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The Complete BBC Recordings

Joy Division - The Complete BBC Recordings Audio CD

A fair review of the Joy Division "The Complete BBC Recordings" 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: The Complete BBC Recordings
Rating:

Release Date: 2000-10-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Exercise One 2: Insight 3: She's Lost Control 4: Transmission 5: Love Will Tear Us Apart 6: 24 Hours 7: Colony 8: Sound of Music 9: Transmission [Live] 10: She's Lost Control [Live] 11: Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris Interviewed by Richard Skinner

Don't buy this, get the imported version of the Best of Joy Division instead.
John Peel's radio sessions often caused bands to reimagine and recreate their music in new and challenging ways, and Joy Division is no exception. The rating above does not reflect my views on the importance or the quality of this release. All of these versions, with the band performing these songs live-in-the-studio, give a fresh perspective on the originals since these contain little overdubs, compared to their studio counterparts.

My 2-star review reflects the case that this is out of print, very rare, and quite expensive when found. The actual album itself has been re-released as the bonus disc on the UK version of The Best of Joy Division, which is still in print and available, and cheaper as well. All of the songs on here are available on that, even the interview with Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris. Overall, I suggest you do buy this album, only in that format.

one of a kind
But these live performances are a little different than one might think. "The Complete BBC Recordings" are live radio performances by Joy Division. With that said this is what i mean;the John Peel sessions where recorded "almost live". Joy Division would run through a song several times, then the takes where tweaked with the produer requesting each and every musician to proform "add-ons",which where then mixed into the songs. The finished product is a highly polished live track. So when Joy Division played live in concert, earlier in the evening they would do a soundcheck, two to six songs depending on the time they had, and then play the live show, song after song to the crowds delight,but thats not the case here. The first Peel session was on Jan 31,1979 at BBC's Maida Vale studios, with Bob Sargeant producing and Kick Gomm engineering;no Martin Hannett. Keep in mind this session comes before "Unknown Pleasures" but Martin had produced two songs for them on "The Factory Sample". Four songs where used for this session and then transmitted on the radio during the John Peel show on Feb 14,1979. "Exercise one" "Insight" "She's Lost Control" and "Transmission" are the tracks from the first session. With "Unknown Pleasures" behind them along with three singles "Transmission" "Earcom 2" and "Sordide Sentimentale",Joy Division returned to BBC's Maida Vale Studios to record their second John Peel session on Nov 26,1979. Again four songs where chosen, four songs that would be a part of their second album. These songs had developed during the Buzzcocks tour; "The Sound of Music" "Twenty Four Hours" Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Colony". Only two of these songs would make it on "Closer". The second Peel session was transmitted during the John Peel show on Dec 10,1979. There are ten tracks on this album, with the last two being a more traditional live performance from BBC's T. V. program "Something Else". These two songs are from Sept 15,1979. You will notice a difference between these last two songs and the first eight. This is a brillant performance by Joy Division and a must have for any fan of their music. "We knocked on the doors of Hell's darker chamber,Pushed to the limit,we dragged ourselves in" Ian Curtis, Decades. .

A lot of great stuff "Heart and Soul" left out
HOWEVER, it omits the following BBC Sessions: "Insight," "Transmission," (both versions), "She's Lost Control" (both versions), "The Sound Of Music" and "Twenty Four Hours. "Heart and Soul" is an amazing and comprehensive overview of Joy Division's brief but crucial recorded legacy. " This means almost all of this CD is NOT on Heart and Soul. Which means you should buy it. Now here's my review:

True there were occasional overdubs of a guitar here or vocal there, but Peel Sessions, at least from the punk era, were a great chance to get a "live" recording, but with studio conditions more conducive to solid band performances. Joy Division, never a particularly proficient bunch of musicians, benefitted tremendously from the setting the John Peel Show offered.

