'79 debut albums poll

'79 debut albums poll Jul 19, 2017 21:12:18 GMT

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Post by marco26 on Jul 19, 2017 21:12:18 GMT

Jul 19, 2017 20:53:49 GMT darknessfish said:

Jul 19, 2017 16:21:50 GMT marco26 said:

It is easy to comprehend that "Unknown Pleasures" is not a great album because "Unknown Pleasures" is not a great album.

The mark on Joy Division is that they were not an album band, they were a singles band. That is true. Just look at the some of the songs they released that were not on any album:

"Atmosphere"
"Glass"
"These Days"
"Dead Souls"
"Transmission"
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Those are brilliant tunes. Joy Division's single/EP/compilation releases were far better than any full album they ever did.

And if you think "Unknown Pleasures" is a great album, then you should actually give a listen to the songs that are on that album before Martin Hannett got a hold of them. Just listen to this incredible earlier version of "Interzone." You still want to say "Unknown Pleasures" is a great album?

Well, I think it's obvious that we're not going to agree here. The Warsaw version of "Interzone" is just a straight-forward scratchy punk number. With Martin Hannett in the producer's chair it's got much more depth of sound. Giving Ian the secondary vocal, his lines are almost those of a detached, quizzical observer. Toning down the bass, and putting Bernard's guitar line much further back in the mix, he's literally improved the track immeasurably and given it a character that it was entirely lacking before.

"Atmosphere" and "Transmission" from your list are the only songs which are in the same league as anything from Unknown Pleasures. They're one of the few bands of the era who weren't a singles band, imo.

The Hannett production debate for that band is forever ongoing. All I can say is that the very band members themselves have said that they were not fully pleased with Hannett's production. Bernie many times has stated that his guitar work is buried too deep in the mix and manipulated far too much by effects.

Yes, I know Hannett gave that band a sound that is iconic. But he also took some great kick ass songs and changed them into sonic mood pieces. I do think the songs on "Closer" work well with Hannett's production (where would a song like "Decades" be without Hannett?); but the songs on "Unknown Pleasure" were great rock songs that should have been left as was. Are you really going to tell me "Disorder" was improved by Hannett's screwing with it? My God, the live version on "Still" blows away Hannett's effects-laden project. When you have a great song, just let the song be! Hannett never learned that basic rule of production.