Despite their short career, Joy Division were one of the best known bands from the post-punk era. The Manchester quartet had previously operated as a punk band named Warsaw, but didn’t find their signature sound until they slowed down their tempo and producer Martin Hannett drenched them in reverb. The reverb brought out all their distinctive features – Peter Hook’s bass as lead instrument, Bernard Albrecht’s jagged wall of guitar noise, and Stephen Morris’ robotic drumming. And most distinctively of all, Ian Curtis’ chilling, tortured baritone.
The group only released two studio albums before Curtis’ passing and their transition into New Order, but some of their best known material never made it to an full-length record. Their signature song is the non-album single ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ with its synthesizer hook. Another notable release was the Licht und Blindheit single, a French only release with ‘Atmosphere’ as the a-side and ‘Dead Souls’ as the b-side.
‘Dead Souls’ is named after the 19th century Russian novel by Nikolai Gogol – based on the title, you’d expect a dark novel, but it’s classified as picaresque and satire. The song on the other hand, is pure intensity, and its one of the group’s most conventionally rocking songs, with crunchy guitars in the chorus, without sacrificing their usual intense eeriness.
The group’s single material, including ‘Dead Souls’ has been collected on the compilation Substance, which doesn’t hang together as well as their studio records, but which features some of their most essential songs.
New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, a few miles up the road from me, has a famous Ian Curtis wall: https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/68148425/null
Someone take these dreams away
That point me to another day
A duel of personalities
That stretch all true realitiesThat keep calling me
They keep calling me
Keep on calling me
They keep calling meWhere figures from the past stand tall
And mocking voices ring the halls
Imperialistic house of prayer
Conquistadors who took their shareThat keep calling me
They keep calling me
Keep on calling me
They keep calling meCalling me, calling me
Calling me, calling me
They keep calling me
Keep on calling meThey keep calling me
They keep calling me
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Not knowing Joy Division that well, I snapped up a 2CD best of not long back (the second disc comprising BBC sessions). “Dead souls” was one of the tracks that really grabbed me, so I enjoyed this piece Graham.
I think it’s generally one of their best loved songs, even though it was initially released as a b-side. Glad you enjoyed it.
Yeah, the eeriness is what defines Joy Division for me. Amazing guitar work. Great b-side by a great band!
It’s much more riff-heavy than most of their songs – you could imagine it getting radio play, maybe…
Those descriptions of the 4 musicians are spot on!
Lots of punk bands are like that – they had to play within technical limitations and therefore developed a unique sound. Same with U2, who were big Joy Division fans.
Like this cut and their sound. Another band that I didn’t listen to enough. I like the groove they get into on this one.
Their catalogue’s not that big – 2 studio albums plus the compilation Substance, and you’ve heard most of their stuff.
I have the ‘Substance’ tracks so I guess I’m covered but I still have to listen to it more.
There’s basically no crossover with Substance and the two studio albums.
[…] centuries ago are calling out to the writer [Ian Curtis, singer and lyricist] here and now. Another point of view is that Curtis named the song after the 1842 novel of the same name by Russian author Nikolai […]