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·       JOY DIVISION – CLOSER - ORIGINAL 1980 FACTORY RECORDS STEREO LP FACT-US6

 

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

 

·       ORIGINAL BLACK FACTORY LABEL WITH SILVER PRINT

 

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

 

·       ORIGINAL "TEXTURED" (CRUDE FINISH) COVER.

 

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

 

 (►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

 

 

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If Unknown Pleasures was Joy Division at their most obsessively, carefully focused, ten songs yet of a piece, Closer was the sprawl, the chaotic explosion that went every direction at once. Who knows what the next path would have been had Ian Curtis not chosen his end? But steer away from the rereading of his every lyric after that date; treat Closer as what everyone else thought it was at first -- simply the next album -- and Joy Division's power just seems to have grown. Martin Hannett was still producing, but seems to have taken as many chances as the band itself throughout -- differing mixes, differing atmospheres, new twists and turns define the entirety of Closer, songs suddenly returned in chopped-up, crumpled form, ending on hiss and random notes. Opener "Atrocity Exhibition" was arguably the most fractured thing the band had yet recorded, Bernard Sumner's teeth-grinding guitar and Stephen Morris' Can-on-speed drumming making for one heck of a strange start. Keyboards also took the fore more so than ever -- the drowned pianos underpinning Curtis' shadowy moan on "The Eternal," the squirrelly lead synth on the energetic but scared-out-of-its-wits "Isolation," and above all else "Decades," the album ender of album enders. A long slow crawl down and out, Curtis' portrait of lost youth inevitably applied to himself soon after, its sepulchral string-synths are practically a requiem. Songs like "Heart and Soul" and especially the jaw-dropping, wrenching "Twenty Four Hours," as perfect a demonstration of the tension/release or soft/loud approach as will ever be heard, simply intensify the experience. Joy Division were at the height of their powers on Closer, equaling and arguably bettering the astonishing Unknown Pleasures, that's how accomplished the four members were. Rock, however defined, rarely seems and sounds so important, so vital, and so impossible to resist or ignore as here.

 

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY NED RAGGETT, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

 

 

Why buy "Closer" ?

 

(1) It's the best album from Joy Division - one of the best bands of the post-punk (end of 70s - beginning of 80s) and one of the most influential - you have a whole universe of musicians who'll recognize the impact of Joy Division in their music

 

(2) You'll never forget it - once you listen (with your full attention) the songs and the ambience will never leave you; you can enjoy the album or hate it, but it will have a major impact

 

What is "Closer" ?

 

Joy Division started in 1977, as Warsaw, and quickly improved its sound (with the help of producer Martin Hannet from Factory Records) to its impressive debut album "Unknown Pleasures" (1979). Powerful songs were released only in EPs ("Transmission", "Atmosphere"), and "Closer"'s release was scheduled to happen just after Joy Division's 1st US gig - a trip that did not happen due to the suicide of Ian Curtis in 18 May 1980. The posterior release of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (EP) and "Closer" was seen as a 'final message' from Ian. Ok, but even without knowing Ian's background and personal life, you can enjoy the strength of the lyrics, the atmosphere created by the music and the beauty of all this together.

 

Here is a rapid review of the songs, but a quick note: the original release (in vinyl) has no particular order for the sides (no A/B); songs 1-5 were in one of the sides, 6-9 in the other.

 

1. Atrocity Exhibition: Deriving its title from a J.G. Ballard book, it 's a powerful song that sets the tone for the whole album (4 songs last more than 5 min), and the line "This is the way - step inside" speaks by itself

 

2. Isolation: In this song you can see again a common pattern: each instrument starts at a different time, each going its own way, then, when they're all together, a new pattern emerges, which will support Ian's voice; this song's electronic front will make you sing together with Ian "But if you could just see the beauty ..."

 

3. Passover: This song starts playing with the slowing down of the beat, setting a tone of desperation that goes on through the next 2 songs; the guitar makes a poignant appearance

 

4. Colony: The acceleration of the rhythm in this song will make you anxious, just to meet ...

 

5. Means To An End, A: This song will mess you up ... the speed changes, the beat, and the lyrics ... sparse, but setting a sense of defeat: "I put my trust in you" ...

 

6. Heart And Soul: Now we start a new journey ... the keyboard comes back to the front, the beat starts cutting through, the voice changes and now you have the impression of someone looking at things from far away, already detached from it ... it's simple and beautiful

 

7. Twenty Four Hours: Now the speed and the urgency come back, but for no purpose at all ... everything is lost

 

8. The Eternal: You never heard anything like it ... slow, compelling ... you feel like you're in a dream ... or a funeral procession ... again an instrument comes cutting through, now the piano ...

 

9. Decades: The closing of the album, a judgement of the past, with a powerful beat and keyboard, wonderful voice effects, it will leave a final and lasting impression on you, together with the question: "Where have they been ?"

 

My favourites are 1,2,6,8,9 ... you'll have yours ... as soon as buy it, which of course you must ... then tell others about it ... I listened to it in 1986 ... and still think the best album ... ever ... no other album even tries to follow it, it would not work; it's a product of an English group in 1980 in an independent label, although its beauty is not dated and stands unmatched now and forever.

 

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ANONYMOUS ONLINE REVIEW)

 

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►

 

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·                               CONDITION:

 

·                               RECORD

 

 (IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

 

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL AS EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

 

(b)          The record comes in its original, custom, inner sleeve, which is UNIQUE to this album.

 

(c)             The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

 

(d)          Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

 

 

·       COVER

 

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD+++.

 

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

 

-         Cover has JUST A HINT of ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 2.

 

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

 

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine   (nothing significant)

 

-         Microscopic blemish (tiny brown stain) noted on front panel (less than 1/64th square inch in size)

 

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

 

-        No split seams

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-        No peel-off marks

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

 

 

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

 

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

 

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►. While you can be rest assured that ►, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

 

 

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WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►  for the full text of our policy

 

 

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