Joy Division - The Peel Sessions (Full Album)

Full sessions, I believed sourced from "The Complete BBC Recordings" CD. Sourced from FLAC but converted to WAV to publish.

1st Peel Session - January 31, 1979

1. Exercise One 0:00
2. Insight 2:33
3. Transmission 6:29
4. She's Lost Control 10:26

2nd Peel Session - November 26, 1979

5. Love Will Tear Us Apart 14:40
6. Colony 18:05
7. Twenty-Four Hours 22:12
8. The Sound of Music 26:23

Joy Division were really picking up steam by the beginning of 1979; all the key relationships between Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett, and The Factory had been made and "A Factory Sample" was on its way to release. At the same time, John Peel was frequently playing the new 12" version of "An Ideal for Living" over the airwaves. He invited Joy Division into the studio for their first session. The songs are mostly live, with just a few overdubs (you can pick apart some, like the extra guitar riff at the end of "Transmission" and the end of "The Sound of Music").

These sessions were extremely requested, popular, and bootlegged before their official release as two EP's in 1986 and 1987. Even then, they're still all over the place. For good reason. You're not a true collector, let alone a true fan, until you've bought these sessions.

The 1st Peel Session has the earliest known versions of the songs, with the exception of "Transmission" which had been recorded May 3-4, 1978. They're early and rough.

"Exercise One" - less ominous and dark than the "Still" version. Relies heavily on heavily distorted guitar. Ian's vocal delivery is spot on.

"Insight" - better, less obtrusive chirping-bird drum effects than in most other versions. I like Ian's vocal delivery, probably better than the "Unknown Pleasures" version.

"Transmission" - one of the all-time best versions. Ian's ending scream, the drum rolls, the bass, the guitar solo...everything is just SPOT ON!

"She's Lost Control" - less guitar dominated than the "Unknown Pleasures" version. Slower-paced, probably exacerbated by the drums. You can really hear the backing vocals in this version, more so than in most others. I'm not sure if it's Ian overdubbed or if it's Peter supplying them. Peter sang backing vocals on the song live, which is why I say that.

One of the problems with the 2nd Peel Session in my opinion is that the bass is lower in the mix than in the 1st session. Knowing Joy Division's sound, you'd know this is a problem. But of course, the session is still great; this is by no means a massive complaint, especially when you consider the magnitude of the songs.

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" - one of the most famous versions, if not more famous than the studio version. Very energetic, as the guitar is high in the mix. Good backing vocals, powerful drums, wedding-like keyboards.

"Colony" - this version debuts the third lyric draft of the song, the one before the final "Closer" version. A simple version, but it has nice bass pedal effects on it. Many think Ian's playing a synth on this version, but he's not. It's Peter's bass.

"Twenty-Four Hours" - a less desperate and driven take than "Closer", but not bad. Ian's lyrics are there, the bass is there, the drums are there. What I like is Ian sings the last two lines of the song at a higher note. It sounds great and adds a different sort of power to the song.

"The Sound of Music" - probably my favorite version. Less tribal and jungle-sounding than the "Still" version, but the ending with Peter's backing vocals, the harmonies, and the overdubbed guitar riff are simply out of this world. Fun fact: this is one of the few songs where Bernard and Peter swap guitars; why they swap, I have no idea, but Bernard plays bass and Peter plays guitar.

Enjoy!

"Colony" lyrics:

A cry for help, a hint of anesthesia
The sound from broken homes, we used to always meet here
I watch all hell break loose, confined and don't repair
Is this what life's about? Is this the dream we share?

Can you help me, can you spare some time?
No apologies for all these thoughts of mine
I hope to find some friends to maybe lead astray
To witness dormant sleep, betray my father's grave

I can't see why all these confrontations
I can't see why all these dislocations
No family life just made me feel uneasy
Stood alone, here in this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony

Yeah, God in his wisdom took you by the hand
Dear God in his wisdom made you understand
Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand
Dear God in his wisdom made you understand
Yeah, God in his wisdom took you by the hand
Dear God in his wisdom made you understand
Yeah, God in his wisdom took you by the hand
Dear God in his wisdom made you understand
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony