Formed by Bernard Sumner (guitars and keyboards), and Peter Hook (bass) after the pair attended a Sex Pistols gig, and later joined by Steven Morris (drums) and Ian Curtis (vocals), Joy Division became one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed the group to his independent label, Factory Records.
Joy Division's debut album, Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979 to critical acclaim. As the band's popularity grew, Curtis, who suffered from personal problems that included severe depression, a failing marriage, and epilepsy, found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, during which he occasionally collapsed into seizures, and in May 1980, on the eve of the band's first American tour, committed suicide.
Following the death of Curtis, the band's second and final album, Closer, was released along with its preceding single (and highest charting release) "Love Will Tear Us Apart", before disbanding and forming the group New Order. And although their career spanned less than four years, Joy Division have continued to be vastly influential on a variety of artists.
Still was compliled from previously unreleased recordings the band made between 1978 and 1980, from the studio sessions of Unknown Pleasures, the studio sessions for the "Licht und Blindheit" single, the studio sessions for the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" single, the studio sessions for the "Transmission" single, the Moonlight Club concert, and Joy Division's last concert, recorded at High Hall, Birmingham University. The album also includes the only time the group ever performed the song "Ceremony" live.
