Post-Punk.com
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Terms Of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • Bands
    • Revival Bands
    • Labels
  • Reviews
  • Fashion
  • Log In
  • Home
  • Bands
  • Reviews
  • Fashion
  • Log In
259K Likes
13K Followers
162K Followers
Subscribe
Post-Punk.com
Post-Punk.com Post-Punk.com
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Terms Of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • Bands
    • Revival Bands
    • Labels
  • Reviews
  • Fashion
  • Log In
  • Anniversary
  • Classic Albums
  • Documentary

Joy Division | Closer

  • July 18, 2015
  • post-punk.com
1K
0
0

On July 18th, 1980, Joy Division released their second and final studio album, Closer.  The album was released posthumously through Factory Records, following the suicide of singer Ian Curtis two months earlier.

Producer Martin Hannett while working on the Closer sessions would continue his work mixing Curtis’ vocals for the non-album single “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. This in itself highlighted deeper development in Curtis’ singing style, which according to legend, was the result of a gift of Frank Sinatra records that Factory label head owner Tony Wilson had given Curtis just prior to these sessions.

Hannett would go yet even further with his work refining Curtis’ vocals, working separately with in-studio with Ian away from the other members of Joy Division. This transcended the music stylistically, creating something both sombre and complex, whose dark lyrical content was in hindsight indicative of what was to come to pass.

Ian Curtis in Studio

It was not only the vocals captures during these sessions that make Closer a masterpiece, but also the further integration of hauntingly atmospheric synths courtesy of Bernard Sumner on tracks like “Decades” and “Isolation”, the masterful basslines by Peter Hook on tracks like “24 Hours”, and Stephen Morris’ powerful and unsettling percussion on tracks like “Decades” and “The Eternal”. These combined efforts along with the even darker and atmosphere overall in the Martin Hannett’s production ultimately to Closer being lauded as a gothic masterpiece, surpassing Unknown Pleasures which came out the previous year.

Bernard Sumner and Martin Hannett with an Arp Omni 2. This synthesizer gives tracks like “Decades” and “Heart and Soul” their distinctive sound.

Even the production’s only glaring mistake—the mishap with a razor in editing the end of “Isolation”, adds to the beauty of this flawless album.

The cover artwork for Closer was designed by both Martyn Atkins and Peter Saville. The photograph on the cover was taken by Bernard Pierre Wolff, and is an image of Jesus and Mary from Appiani family tomb in the Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno in Genoa, Italy.

The tomb is from the same cemetery that was also chosen for the sleeve for “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. Bassist Peter Hook would later personally visit these tombs for the first time in 2015, thirty-five years after the release of both the album and single.

Watch below the 2007 documentary on Joy Division, where Peter Saville comments that he, upon learning of singer Ian Curtis’s suicide, expressed immediate concern over the album’s design, remarking “we’ve got a tomb on the cover of the album!”

Side A

  1. “Atrocity Exhibition”
  2. “Isolation”
  3. “Passover”
  4. “Colony”
  5. “A Means to an End”

Side B

  1.  “Heart and Soul”
  2. “Twenty Four Hours”
  3. “The Eternal”
  4.  “Decades”

Please support Post-Punk.com! You can do so via:

  • Patreon:

  • or directly via Paypal:

  • Or by using our new Contact form here:

 

Listen to our Best of 2021 Playlist:

Total
1K
Shares
Share 1K
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • Closer
  • Factory Records
  • Ian Curtis
  • Joy Division
post-punk.com

From the Editor at Post-Punk.com

Previous Article
  • New Releases
  • News

Editors 5th studio album “In Dream” out October 2nd

  • July 17, 2015
  • post-punk.com
View Post
Next Article
  • Anniversary
  • Classic Albums

Echo and The Bunnymen | Crocodiles

  • July 19, 2015
  • post-punk.com
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Bands
  • Breakup
  • Classic Bands
  • Documentary
  • Tour Dates
  • Tourdates

The B-52’s Announce Final Tour Ever of Planet Earth

  • Alice Teeple
  • April 26, 2022
View Post
  • Art
  • Bands
  • Classic Bands
  • Documentary
  • Film

“Rip It Up And Start Again” Post-Punk Documentary to be Released

  • Alice Teeple
  • February 10, 2022
View Post
  • Anniversary
  • Classic Bands

U2 Perform an Acoustic Version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to Mark 50th Anniversary of Massacre

  • post-punk.com
  • January 30, 2022
View Post
  • Bands
  • Documentary

Watch the “Making of Warbly Jets’ Monsterhouse” Album Documentary

  • post-punk.com
  • October 14, 2021
View Post
  • Classic Albums
  • Classic Bands

Modern English Announce “After the Snow” 40th Anniversary North American Tour Dates for 2022

  • post-punk.com
  • October 13, 2021
View Post
  • Bands
  • Classic Albums
  • Classic Bands
  • Collaborations

The Jazz Butcher Pat Fish Has Passed Away

  • Alice Teeple
  • October 6, 2021
View Post
  • Concerts
  • crowdfunding
  • Documentary

Chicago Darkwave Act Replicant Debut “Live in Dystopia” Concert Film

  • Alice Teeple
  • July 22, 2021
View Post
  • Classic Albums
  • Classic Bands
  • Fashion
  • Fashion

Siouxsie and The Banshees’ Dazzle Featured In Sofia Coppola-Directed Chanel Campaign

  • Alice Teeple
  • July 7, 2021




Facebook
Social Links
Facebook 259K Likes
Twitter 13K Followers
Instagram 162K Followers
Spotify




Post-Punk.com
© Copyright POST-PUNK.COM 2022
The Sister's of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch circa 1981 2K 7
Melbourne Post-Punk Outfit Town Ace Debut Video for “Goons” 312 2
On this day in 1983, Big Country released their eponymous single “Big Country”. 496 11
Chilean Coldwave Duo Ángel De La Guarda Make Their Debut With the Video for “Crimen” 730 10
Happy Birthday Grace Jones! 2K 13
Please support Post-Punk.com and help us keep running and stay independent! 348 2

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Please support Post-Punk.com! You can do so via...
  • Patreon:
  • Directly via Paypal:
  • Or by using our new Contact form here:
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT