Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (Thirty Three and a Third series)
by Chris Ott
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 67)
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
JD fans
Never before paid such close attention to the left/right divide of my headphones until reading this essay. Having read Touching From a Distance by Deborah Curtis and watched a number of informative films regarding the Factory Records/Joy Division situation, I was surprised by Ott's sing along style of analysis. He seems to say the same thing as everyone else: Ian Curtis was an unrealized genius and sadly took his life because he couldn't deal with his epilepsy nor with his poor naive relationshi...more
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Read in January, 2008
I recently saw the film, Control, about the short, tragic life of former Joy Division front man Ian Curtis. I first became interested in Joy Division when I started listening to punk and post-punk music back in high school. One of my early favorites was New Order (the which formed after Curtis’ suicide). I knew that Continuum Books, of the famous 33 1/3 imprimatur, had an edition devoted to Joy Division’s first album. Unknown Pleasures by Chris Ott. Between the book and the movie, both of wh...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
my sister-in-law
Although the books in the 33 1/3 series are supposed to provide in-depth analysis (or record-geek wankery) on just one album, this slim volume manages to cover just about every note Joy Division recorded, from their scrappy EP as Warsaw through both JD studio albums, the singles, live cuts, and even the first couple New Order songs. Ott also manages to discuss Ian Curtis' personal life and marital troubles, important medical information about epilepsy and its treatment, lots of lyrics, and a lis...more
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recommends it for:
joy division fanatics
i find the 33 1/3 series touch & go - for instance the Ok Computer one was abysmal, but i liked this one. didn't love it unfortunately. its a pretty straightforward, chronological account of the band thru the recording of the 1st record. he throws in a little exegesis, but, maybe since so much overwrought stuff has been written about the band/Ian Curtis he's trying to keep his toes on the right side of the line. i find it a little too conservative, but you can't help but marvel at Curtis...more
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Chris Ott is a clumsy writer who hobbles from distant to-do list recitation of chronological events, to awkwardly placed quotes, to weird, would-be emotive poesy. His pacing sucks, he seems to have no excitement, and he amazingly makes a book about one of the most influential albums and one of the most compelling rock figures into a totally boring read.
And then he has the pretentiousness to include a list of the records he was listening to while he was working on the book.
Laughably shi...more
And then he has the pretentiousness to include a list of the records he was listening to while he was working on the book.
Laughably shi...more
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If you're a fan of Joy Division, this is a must. Its only 100 pages (and these are tiny pages with regular size print), and provides very interesting insight into the stories behind Unknown Pleasures, as well as the meanings of the songs and how the lyrics of this album in many ways make clear Curtis's developing intention to kill himself. I found it especially interesting how much of the lyrical content is in some way about epilepsy (eg: "I Remember Nothing"-- epileptics never have an...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
music enthusiasts
http://33third.blogspot.com/">http://33third.blogspot.com/
this is a great series. if anyone has any others and wants to trade, i'm down. ALSO, writer folk: continuum is currently, but only for a few more days, having open calls for pitches for their next book. this would probably be completely awesome to work on, so get on it peoples! (see link)
this is a great series. if anyone has any others and wants to trade, i'm down. ALSO, writer folk: continuum is currently, but only for a few more days, having open calls for pitches for their next book. this would probably be completely awesome to work on, so get on it peoples! (see link)
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Read in January, 2008
In addition to giving a nice explanation of the recording of Unknown Pleasures, it's also a godd overview of the band's career and the troubles of Ian Curtis. I would've liked to hear more about Hannett's techniques but there was a good amount of that as well. I love Joy Division though so what the hell do you want?
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
24 Hour Party People
Have you seen the movie Control? If not, you should. This book reads like the script, which it may have been, since it came out a bit before the aforementioned movie. Good, but not as detailed as others in this series. Sometimes I get weighed down by a lot of the recording processes. I just dig the music man.
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Read in September, 2007
the cover art to Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, "100 consecutive pulses from the pulsar CP 1919" = "the sound of a dying star". "Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance to the Radio!"
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A love letter to a wonderful album by an imperfect band. Contains lots of terminology that means little to me, but gathers the essence of a thing that has moved me greatly.
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Read in September, 2005
recommends it for:
Anyone who's lost control
Obssessive dissection of the creation and impact of both Joy Division and the album Unknown Pleasures. Excellent for all JD fans.
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i love the band and i think the author did a great job of not overly romanticising ian curtis' suicide.
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Finally a book in this series where I learned more about the album in question than about the author.
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I love Joy Division and this is a great little book about the band.
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
tech geeks, goths
BO-RING!
Skimmer for sure.
Skimmer for sure.
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