'I THINK JOY DIVISION WILL BE REMEMBERED LONGER THAN WE WILL'

Most of the records that sit in the cupboard are, as you would expect, of the 7" and 12" variety. But I do have a handful of singles that were released in 10" form (although I'm reliably informed that size is irrelevant.....)

This particular piece of vinyl dates from 1980, and it may well be the first thing I ever bought that didn't feature any guitars.


mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Messages
mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Taking Sides Again
mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Waiting For The Man

OMD started out on Factory Records, but moved to another indie-label, DinDisc, after just one single. There was still a connection with Factory in that Peter Saville was a paid employee of their new label.

The quote I've put at the top of this posting comes from an interview given by Andy McCluskey to Paul Morley in late 1980 that first appeared in the NME and can now be found in Morley's excellent collection of writings compiled in book form : Piece by Piece - Writings About Joy Division.

OMD released two albums in 1980. The self-titled debut was almost pure electro-pop, and while the second, entitled Organisation, contained the group's breakthrough single in Enola Gay, it was far more moody, dark and serious than its predecessor. The Morley interview with OMD reveals that much of Organisation was influenced by Closer.

"I think Joy Division will be remembered longer than we will be remembered. That scares me to death. Whilst I like playing pop music, when it's all over and done with I would like to be remembered for something that has great shape to it, that changes the course of western civilisation or whatever - which Joy Division will be remembered for. They will leave their mark."

At the time of the interview, Andy McCluskey was just 21 years of age and I think its self-evident he was speaking as a music fan as much as anything else. And while he was right about who would be best remembered, there's a few records his own band released that were every bit as influential on how pop music developed in the 80s. Without OMD making the breakthrough, there would have been no Soft Cell or Pet Shop Boys, and the world would have been a far duller and less enjoyable place.

And here's a live version from back in the day:-



Happy Listening. 
 
(Originally featured on TVV, Wednesday 3 September 2008)