Wallflower of Music: An Ideal For Living (Dec. 1977-Jan. 1978) + RCA Studio Sessions (May 3-4, 1978) ENTIRE Transcription

Joy Division

"An Ideal For Living" EP, recorded Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham (December 1977)

Unreleased 1st album, RCA Studio Sessions, Arrow Studios, Manchester (May 3-4, 1978)

The following is my best attempt at decoding all the lyrics to all the songs in this Joy Division recording session. I have several documents containing whole gigs and recording sessions entirely transcribed by myself, so I figured instead of giving you just one song in all its forms, I'll give you a whole session today.

Track-List:

1. Warsaw

2. No Love Lost

3. Leaders of Men

4. Failures

5. The Drawback
6. Leaders of Men

7. (They) Walked in Line

8. Failures (of the Modern Man)
9. Novelty
10. No Love Lost
11. Transmission
12. (Living in the) Ice Age
13. Interzone
14. Warsaw
15. Shadowplay

1-4: "An Ideal For Living"

5-15: RCA Studio Sessions

I don't really have a whole lot to say, here. We all know the history of these two sessions, how important (or unimportant) they were for the evolving band.

Fresh off of the name change from Warsaw, Joy Division produced and manufactured their own EP. It was an entirely in-house project, with the band financing it and guitarist Bernard Sumner drawing the Nazi-youth cover art for it. Pictures of the band Gareth Davey took decorated the liner notes and inside sleeve (note: few pictures from this photo-session have surfaced).

The production and pressing job they did on the vinyl was of extremely poor quality and the Nazi imagery drew boos from critics, but the effort eventually attracted legendary radio DJ and apparently experienced band manager Rob Gretton to the band.

Joy Division were rather unpopular. The lack of promotion or recorded material during the Warsaw days really hurt them, and they had to almost start from scratch when the EP was released.

As 1978 continued, the band slowly started getting more and more material written and performing. The year started out rough; every other month, they would get a gig or two. At one point, an extensive November 1978 tour was planned, but most of the gigs were canceled, since the bands they were supposed to support, The Rezillos and The Undertones, had an incident at their gig on November 14, 1978, causing most of Joy Division's section of the tour to be canceled.

On April 14, 1978, at the Rafter's club in Manchester, Joy Division were set to play along with several others bands. Ian walked up to famous TV anchorman and host Tony Wilson, viciously, furiously haranguing him for not showing the band on his Granada TV's "Granada Reports" show. The move was bold and daring, and it earned them an appearance on September 20. Joy Division was the last band to perform at the club that night (they started at about 2:00 am). By then, the band was so pumped up and fueled by blind rage that they gave an extremely entertaining performance that not only won over Tony Wilson but Rob Gretton.

After the show, Rob Gretton approached the band, congratulating them and giving them his phone number. Within a short time, the band ousted their old manager Terry Mason (friend of the band who stayed with them, as a roadie and a sound mixer during most of their gigs) in favor of the new punter. Under Gretton's direction, "An Ideal for Living" was rereleased as a 12" vinyl, with a new cover art that eradicated the Nazi imagery.

Rob Gretton quickly got them a deal with RCA to record. On May 3 and 4, 1978, the band went into the studio and recorded eleven songs, including new versions of their previous "An Ideal for Living" tracks. Under the direction of one of the producers (I think Rod Searling), the band was introduced to the disco song "Keep On Keepin' On", which they wanted the band to do a cover of. The band was impressed and learned the instrumentals, but come recording time, they got Ian drunk and he ended up belting the lyrics to "Interzone".

The eleven tracks were supposed to comprise a new, first album, but for whatever reason, the deal feel through. Some say that the band disliked the post-production RCA did on the tracks and the direction the band wanted to go, but I'm not too sure. Surely Rob Gretton would've wanted the album to be released regardless, to attract attention to the band and make money?

Nevertheless, the tracks were left in the archives, unreleased and unheard, until Alan Erasmus, an associate and original Factory partner with Tony Wilson and Peter Saville, organized for the tracks to be released on vinyl bootleg in 1981 and eventually on CD in 1989.

