Closer (Joy Division album)
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| Closer | ||
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| Studio album by Joy Division | ||
| Released | 18 July 1980 | |
| Recorded | March 18–30, 1980 at Britannia Row Studios, Islington, London | |
| Genre | Post-Punk | |
| Length | 44:16 | |
| Label | Factory Records | |
| Producer(s) | Martin Hannett, Joy Division | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joy Division chronology | ||
| Unknown Pleasures (1979) |
Closer (1980) |
Still (1981) |
Closer is a 1980 album by Joy Division. It was the band's second and final album, after Unknown Pleasures. It is considered one of the landmark albums of the post-punk movement as well as one of the finest albums of the 1980s. The album was scheduled to be released on May 8, 1980, but ended up arriving in stores in July, shortly after lead singer Ian Curtis' suicide. The record was originally released on the Factory Records label as a 12" LP and reached #6 on the UK Albums Chart.
Closer, produced by Martin Hannett, has a sound which is both lusher and more sombre than Unknown Pleasures, with more use of synthesizers and studio effects. Many of its songs have a despairing, funereal feel, and its cover art appears to reflect this. The album cover was designed by Martyn Atkins and Peter Saville, with photography from Bernard Pierre Wolf. The cemetery on the cover is Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno in Genoa, Italy.
The opening track, "Atrocity Exhibition", is named after The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 157 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
In 2002, Pitchfork Media listed Closer as #10 in its "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". [1]
[edit] Track listing
- "Atrocity Exhibition" – 6:06
- "Isolation" – 2:53
- "Passover" – 4:46
- "Colony" – 3:55
- "A Means to an End" – 4:07
- "Heart and Soul" – 5:51
- "Twenty Four Hours" – 4:26
- "The Eternal" – 6:07
- "Decades" – 6:09
[edit] Personnel
- Ian Curtis - vocals, guitar on "Heart and Soul"
- Bernard Sumner - guitar, synthesizers, bass on "Atrocity Exhibition"
- Peter Hook - bass, guitar on "Atrocity Exhibition"
- Stephen Morris - drums
- Martin Hannett - producer, engineer
- Michael Johnson - assistant engineer
- Bernard Pierre Wolfe - photography
- John Caffery - engineer
[edit] External links
| Joy Division |
| Ian Curtis | Bernard Sumner | Peter Hook | Stephen Morris Former members: Terry Mason | Tony Tabac | Steve Brotherdale |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums: Unknown Pleasures | Closer |
| Compilation Albums: The Peel Sessions | The Complete BBC Recordings | Permanent | Heart and Soul | Preston Warehouse | Les Bains Douches | The Warsaw Demo | Fractured Box Set | Still | Substance |
| Singles & EPs: An Ideal for Living | Transmission | Licht und Blindheit | Komakino | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Atmosphere/She's Lost Control |
| Related articles |
| Factory Records | The Haçienda | 24 Hour Party People | Martin Hannett | Peter Saville | Tony Wilson | Rob Gretton | New Order |
