About Me
Actually this about us!Heres a brief of us and our history.Until the death of singer Ian Curtis in 1980, Joy Division was one of Britain's most admired and promising post-punk bands. New Order built on that promise, with 1983's "Blue Monday," forging an influential alliance of new-wave and dance music. Joy Division's Velvet Underground -- derived drone and Curtis' matter-of-fact, gloomy lyrics scored significant club hits with "She's Lost Control," "Transmission," and "Love Will Tear Us Apart," a British hit single.Formed by Hook and Sumner after they saw the Sex Pistols play in Manchester on June 4,1976, the group took shape after Curtis responded to a "seeking singer" ad posted by the two at the local Virgin record store. Morris joined on drums the following year. The band, naming itself Joy Division after Nazi military prostitute compounds, released a four-song EP, Ideal for Living by year's end.In April 1978, the band generated a buzz when they performed at a Stiff Records battle of the bands. After turning down deals with Britain's RCA and Radar labels, the group recorded their first album, Unknown Pleasures, with producer Martin Hannent. They chose Manchester independent Factory Records to release the album, which was an immediate success in the U.K.The next year saw the band's acclaim grow as they toured England and Europe. In March they returned to the studio to record their second album, Closer . Curtis, who was responsible for much of the group's dark vision, suffered from epileptic grand mal seizures -- occasionally while performing onstage. Having attempted suicide in the past, Curtis hanged himself on May 18, 1980, just before the release of Closer (Joy Division's most commercially successful album) and the group's first U.S. tour. A collection of demos, outtakes, and live performances, Still, was released in 1981.The remaining members regrouped as New Order and added Morris' girlfriend Gillian Gilbert on key-boards. Like Joy Division, New Order has eschewed publicity, with no band photos on album covers, and played low-key, unemotional concerts. The group's sound -- a brighter but still moody version of Joy Division, with Sumner's monotonal yet plaintive vocals at the center -- gained it club hits with "Everything's Gone Green" (1981) and "Temptation" (1982)."Blue Monday" (1983) was New Order's breakthrough. Released only as a 12-inch single, it matched the band's usual emotional chill to a propulsive dance track and reached 5 on the Billboard dance chart, selling over three million copies worldwide. Sessions with dance producer Arthur Baker followed, producing "Confusion" (1983), another dance-floor favorite, which hit 71.The band left Factory Records in 1985, signing with Quincy Jones' new Qwest label. Although Lowlife (1985) and Brotherhood (1986) were their first American chart albums, sales were disappointing. Substance (1987), Technique (1989), and the hit single "True Faith" (1987) turned things around, but the band members turned their backs on stardom, releasing only the British World Cup Soccer theme "World in Motion..." (1990) before unofficially parting ways to pursue solo projects.