In my opinion, the RCA tracks are amazing. Everyone knows and loves "An Ideal for Living" ("No Love Lost" is STILL my jam), but not a lot of people talk about the RCA songs. Personally, I think it contains one of the best versions of "Transmission". The raw, naked tracks have never been released, but I think a lot of the post-production enhances the songs. Whadda listening to me, for?! Go listen and judge for yourself! I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Warsaw

3 5 0 1 2 5 go!

I was there in the backstage

When first light came around

I grew up not a changeling

To win the first time around

I could see all the weakness

I could pick all the faults

But I concede all the faith tests

Just to stick in your throats

31G, 31G, 31G

Hung around in your soundtrack

To mirror all that you've done

To find the right side of reason

To kill the three lies for one

I could see all the cold facts

I could see through your eyes

All this talk made no contact

No matter how hard we tried

31G, 31G, 31G

I can still hear the footsteps

I can see only walls

I slid into your mantraps

With no hearing at all

I just see contradiction

Had to give up the fight

Just to live in the past tense

To make believe you were right

31G, 31G, 31G

3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5

No Love Lost

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the tape to run

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Knowing that the time would come

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

Through the wire screen, the eyes of those standing outside looked in at her

As into the cages of some rare creature in a zoo

In the hand of one of the assistants, she saw the same instrument

Which they had, that morning, inserted deep into her body

She shuddered instinctively

No life at all, in the house of dolls

No love lost, no love lost

You’ve been seeing things in darkness, not in learning

Hoping that the truth will pass

No life underground, wasted, never changing

Wishing that this day won’t last

To never see you show your age, to watch until the beauty fades

I need it

Leaders of Men

Born from some mother's womb

Just like any other room

Made a promise for a new life

Made a victim out of your life

When your time's on the door

And it drips to the floor

And you feel you can touch

All the noise is too much

And the seeds that are sown

Are no longer your own

Just a minor operation

To force a final ultimatum

Thousand words are spoken loud

Reach the dumb to fool the crowd

When you walk down the street

And the sound not so sweet

And you wish you could hide

Maybe go for a ride

To some peep show arcade

Where the future's not made

A nightmare situation

Infiltrate imagination

Smacks of past holy wars

By the wall, we've broken laws

The leaders of men

Born out of your frustration

The leaders of men

Just a strange infatuation

The leaders of men

Made a promise for a new life

No saviour for our sakes

To cross the internees of hate

Self induced manipulation

To crush all thoughts of mass salvation

Failures

Don't speak of false messiahs

Failure of the modern man

To the center of our life's desires

As a whole, not an also ran

Burned in a hollow field

Break the image of your father's son

Drawn to an inner feel

He was thought of as the only one

He no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

He no longer picks sides

Sees the failures of the modern man

Wise words and sympathy

Tell the story of our history

New strength gives a real touch

Sense and reason make it all too much

With a strange fatality

Break the spirits of a lesser man

Some other race could see

In his way he was the only one

He no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

No, no, he can't pick sides

Sees the failures of the modern man

Now that it's right to decide

In his time he was a total man

Taken from Caesar's side

Kept in silence just to prove who's wrong

No, no, he can't despise

All the failures of the modern man

No, no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

The Drawback

Seen the troubles and the evils of this world

I've seen the stretches between godliness and sin

I've heard the promise and confessions of due faith

And hypocrisy that always lies within

And they left it for you

All of this for you

And they left it for you

All of this for you

I've seen the products and the other world of waste

