Still (Joy Division album)

Last updated

Still
Still1981.jpg
Compilation album by
Released9 October 1981
RecordedOctober 1978 – 2 May 1980
Genre Post-punk
Length83:25
Label Factory – FACT40
Producer Martin Hannett
Joy Division compilations chronology
Still
(1981)
Substance
(1988)
Joy Division chronology
Closer
(1980)
Still
(1981)
The Peel Sessions
(1986)

Still is a compilation album by English rock band Joy Division, consisting of previously released and unreleased studio material and a live recording of Joy Division's last concert, performed at Birmingham University. It was released on 9 October 1981 by Factory Records.

Contents

Background

Still was released after the death of the band's frontman Ian Curtis. It consists of previously unused or unavailable studio material and live recordings. [1] The album includes the only live performance by the group of the song "Ceremony", which later became a New Order single. The recording abruptly begins just before the song's first chorus; like all surviving Joy Division recordings of "Ceremony", Curtis's vocals are barely audible, though in this instance the final chorus is unusually clear. Another song featured is a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray", recorded at the Moonlight Club in London on 2 April 1980.

Release

Originally planned for release in August, Still was eventually released in October 1981. It reached No. 5 in the UK upon its release, [2] and peaked at No. 3 in New Zealand in February 1982.[ citation needed ]

The CD version of the album was released in March 1990 and was the first edition to delete "Twenty Four Hours".

Still, along with Closer and Unknown Pleasures , was remastered and reissued on 17 September 2007. The remaster was packaged with a bonus disc of live recordings from the Town Hall, High Wycombe on 20 February 1980. [3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
BBC Music (mixed) [5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Pitchfork 8.4/10 [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

Joshua Klein of Pitchfork called the album "a ragged, enigmatic coda; an uneven odds-and-ends collection of lost tracks that fills in some gaps in Joy Division's history and legacy". [7] BBC Music called it "a partly frustrating compilation". [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joy Division (Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner), except "Sister Ray", written by John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Lou Reed and Maureen Tucker

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Exercise One" (recorded in April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport during sessions for Unknown Pleasures )3:06
2."Ice Age" (recorded in October–November 1979 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale during sessions for the "Licht und Blindheit" single)2:24
3."The Sound of Music" (recorded in January 1980 at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham during sessions for the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" single)3:55
4."Glass" (recorded in October 1978 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale; originally released on A Factory Sample )3:56
5."The Only Mistake" (recorded in April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport during sessions for Unknown Pleasures)4:17
Side B
No.TitleLength
6."Walked in Line" (recorded in April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport during sessions for Unknown Pleasures)2:47
7."The Kill" (recorded in April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport during sessions for Unknown Pleasures)2:15
8."Something Must Break" (recorded in July 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport during sessions for the "Transmission" single)2:48
9."Dead Souls" (recorded in October–November 1979 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale. Originally released as the b-side of the "Licht und Blindheit" single)4:53
10."Sister Ray" (The Velvet Underground cover; recorded live at the Moonlight Club, London on 2 April 1980)7:36
Side C
No.TitleLength
11."Ceremony" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:50
12."Shadowplay" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:57
13."Means to an End" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)4:01
14."Passover" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)5:10
15."New Dawn Fades" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)4:01
16."Twenty Four Hours" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980; extra track on original vinyl and cassette versions only)4:26
Side D
No.TitleLength
17."Transmission" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:40
18."Disorder" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:24
19."Isolation" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:05
20."Decades" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)5:47
21."Digital" (recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980)3:52
2007 CD remaster bonus disc (live at High Wycombe Town Hall, 20 February 1980)
No.TitleLength
1."The Sound of Music" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)4:19
2."A Means to an End" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:57
3."Colony" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)4:06
4."Twenty Four Hours" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)4:20
5."Isolation" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)2:49
6."Love Will Tear Us Apart" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:14
7."Disorder" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:13
8."Atrocity Exhibition" (recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)5:58
9."Isolation" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:00
10."The Eternal" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:36
11."Ice Age" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:16
12."Disorder" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:14
13."The Sound of Music" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)4:05
14."A Means to an End" (soundcheck: recorded live at High Wycombe Town Hall on 20 February 1980)3:45
Total length:53:12

