Joy Division - Permanent

For those curious about Joy Division, but wary of diving into the double-disc compilation Substance or the band's two outstanding studio albums, the single-disc Permanent provides a strong, representative sampling of the band's songs. These 15 tracks (culled from the studio records and non-album singles) remind listeners that, among other things, Joy Division was a tally of the time in its brilliant presaging of punk's metamorphosis into moody, introspective, synth-tinged dance music.

But Joy Division cannot be reduced to a page in late-1970s history--the group's music sounds as fresh and uncompromising decades later as it did in '79. Led by Ian Curtis's possessed, anguished vocals, the quartet's sound is an intuitive navigation of chaos--propulsive drum lines, angular guitar riffs, and throbbing bass. Though it often seems on the verge of flying apart, the music coalesces in its fierceness and intensity. Permanent covers most of Joy Division's memorable moments--"These Days," "Isolation," "She's Lost Control," "Heart and Soul," "Love Will Tear Us Apart," among others--and reveals a remarkably influential and powerful band. Live Recording