their own. While some will argue against the flow of these songs, I personally never had a problem with it. They fit fine in my mind.

The other half of this Half and Half album is a live recording, Joy Division's last concert, about 2 weeks prior to Ian Curtis' suicide. This concert has it's moments, but it is the novelty of being the final live Joy Division recording that makes it interesting.

Finally, there is the Sister Ray. A Velvet Underground cover from another concert entirely, and appearently a closer or encore of a show. You either like this song or hate it. It seems out of place to me.

I find a few faults with Still.

First off, it is a shame that the opener of the final concert live material is so badly recorded. It cuts in after the song has kicked off and there were mic to soundboard issues which leave the first verse a quiet ambient echo from the audiance. Sadly the song they kicked off with was Ceremony, a great tune that hadn't been fully developed in the studio yet. There is a demo studio version of this song on Heart and Soul (from my understanding) but really it will be remembered as a New Order tune.
Secondly, on the vinyl there is an uncredited song within the live material, that being Twenty Four Hours. A great song which doesn't make it to the CD, because it wouldn't fit. Knowing that the concert is incomplete bothers me, as does not having one of my favorite songs from the tape I had of my friend's vinyl copy circa 1987.
Next up, Sister Ray. Sister Ray, for what it is worth, is completely out of place. They could have cut Sister Ray out and put in Twenty Four Hours, but no, they didn't do that. Sister Ray serves to break up the flow of the album (The live stuff starts with Sister Ray, obviously a concert closer)and it is pretty bad in my opinion. Some people love it, I find it hard to listen to. Half of the time it gets skipped when I listen to the CD.

Finally, there are just some spots in the concert that Curtis wasn't up to form. There is a spot where he must have left his mic behind and wandered off, still singing.

Even with these shortcomings, Still is still a good album. Ceremony is a great song regardless of the technical difficulty, most of the live stuff is heartfelt and top form, and the studio remainders are fairly decent songs in there own right. Because of this I recommend buying this CD.

You can see a complete list of all Joy Division discography, or go back to the Joy Division tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.