I've seen the color of corruption deep within

I've seen them lose themselves in dignity and taste

To see in black and white and through to black again

And they left it for you

All of this for you

And they left it for you

All of this for you

And they left it for you

All of this for you

And they left it for you

Everything for you

I've seen the troubles and the evils of this world

I've seen the ones who could succeed but always lose

I've seen what's left of poor technology and work

And watched them drowning as they leave their ship of fools

And they left it for you

All of this for you

And they left it for you

All of this for you

Leaders of Men

Born from some mother's womb

Just like any other room

Made a promise for a new life

Made a victim out of your life

When your time's on the door

And it drips to the floor

And you feel you can touch

All the noise is too much

And the seeds that are sown

Are no longer your own

Just a minor operation

To force a final ultimatum

Thousand words are spoken loud

Reach the dumb to fool the crowds

When you walk down the street

And the sound's not so sweet

And you wish you could hide

Maybe go for a ride

To some peep show arcade

Where the future's not made

A nightmare situation

Infiltrate imagination

Smacks of past holy wars

By the wall, we've broken laws

The leaders of men

Born out of your frustration

The leaders of men

Just a strange infatuation

The leaders of men

Made a promise for a new life

No saviour for our sakes

To cross the internees of hate

Self induced manipulation

To crush all thoughts of mass salvation

(They) Walked in Line

All dressed in uniform, so fine

They drank and killed to pass the time

Wearing the shame of all their crimes

With measured steps, they walked in line

They walked in line

They carried pictures of their wives

And other tags to prove their lives

And made it through the whole machine

With dirty hearts and hands washed clean

They walked in line

Full of a glory never seen

They made it through the whole machine

To never question anymore

Hypnotic trance, they never saw

They walked in line

Walked in line

Failures (of the Modern Man)

Don't speak of safe messiahs

A failure of the modern man

To the center of our life desires

As a whole, not an also ran

Love in a hollow field

Break the image of your father's son

Drawn to an inner feel

He was thought of as the only one

He no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

No, no, no, he can't pick sides

Sees the failures of the modern man

Wise words and sympathy

Tell the story of our history

New strength gives a real touch

Sense and reason make it all too much

With a strange fatality

Broke the spirits of a lesser man

Some other race could see

In his way he was the only one

He no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

No, no, no, he can't pick sides

Sees the failures of the modern man

Now that it's right to decide

In his time he was a total man

Taken from Caesar's side

Kept in silence just to prove who's wrong

He no longer denies

All the failures of the modern man

No, no, no, he can't pick sides

Sees the failures of the modern man

All the failures of the modern man

Novelty

When people listen to you, don't you know it means a lot?

'Cause you've got to work so hard for everything you got

Can't rest on your laurels now, not when you've got none

You find yourself in the gutter, right back where you came from

Someone told me being in the know is the main thing

We all need the security that belonging brings

Can't stand on your own in these times, 'gainst all the odds

I don't wanna act all cool, like all the other sods

You slap our backs and pretend you knew

About all the things that we were gonna do

Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do

When it's over?

You're on your own, now; don'tcha think that it's a shame?

But you're the only one responsible that's to blame

When you gonna grow up and act, and be yourself?

'Cause pretty soon you find yourself nailed to the shelf

Grab it while you can, but don't ever relax

'Cause there's always someone gonna stab your back

Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do

When it's over?

No Love Lost

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the tape to run

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Knowing that the time would come