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Still
Chart (2022)Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] 56

Certifications

Certifications for Still 2007 reissue
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [10] Gold100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joy Division</span> English rock band

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Curtis</span> English musician (1956–1980)

Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was best known as the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). He was noted for his distinct on-stage behaviour and unique dancing style influenced by his experiences with epilepsy, as well as his dark baritone voice. Retrospectively viewed as "one of the finest songwriters of his generation," his intensely introspective and dark lyricism has provoked "visceral and raw emotions" among fans.

<i>Closer</i> (Joy Division album) 1980 studio album by Joy Division

Closer is the second and final studio album by the English rock band Joy Division, released on 18 July 1980 by Factory Records. Produced by Martin Hannett, it was released two months after the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 3 in New Zealand in September 1981. Closer was also named NME Album of the Year. It was remastered and re-released in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Hannett</span> Musical artist & record producer

James Martin Hannett was a British record producer, musician and an original partner/director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Hannett produced music by artists including Joy Division, the Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio, Magazine, John Cooper Clarke, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Happy Mondays. His distinctive production style embraced atmospheric sounds and electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hook</span> English musician

Peter Hook is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings with a signature heavy chorus effect. In New Order, he would do this, leaving the actual basslines to keyboards or sequencers.

<i>Unknown Pleasures</i> 1979 studio album by Joy Division

Unknown Pleasures is the debut studio album by the English rock band Joy Division, released on 15 June 1979, by Factory Records. The album was recorded and mixed over three successive weekends at Stockport's Strawberry Studios in April 1979, with producer Martin Hannett contributing a number of unconventional recording techniques to the group's sound. The cover artwork was designed by artist Peter Saville, using a data plot of signals from a radio pulsar. It is the only Joy Division album released during lead singer Ian Curtis's lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceremony (New Order song)</span> 1981 single

"Ceremony" is a song written by Joy Division, and first released as New Order's debut single in 1981. The track and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were recorded as Joy Division prior to the death of Ian Curtis. Both were re-recorded and carried over to Joy Division's re-formation as New Order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Will Tear Us Apart</span> 1980 single by Joy Division

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980 as a non-album single. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released the month after his suicide.

<i>Heart and Soul</i> (Joy Division album) 1997 box set by Joy Division

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"She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. Released on their 1979 debut album, Unknown Pleasures, "She's Lost Control" was first performed live by the band in June 1978 and draws primary lyrical inspiration from a young woman experiencing a violent epileptic seizure.

"Isolation" is a song by English rock band Joy Division. It appears on their second and final studio album Closer (1980). The song is based on an electronic drum beat by Stephen Morris, accompanied by a thin, trebly keyboard part by Bernard Sumner. Midway through the song, a rushing drum and hi-hat motif come in, propelling the song toward its dramatic end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmission (song)</span> 1979 song by Joy Division

"Transmission" is a song by English post-punk band Joy Division. Originally recorded in 1978 for the band's aborted self-titled album, it was later re-recorded the following year at a faster tempo and released by record label Factory as the band's debut single.

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References

  1. "Joy Division | Artist | Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  2. "Joy Division | Artist | Official Charts". theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. "Joy Division Concert: 20th February 1980: Town Hall, High Wycombe". joydiv.org. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. "Still – Joy Division | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  5. 1 2 Jones, Chris (14 September 2007). "BBC – Music – Review of Joy Division – Still". BBC . Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Joy Division". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Omnibus Press. pp. 509–11. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  7. 1 2 Klein, Joshua (29 October 2007). "Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures / Closer / Still | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork . Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  8. Lynskey, Dorian (October 2007). "[Still review]". Q (255).
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Joy Division – Still" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  10. "British album certifications – Joy Division – Still". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 September 2022.