Ian's voice on both these sessions was thankfully in good shape. He sounds strong and, relatively speaking, his pitch is solid. His yell at the end of "Transmission" still gives me chills, 15 years after I discovered the 12" vinyl of Session 1. Stephen, Bernie and Hooky all turn in their most consistent, assured performances of the Joy Division era.

Personally, I consider the versions of "Exercise One," "Insight" and "Sound Of Music" to be the definitive versions of these songs. But all eight of the original two Peel Sessions are nothing short of stellar. Of particular interest are the different lyrics in verse 2 of "Colony" and the overall feel of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" without the overdubbed high-hat part on the studio version.

The extra versions of "Transmission" and "She's Lost Control" come from a different British radio show, "Something Else" and were recorded on September 15, 1979. Both are good, but a tad inferior in sound quality. "She's Lost Control" is absolutely manic - a little too fast for my taste.

More than anything, it was the Peel Sessions that got me into Joy Division. If you are not a big fan of the (over)production style of Martin Hannett, then you should love this. In any case, this is top quality live-in-the-studio material from a great, unique band.

Transmission: Intensity Times Two
Moby. More than 25 years after the death of Ian Curtis, the loss magnifies, and the impact made by Joy Division becomes ever more apparent. Nine Inch Nails. Interpol. The list of artists influenced by Joy Division are too many to mention.

Begin with Unknown Pleasures or the Substance Collection, but pick up the BBC sessions not only for better versions of Transmission and Exercise One -- untouched by producer Martin Hannett (just as C. Roark "tri-zeta" pointed out in the first review posted here [though I will point out the Pink Floyd influence is impossible, as Joy Division's Peel session was from January 1979 and Pink Floyd's The Wall was not released until November that year]) -- but also for what used to be rare recordings of Transmission and She's Lost Control (tracks 9 and 10 here) from Something Else (recorded for Radio One in September 1979).

When all's said and done, it's the two versions of Transmission that are worth the price of this BBC Sessions disc. The first, from the John Peel show, is a different and superior arrangement than what you'll hear on Substance. The latter, though a little raspy, is just plain intense. And that intensity is what Joy Division is all about.

Joy Division through a different lens.
I was rather suprised by the consistency of these tracks. This is Joy Division away from the influences of Martin Hannett, who produced both their studio albums and is largely credited with helping craft their sound. There are only 10, and both Transmission and SLC get worked over twice. They are pretty tight, demonstrating that Joy Division's songs were about substance and not style- they sounded just as great when transmuted to a different settting. The sound is more full-bodied, not as cold and skeletal as the Hannett productions. Again, I was happily surprised.

Exercise One (great song, even despite that it subtley plagiarizes a Pink Floyd riff from "The Wall") is short and crisp. Insight is denser- never liked that track so much. The first SLC is very digitized, sounds somewhere between the studio take and the 12". . . they definitely played with it. Transmission (1) is one of the more consistent sounding (studio) takes I've heard (better done live on many bootlegs) of it. LWTUA is easily as good as the studio takes released for Factory. 24 Hours seems faster and more confident heret than on Closer. Ian's voice sounds better too- I like the drum-sound, well done. Colony kinda bugs me- not as sludgy as it should sound, I think. I like the Closer version better. Still, Ian's voice is good on the track. Sound of Music is much denser and deeper here than on the single. Transmission (2) is very quick-paced and pretty thin. It's not as urgent or tense as the first take. Finally, the second version of SLC is very fast and urgent and raw as hell- sounds like a schizo demo! It's uniquely badass, and stands up alongside both the studio and 12" versions! Love it- the guitar, when it comes in, is like a fistfull of bees and saw blades.

All in all, pretty solid. The interview is kind of a letdown- standard interview fare. Very short- about 3 minutes or something. The fact that's there's so few tracks make this prety much for the hardcore fanatics, zealots and true believers, only. The average JD fan probably won't like this as much as the elect- but then, oh well. . .

.

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.