I don’t feel like counting right now, so I’ll go ahead and guesstimate that since Joy Division’s dissolution in 1980 there have been around a dozen compilation albums scraped together and shoved at fans. For those keeping score, that’s six times more releases than the band put out themselves, trumping even The Smiths’ fondness for repackaging their goodies every five or so years. These anthologies aren’t all bad by any means, but what baffles me is why after the near perfect Substance compilation, released in 1988, anyone has even bothered to try again.
Sure, there are always one or two unreleased tracks or mixes that emerge on each new compilation but what have they really added to the understanding of Joy Division as a band? Not much. At this point, each new rearrangement or repackaging is relying more on listeners buying further into the Ian Curtis mythology than on their interest in hearing a new side of the band, which, unless they unearth the secret Unknown Pleasures reggae mixes, I think we can all agree simply doesn’t exist. Hardcore fans might disagree with me, but the only Joy Division releases you will ever need are their studio LPs, Unknown Pleasures and Closer, and the equally essential Substance.
Substance collects the bands first EP, a handful of tracks they contributed to Factory Records samplers, and their singles and B-sides into an almost flawless whole. These songs are so damn good, it’s hard to know where to start. Easily the strongest track from the An Ideal for Living EP is the smoking “No Love Lost,” which finds Ian Curtis singing in a totally different style than his famous baritone moan and the band generally just not sounding much like Joy Division. It’s a peppier punk sound than you might expect, but give it a chance cause it’s a great break from some of the mopier moments on the LP.
Next up is the double whammy of “Digital” and “Transmission,” and holy hell do these tracks bore their way into your skull. I’ve paired them together because of their shared structure of simply, ultra-catchy bass lines from Peter Hook coupled with violent guitar stabs from Bernard Sumner that build into haunting climaxes. As with most things Joy Division, it’s a spartan sound but one that is so effective because of (not in spite of) the empty space in each track.
Finally, there are the closing tracks “Atmosphere” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” “Love” is great and fairly well known, but I’ve always felt it holds a disproportionately high place in Joy Division’s catalog. The real star of the show is “Atmosphere:” four minutes of chilly keyboards, hammering drums that nearly steal the spotlight at the end, and one of the most somber and soul crushing performances Ian Curtis ever delivered.
Unfortunately, Substance is a bit hard to find on CD, so hopefully when the next inevitable round of Joy Division reissues rolls around someone has the sense to put it out on LP stat!