Joy Division – Closer

The second and final album by Joy Division, released on July 18, 1980 on Factory, two months after the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis.

The album was recorded from 18 to 30 March 1980 at Britannia Row Studios, Islington, London.

The LP features a photograph taken by Bernard Pierre Wolff (1978) which was captured at the Staglieno Cemetery located in Genova, Italy. It is a large emotional work created & sculpted by Demetrio Paernio in 1910 for the Appiani family tomb.

The 1980 and 1981 UK pressings have A1 / B-1 matrices with ‘OLD BLUE?’ inscribed on side A.
They come in two different vinyl variants:
– opaque black
– translucent dark red or dark green
This can only be differentiated when held against a strong light source. The translucency was a hallmark of Tranco / PRT.

Additionally, they are differentiated by having:
– either rough or smooth card outer sleeves
– either rough or smooth card inner sleeves
– either rounded or square-cornered inner sleeves

Among Tranco / PRT pressings, there is no correlation between vinyl colour and paper part variants.
These pressings have an elevated outer stamper ring.

The CBS pressings have smooth outer and inner sleeves, and are pressed on opaque black vinyl only.
These pressings have a broad stamper ring of 6.5 cm diameter.

145,091 copies were pressed in total up to 17 July 1981.
260,000 copies were pressed by the end of 1982.

UK re-releases and re-pressings:
1983 - 1985: A2 / B2 Townhouse / GG matrix (MVS or Carlton Productions (some brown translucent) or Linguaphone (with 25mm pressing ring) pressings).
1985: A3 / B3 Rc matrix (Linguaphone pressings (25mm pressing rings).
December 1985: Cassettes (cat# FACT 25c) - plastic cases and deluxe boxed.
April 1986: CD (cat# FACD 25),
1986: LP repressings with A3/B3 Rc matrix by Adrenalin (25mm rings).
1988: A3 / B3 Rc matrix Immediate Sound pressings (32,5mm rings).
July 1993: LP, MC, CD (cat# 520 015-1 / 2 / 4), with repressings in 1994, 1996 and 1998. The LP edition was only released in Greece (1993).
September 1999: CD (cat# 39842 8219-2), with repressings in 2005.
September 2007: LP (cat# 25646 4014 1) - 180 gram remaster in original artwork.
September 2007: CD (cat# 25646 9779 1) - Collector's Edition.
June 2015: LP (FACT 25R / 25646 1839 1) - Vinyl Collector Edition.
July 2020: LP (FACTXXV MMXX) 40th Anni Ltd Edition 180g Crystal Clear vinyl.

US releases:
March 1981: LP (cat# FACTUS 6).
November 1981: MC (cat# FACTUS 6C).
1987: CD (cat# FACTUS 6 CD), with repressings in 1988.
March 1989: LP, MC (cat# 9 25840-1 / 4).
June 1989: CD (cat# 9 25840-2), with CD repressings in 1997, 2002, 2005.
September 2007: LP (cat# RHI1 73394) - 180 gram remaster in original artwork.
September 2007: CD (cat# R2 330876) - Collector's Edition.
June 2015: LP (cat# R1-56282) - Vinyl Collector Edition.

Japanese releases:
July 1984: LP (cat# YX-7338-AX).
February 1989: CD (cat# 25CY-3101).
November 1993: CD (cat# POCD-1880).
March 2000: CD (cat# AMCE-6109).
June 2005: CD (cat# WPCR-75048).
March 2008: CD (cat# WPCR-12840/41) - Collector's Edition.