Joy Division: Piece by Piece: Writing About Joy Division 1977 2007

Joy Division: Piece by Piece: Writing About Joy Division 1977 2007 by Paul Morley

Paul Morley observed Joy Division from the very start (before they were even called Warsaw.) Their early concerts were nothing special. They were one of many bands that had some potential. They were mentioned here in there in the context of the many new bands that were popping up on the Manchester scene after the Sex Pistols concert.

Then the author fell in love with Joy Division. He wasn't even allowed to review Unknown Pleasure because he loved it so much. He got to know the band well. He could not say enough about the band and their music. He knew the musicians and all the people around them (The producer, Martin Hannett; Factory records owner Tony Wilson; Designer Peter Saville, etc.) He was just a much a member of the scene.

The death of Ian Curtis put his Joy Division love on overdrive. They became almost deified. His favorite band was now frozen in time.

The writing is incredibly verbose. A lot of parts must be rapidly skimmed just to keep the context. Names and bands are dropped with abandon. while some essays were explicitly about Joy Divisions, others are only tangentially related. (A long essay on a band may mention that Joy Division was an influence.)  The tone feels like that of a zine written by somebody deeply embedded with the musicians who could not be concerned with editing. He is not an impatient observer, but likely played a role in the legend of Joy Division.