Unknown Pleasures

Product Information

The band having changed name from Warsaw to Joy Division at the beginning of 1978, the songs from the two 1978 sessions are credited to Joy Division above despite being wrongly credited all to Warsaw on this edition). Mine is the green variant. Everything else exactly as above for the 1980 UK release. No barcode on sleeve. Bought used, early 80s. As remarked by others I only recently discovered the translucent nature of the album.

I love the raw and aggressive sound of them in this one. The later Versions of those songs (on Still for example), sound really boring and lame in comparision. They had so much energy. Of course the soundquality is bad but it makes this record sound even more raw and aggresiv. Among Tranco / PRT pressings, there is no correlation between vinyl colour and paper part variants.A2 / B2 Townhouse / GG matrix (MVS or Carlton Productions (some brown translucent) or Linguaphone (with 25mm pressing ring) pressings). The vinyl for this release has several variations (hold up to a light source to see): Purple translucent or red translucent or green translucent or brown translucent. RCA was the home of Bowie and Iggy, 2 big heroes to this band, especially Ian, hence the determination to get on the label. Don’t get me wrong, this is a pretty decent version and MILES away from the 2015 one. But I HAD to buy the German press after testing it: it simply crushes this reissue.

As no US edition was ever pressed at the time of first release, UK copies were imported to the USA via independent record companies, who usually self-sealed the releases to meet then current US retailer expected standards. It's ironic how JD were so unhappy that RCA was insisting on adding the synthesizer, making them sound so less punk. It paled in comparison to what Hannett would do. And then to think the direction that N.O. would take it...! The colors are the result of formulations used for the original pressings, with the purple believed to be the very first pressing. The red-tinted version was apparantly more widely distributed. A compilation that is as pleasantly confusing an "album" - and despite the adorable hessian sleeve, it is a mixed bag.The punch in the lower frequencies,yet the warmth of vocals and ride cymbals along with precisely located sound stage, are but feeble attempts to convey the nature of this absolute analogue gem of a record. Anyway, the music breathes way more, the details are much more pronounced, Martin Hannet’s production really breathes, and so does the whole band: they are way punchier, you feel the depth(s). Numerous counterfeit editions of this release exist. Only the original vinyl has serrated vinyl around the label and different contours on the label.