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

Two way mirror in the hall

They like to watch everything you do

Transmitters, hidden in the wall

So they know everything you say is true

Turn it on

Don’t turn it on

Turn it on

You’ve been seeing things in darkness not in learning

Hoping that the truth will pass

No life underground, wasted, never changing

Wishing that this day won’t last

To never see you show your age, to watch until the beauty fades

I need it

Transmission

Radio, live transmission

Listen to the silence; let it ring on

Eyes, dark gray lenses, frightened of the sun

We would make a fine pair, living in the night

Left to blind destruction; take away our sight

We could go on as though nothing was wrong

And hide from the days to remain all alone

Stayed in the same place, staring all the time

Touching from a distance, further all the time

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio

And I could call out when the going gets tough

And we could make contact if we just holler

No language, just sound, is all that I know

We'll synchronize love to the beat of the show

And we could dance

Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio

(Living in the) Ice Age

Seen the real atrocities

Buried in the sand

Stockpiled safety for a few

We stand holding hands

I'm living in the ice age

Nothing will hold, nothing will fit

Into the cold, no smile on your lips

Living in the ice age

Searching for another way

Hide behind the door

We're living holed in disused shafts

With hopes for little more

I'm living in the ice age

Nothing will hold, nothing will fit

Into the cold, no smile on your lips

Living in the ice age

Interzone

I walked through the city limits

Attracted by some force within it

Around a corner where some prophet lay

A wire fence where the children played

And I was looking for a friend of mine

Yeah, looking for a friend of mine

Car screeched, hear the sound of dust

Metallic blue, turned red with rust

Stood apart, all forgotten youth

Are turned on to a knife-edged view

And I was looking for a friend of mine

Yeah, looking for a friend of mine

Down the dark streets, houses looked the same

I was walking 'round and 'round and nailed me to a train

Had to get away, trying to find a way to get out!

Saw twelve windows, ten in a row

The light shined an unearthly glow

No place to stop, no place to go

I guess they died some time ago

And I was looking for some friends of mine

Yeah, looking for some friends of mine

Warsaw

I was there in the backstage

When first light came around

I grew up not a changeling

To win the first time around

I could see all the weakness

I could pick all the faults

But I concede all the faith tests

Just to stick in your throats

31G, 31G, 31G

Hung around in your soundtrack

To mirror all that you've done

To find the right side of reason

To kill the three lies for one

I could see all the cold facts

I could see through your eyes

All this talk made no contact

No matter how hard we tried

31G, 31G, 31G

I can still hear the footsteps

I can see only walls

All this talk made no contact

With no hearing at all

I just see contradiction

Had to give up the fight

Just to live in the past tense,

To make believe you were right

31G, 31G, 31G

3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5

Shadowplay

To the center of the city where all roads meet looking for you

To the depths of the ocean where all hope sank searching for you

Moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you

In a room with no window in the corner, I found truth

In the shadowplay, acting out your own death; knowing no more

As the assassins all grouped in four lines dancing on the floor

And with cold steel odor on their bodies made a move to connect

I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left

I did everything, everything I wanted to

I let them use you, for their own ends

To the center of the city in the night, waiting for you

Thank you, goodnight.

-Wallflower

4 comments:

mertyuyJune 21, 2013 at 10:33 AM
Have fun! https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=%22love+will+tear+us+apart%22+multitrack&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:es-MX:official&client=firefox-a

philJune 22, 2013 at 11:37 AM
where are links for your posts!!!!
bibitNovember 7, 2013 at 11:58 AM
Hi,
i'm Fabrizio, huge JD fan since ever... i can say your blog is very interesting... doing something anyone ever did.. listing in a neat way all the lyrics and comments of every (i hope) JD gig... it helped me a lot as i'm italian and not always i'm able to understand right words that I hear on records..
Also here to ask you something.. I'd love you can do the same treatment to the existing interviews about JD:
01. Tony Wilson & Terry Mason interview. Something Else BBC2 (15.09.1979) (Cut)
02. I. Curtis, S. Morris & M. Hannett Interview. Rock On BBC Radio 1 (09.1979)
03. Ian Curtis monolog. Northern Lights Castle Pub, Manchester (11.10.1979)
04. Ian Curtis Interview. Radio Blackburn (04.1980) (Ver. 1 - short, poor)
05. Ian Curtis Interview. Radio Blackburn (04.1980) (Ver. 2 - long, clean)
06. Ian Curtis & Bernard Sumner - Past Regression Therapy (04-05.05.1980)

Of course I'd provide the tracks (just in case you miss them even though I guess you don't)
I think anyone ever did such a thing like that..

I also hope you are going to post something new because everything you did is interesting

Bye
Fabrizio
fabrbev@alice.it

Saturday, March 2, 2013

An Ideal For Living (Dec. 1977-Jan. 1978) + RCA Studio Sessions (May 3-4, 1978) ENTIRE Transcription

4 comments: