Joy Division “Substance”

Joy Division “Substance” 1988 (2015 reissue). Factory Records. Today, February 13th, is Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook’s 65th birthday (b. Peter Woodhead, 1956). Substance is a comp of Joy Division’s singles, b-sides and EP tracks from ‘77-’80; the double LP 2015 reissue includes a couple of extra tracks not on the original, including “Love Will Tear Us Apart (Pennine version)” and “These Days” both of which were the B-side to the original “Love Will Tear Us Apart” single (considered one of the best singles ever released in the UK, it hit #13 in the UK and went to #42 on the US dance chart).  Besides that amazing song, other iconic Joy Division songs appear like “Warsaw” (so much more snotty punk than their subsequent songs) which is also on the EP An Ideal for Living, “Digital” from the EP A Factory Sample ( “Digital” was the last song ever performed by Joy Division in 1980 before Ian Curtis’ suicide), “Transmission” (their first released single in ‘79), a different version of “She’s Lost Control” than appears on Unknown Pleasures – this one much more goth/industrial, “Atmosphere” which was released as a single after Curtis’ death in ‘80 (#34 UK), “Komakino” (a rare single from ‘80 given away by some record stores in flexi disc format), and the brilliant original “Dead Souls” (covered by Nine Inch Nails in ‘94 for The Crow soundtrack).