Joy Division, Part Two

In 1981, the remaining band members released the B-sides and live collection, “Still,” which included longtime art director Peter Saville’s tasteful, personal goodbye: a cursive ‘f’ on the somber gray cover (for ‘final’ or ‘finale’.)

The remaining members, plus Stephen Morris’ girlfriend (later, wife) Gillian Gilbert, formed New Order. Exploring dance music and moving in a more electronic, club-oriented direction, New Order would create a brilliant, influential legacy of their own during their most prolific period in the 1980’s.

In 1988, the remaining members of Joy Division released the highly recommended “Substance,” which made available some of the band’s hard-to-find singles. This collection is hardly an afterthought, however. Rather, through previously unavailable singles like “Digital,” “Dead Souls,” “Transmission,” and, of course, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” we can see the band progress from neophyte punks to gloom-rock royalty.

Numerous compilations, tributes, and even a box set have been released in the years since Joy Division’s demise. The band has been listed as an influence by literally hundreds of artists, including such giants of alternative rock as Jane’s Addiction, Yo La Tengo, Moby, and U2.

Rock and roll would have been a poorer place if not for the four lads from Manchester, who took the sound and feel of the factory, the bleak existence of the working class, and the sum of their considerable talents, and formed a legendary band. Joy Division may have lasted only a few short years, but their legacy, as they themselves have noted, is permanent.

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