JOY DIVISION – LOVE WILL TEAR US APART 12″ – EXC/VG+ UK 1980 PUNK INDIE FACTORY

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
(Factory Records  1980  FACT23.12)
Matrix No’s: LYN8535-14  FAC-23-12-A/LYN8536-1U  FAC-23-12-B  MAX – UK Pressing
“Porky Prime Cut/Spectacle Is A Ritual” / “Porky Prime Cut/Pure Spirit”

Vinyl in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
(there are quite a few surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles – Side 2 is cracklier)

Sleeve in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
– creasing to laminate front & back

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion).

Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. According to music critic Jon Savage, the band “were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy”. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, caught the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division’s debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was released in 1979 on Wilson’s independent record label, Factory Records, and drew critical acclaim from the British press. Despite the band’s growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis of epilepsy. Curtis found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.

On the eve of the band’s first American tour in May 1980, Curtis committed suicide. Joy Division’s posthumously released second album, Closer (1980), and the single “Love Will Tear Us Apart” became the band’s highest charting releases. After the death of Curtis, the remaining members continued as New Order, achieving critical and commercial success.

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” is a song by the British post-punk band Joy Division. It was written in August 1979, and debuted when the band supported Buzzcocks on their UK tour in September and October 1979. It is one of the few songs in which singer Ian Curtis played guitar (albeit somewhat minimally.) The lyrics ostensibly reflect the problems in Ian Curtis’s marriage to Deborah Curtis, as well as his general frame of mind in the time leading up to his suicide in May 1980. The title is an ironic reference to “Love Will Keep Us Together”. Deborah Curtis had the phrase “Love Will Tear Us Apart” inscribed on Ian Curtis’s memorial stone.

The song was first released in June 1980 and became the band’s first chart hit, reaching number 13 in the UK Singles Chart. Later that summer, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” peaked at number 42 on the American disco/dance charts. It also reached number 1 in New Zealand in June 1981. The band postponed their US tour after Ian Curtis’s death, performed a few short sets as The No-Names, then finally renamed the group as New Order. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was re-released in 1983 and reached number 19 on the UK charts and re-appeared at number 3 in New Zealand during March 1984. In 1985 the 7″ single was released in Poland by Tonpress in different sleeve under license from Factory and sold over 20,000 copies. In November 1988, it made one more Top 40 appearance in New Zealand, peaking at number 39. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” appears on the Substance compilation album. It was first recorded for a John Peel session in November 1979, then re-recorded in January 1980 and March 1980. It is the latter version that appears on Substance. The January 1980 version originally appeared as one of the single’s B-sides.

In 1995, to publicise the release of Permanent, the track was reissued, complete with a new remix by Arthur Baker and a new radio edit, also known as the Permanent Mix. On 24 September 2007, the single was again reissued, in its original configuration. This time, it was to publicise the Collector’s Edition re-issues of the band’s three albums. Although the single was now issued on the Warner label, it retained the classic Factory packaging, including the FAC 23 catalogue number.

Tracklist