Every track of "UP" is masterful, and the entire work constitues a mesmerizing whole, with the manic "Disorder" and the melancholy "I Remember Nothing" acting as bookends on this subterranean exploration of the psyche. I also strongly encourage readers to look up the lyrics for the album.

This album begins with "Atrocity Exhibition," perhaps Joy Division's most violent song, both sonically and lyrically. By contrast, "Closer" ends with two atmospheric dirges, "The Eternal" and "Decades," that may well be the ultimate expressions of Ian Curtis's grief. Once again, lyrics are essential. Final note: if you buy only one of the remastered discs, buy this one; the sound is truly clearer.

These live-in-the-studio recordings for BBC perfectly represent the dark, raw immediacy of Joy Division's music as audiences heard it. I placed it before the live discs because the sound quality is excellent. This version contins both Peel Sessions, 2 songs from "Something Else," and an interview with Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris.

"I think everything's falling apart!" Ian Curtis grumbles at one point in this performance, and it's not so much a statement on his life--though it could have been--but on the fact that the band was having a terrible time getting the equipment to work correctly. To me, however, this ultimately works in the band's favor because they get angry and you can hear it in how they play.

For me, the highlight of this release is the Warsaw demo from the summer of 1977. Very aggressive stuff, especially "You're No Good for Me," the track left off of the "Heart and Soul" box set! The first 11 tracks, the band's first attempt at an album, are fascinating history--the band hated the sound-- and track 12, "As You Said," is an electronic experiment from later Joy Division days.

This disc is a little spotty, but it does features some great, and rare, live versions of tracks--I particularly recommend the violent versions Of "Colony," "Autosuggestion," and "Dead Souls," that end the CD. The interviews, on the other hand, leave much to be desired--just snippets, and most are difficult to decipher, being recorded in pubs with much background noise.

Overall, fans tended to feel that this box set was a ripoff at the original $60.00 or so, so I don't recommend spending an absurd amount of money on it. The only reason I list it here is that it contains an official release of one of the most bootlegged Joy Division shows ever: 11th Jan 1980, Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is an amazing show.

This is a collection of writings by Paul Morley who may rightly be considered the primary journalist for Joy Division, as he was writing enthusiastically, and critically, about the band from the Warsaw days. I encourage fans to read the reviews of other fans, as I am looking forward to reading this one myself.

I cannot recommend any DVD on Joy Division more highly than this, simply because both of these discs are nothing but footage of Joy Division playing, either live or in the occasional video. Each DVD is very professionally done, with a menu that allows viewers to select each song individually, and the discs come in a handsome case. Essential!

This is an extremely enjoyable movie that is based on Deborah Curtis's "Touching from a Distance." I just wish that the movie would have accurately represented the band's first recorded performance, having the band play "At a Later Date" with Ian opening by yelling "Does anyone remember Rudolf Hess?" This would have shown the true punk roots of the band.

I would advise renting this to see if you like it. Personally, I found the "light hearted" approach to Joy Division--who are focused on in the first segment of the movie--to clash with the subject matter. Furthermore, the portrayal of Ian Curtis by Sean Harris is a one dimensional parody. Not my favorite.