Joy Division: Covered

It’s no secret that Joy Division is one of my serious crushes and over the past few years I’ve collected a bunch of covers done by all sorts of different bands since the early 80s.

The ten tracks below represent some of my favorite covers, with my pick of the lot being the hazy laid-back Galaxie 500 rendering of “Ceremony.” I actually prefer the song to the Joy Division and New Order versions, it’s slowed down but still retains the elegiac feeling of the original. Another highlight is Skog’s (a previous incarnation of Kings of Convenience) folky-acoustic take on “The Eternal.” Also, note that Starchildren were a Smashing Pumpkins side-project.

Joy Division Central has a listing of all the Joy Division songs performed by other groups, be sure to check it out, the website itself is a great resource for Joy Division enthusiasts. Also, today in Joy Division history, March 13th, the band played live at Band On The Wall in Manchester (1979).

[MP3]: Galaxie 500  ”Ceremony”
On Fire, Rough Trade; 1989
[MP3]: Skog  ”The Eternal”
Balance, Ego Development; 1997
[MP3]: LCD Soundsystem  ”No Love Lost”
All My Friends, EMI; 2007
[MP3]: Starchildren  ”Isolation”
A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division, Virgin; 1995
[MP3]: Squarepusher  ”Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Do You Know Squarepusher, Warp; 2002
[MP3]: Nine Inch Nails  ”Dead Souls”
The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Atlantic/Wea; 1994
[MP3]: New Order  ”Atmosphere (Live)”
Peel Tribute – Oct. 12, 2005 – Royal Festival Hall, London
[MP3]: Low  ”Transmission”
A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division, Virgin; 1995
[MP3]: Ola Podrida  ”Atmosphere”
The Signal Soundtrack, Lakeshore; 2008
[MP3]: Tortoise  ”As You Said”
A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division, Virgin; 1995