It was after reading Peter Hook's great book about Joy Division that I ordered up a beautiful 2 CD package of Joy Division's first 2 (and only) official releases from a boutique music vendor from Germany. $14.00
As they say, CDs are now the new vinyl. I still love the format. And it's a great time to be in the market for CDs. They are now at a price that really makes them a bargain. I love owning the physical thing.
I realized that I never really explored the best of Joy Division. Way back in the distant past I had owned a vinyl copy of a compilation of their work. The compilation had "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the band's last great single on it, but the compilation obscured just as much as enlightened.
So listening to the original records in sequence, one after the other has been a real revelation. Two records - diamond hard, brilliant, unique. A tight band pushing the boundaries, making singular sounds. Martin Hannett pushed the band to create something truly extraordinary. Dare I say perfect?
Still it wasn't until I played "Closer," over and over on infinite repeat that I realized how deeply in debt Ian Curtis is to Iggy Pop's "The Idiot." But what a tribute. And this realization made me love the record even more. What a great band. Two absolutely, superb, essential records. Works of art.