Today, exactly 45 years ago, John Peel broadcast the first Peel Sessions, performed by Joy Division
Today, exactly 45 years ago (14 February 1979) John Peel broadcast the first Peel Sessions, a studio live session performed and recorded by Joy Division at the BBC Maida Vale studios in London on January 31st, 1979.
Below the setlist of this recording & broadcast session.
Exercise One
Insight
She's Lost Control
Transmission
At the time of broadcasting, all performed songs were previously unreleased.
Later that same year, on 10th December, John Peel broadcast a second recording session by Joy Division
7 years later, in 1986, the first 'The Peel Sessions' EP, was released by Strange Fruit Records. The version of Transmission featured on this EP is one of the few recordings available where both Ian Curtis and Bernard Sumner played guitars at the same time.
The EP spent thirteen weeks on the UK Indie Chart, peaking at number 4.
The release of a second volume of the Joy Division Peel Sessions would follow in 1987.
Below you can listen to the original repeat tranmission broadcasted by John Peel on 5th April.
Today, Peter Hook (Born Peter Woodhead) of Joy Division and New Order turns 68 years of age. Celebrating his career in music is near impossible with respect to the remarkable success he achieved with the aforementioned bands, however that moment in time at the start of his career may perhaps be the place that sums up Hooky the best. Something he has taken to revisit in recent years with his band Peter Hook And The Light, again touring the individual albums this year which will see him perform the albums Technique and ‘Republic’ in their entirety. Keeping the flame burning brightly as his own unique support act at all shows where he performs a selection of Joy Division numbers in his own faithful style.
Transmission
The pulsing bass , the thunder of the drums, the synthesiser and bass working perfectly as a unit, and then Ian Curtis singing in his low-larynx-gothic projection;
"When the routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And the resentment rides high
But emotions won't grow",
'Love will tear us apart', perhaps one of the most memorable songs by Joy Division,their calling card,released posthumously after Ian's death.The lyrics a mirror of his frame of mind and his failing marriage to Deborah(Deborah Woodruff).
To say one song was all there was to Joy Division,that they can be defined by three minutes and eighteen minutes of dark thumbing brilliance or even their two studios albums of perfect surreal-starkness-,'Unknown Pleasures' 1979 and 'Closer' 1980.
The metamorphosis that happened with New Order does not define anything that happened before either.
Joy Division were a sum of everything that was good about Punk and 70s music in general. Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and certainly David Bowie and his Berlin era, with 'Low' and 'Heroes' an inspiration, after all pre-Joy Division were called Warsaw taken from the Bowie song of the same name.
But Curtis injected his own vision and distinctive voice to it, Joy Division have influenced so much about today's modern music from The Cure to Radiohead.
Manchester
One of the biggest influences on the Manchester scene was the infamous gig by the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall on the 6th-of -June 1976 as part of the Anarchy tour. In the audience that night were, apart from Curtis, future members of the Buzzcocks were present, whose founder member Pete Shelley organized the gig and even opened for the Pistols. But more importantly to the story the two founders of Factory Records Martin Hannet and Tony Wilson. On a side note however. also present and influenced was Mark E. Smith of The Fall, Mick Hucknall of Frantic Elevators and much later Simply Red and one Steven Patrick Morrissey, who would form The Smiths. The influence that one night had on the late 70's and early 80's music industry is staggering.
The goth-injected, controlled passion of Joy Divisions second and final album 'Closer',is in essence a brilliant rock album, some have gone as far to say the best rock album of the-eighties. Released posthumously on July-the-18th 1980 almost two months after the death of Ian Curtis.
Unloved by Sumner and Hook, unhappy again with Martin Hannets mix, very hard to imagine why as Hannet, both genius and madman, has managed to merge the bands sound into a more positive and melodic experience than on 'Unknown Pleasures'.
Peter Hook and New Order exist as two separate entities now, but their sound is rooted as it always will be very much in the past.
Producer/composer Phil Western (Download/PlatEAU/...) passed way on this day, 5 years ago.
Phil Western (°12 August, 1971, † 9 February, 2019) was a producer/engineer/composer and programmer who has been active in music for close to 20 years and has close to 40 albums released to date.
He is known for his collaborative work with his close friend Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy) in the electronic music projects like Download and PlatEAU, as well as his own solo albums, many of which have been released on his own label, The Record Company. His production and engineering work includes remixes for Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Monster Magnet and many others.
May he rest in peace.
DISCOGS
Electronic band, Delusive Relics have just unveiled their new single, "Fairy Ring".
A fairy ring is a naturally occurring circular or arc-shaped pattern of mushrooms or other fungi that grows in grassy areas. These rings are formed by the underground mycelium (network of fungal threads) of certain fungi, and the mushrooms or toadstools that appear above ground are the reproductive structures of the fungi.
Fairy rings can vary in size, with some being just a few feet in diameter and others reaching up to 50 feet or more. The mycelium in the soil expands outward from a central point, and as it depletes nutrients in the center, mushrooms sprout in a ring where the mycelium is still active.
Throughout history, fairy rings have been surrounded by folklore and myths. In European folklore, it was believed that fairy rings were created by dancing fairies during the night. Different cultures have various superstitions and legends associated with these mysterious rings, often linking them to magical or supernatural events.
"Fairy Ring" is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp and Spotify.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 9, 2024 - COP International Records are proud to announce the release of Death & Sex, the latest album from legendary post-punk group The Cassandra Complex.
40 years ago Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and Andy Booth got together in a basement in Leeds, England with a collection of cheap second-hand guitar pedals, synthesisers, and drum machines, and created a post-punk revolution in sound with songs like Moscow Idaho, One Millionth Happy Customer, and Nightfall, which filled alternative dancefloors and topped Indie charts around the world.
In 1993 they released the album Sex & Death to a limited audience. Now, 30 years later, the band have re-recorded this classic record from scratch as Death & Sex and it will finally achieve a worldwide release for the first time as part of their 40 year anniversary celebrations.
Death & Sex features original founders of the band Rodney Orpheus (vocals, synths, drum machines) and Andy Booth (guitar), with long time additional members Chris Haskett (Henry Rollins Band, David Bowie) on guitar and Mera Roberts (Faith and the Muse, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) on cello, plus new member Brent Heinze (Probe 7) on keyboards.
The album, along with many other classic songs from the entire 40 year back catalog of The Cassandra Complex, will be featured on the forthcoming CX40 world tour beginning in the UK in March, and taking in shows in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic, Austria, Latin America, and the USA throughout 2024.
Rodney Orpheus explains: “When we first wrote these songs we didn’t have the tools to fully realise them the way we wanted. Now 30 years later we can finally make them sound the way they always sounded inside our heads.”
Christian Petke, CEO of COP International Records says, “When the band told me that they would start to re-record their back catalog, I was 100% on board. It can be a dicey proposition to “fix” an old record, but I knew that they had the experience and the skill to pull this off. It was a real pleasure to see these classic gems come to new life, and the fans of The Cassandra Complex will love this fresh take.”
Track Listing
Mouth of Heaven
Voices
Kneel to the Boss
Give Me What I Need
Come Out
Satisfy Me
Realm of the Senseless
The album will be released on March 8, 2024 on CD, Bandcamp download, and all streaming services.
In tandem with this release, COP International will also be releasing a newly remastered version of the previous album by The Cassandra Complex, The Plague, which spent 4 weeks at #1 in the German Alternative Charts on original release.
