Unknown Pleasures

Unknown Pleasures is the debut studio album by English rock band Joy Division, released on 15 June 1979 by Factory Records. Recorded and mixed over three weekends at Stockport’s Strawberry Studios in April 1979, the album was produced by Martin Hannett, who employed unconventional recording techniques to shape the band’s sound. The cover artwork, designed by Peter Saville, features a data plot of radio signals from pulsar CP 1919.

Although Unknown Pleasures did not chart upon its initial release and did not have any singles released by Factory Records, it has since garnered critical acclaim and is regarded as a seminal post-punk album. It has been recognised by various publications as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Joy Division, formed in Salford in 1976, initially performed under the name Warsaw before rebranding to Joy Division in late 1977 to avoid confusion with the London punk band Warsaw Pakt. After signing a recording contract with RCA Records in early 1978 and recording demos that they were dissatisfied with, the band released their first EP, An Ideal for Living, in June 1978. They made their television debut on Granada Reports in September 1978. Despite a significant offer from Genetic Records, Joy Division chose to release their album through Factory Records, a decision influenced by the potential for higher financial gain and greater convenience for the band’s manager, Rob Gretton.

The album’s production at Strawberry Studios was marked by Hannett’s distinctive approach, which included the use of various sound effects and unconventional recording methods, such as recording Curtis’s vocals for “Insight” down a telephone line. The band had mixed feelings about the final product, with some members expressing disappointment with the departure from their aggressive live sound, while others appreciated the atmospheric quality of the album.

The cover design by Peter Saville was based on an image of radio waves from pulsar CP 1919, reversed from black-on-white to white-on-black. The image, originally created by radio astronomer Harold Craft, visually represents the intensity of successive radio pulses from a pulsar. Saville’s choice of design has become iconic, with the image later influencing various fashion and cultural references, including collaborations with Raf Simons and Supreme, as well as a notable t-shirt design by Disney.