Expert: Bong Santos - 8/30/2006

Question
hi there!!! it's me again...i'd like to ask if you have any trivia or information about joy's division and my bloody valentine?

hope to hear from you.... take care!!!


lara :)

Answer
Dear Lara,

Hi!

JOY DIVISION was a rock band formed in 1976 in SALFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER, ENGLAND after being inspired by a SEX PISTOLS gig at the MANCHESTER LESSER FREE TRADE HALL. BERNARD ALBRECHT (later SUMNER) (guitar) and PETER HOOK (bass) together with TERRY MASON on drums formed the band STIFF KITTENS. After placing an ad thru a Manchester record store, they added lead vocalist IAN CURTIS and STEVE BROTHERDALE (who replaced TONY TABAC who replaced MASON who quit citing lack of confidence in his drumming abilities). Just before their first gig on May, 1977, they renamed themselves WARSAW, inspired by a DAVID BOWIE song WARSZAWA from his 1977 album LOW. After recording several demos, BROTHERDALE was forced out of the band, replaced by STEPHEN MORRIS. In late 1977, to avoid confusion with the London punk band WARSAW PAKT, WARSAW was changed to JOY DIVISION, in reference to a Nazi concentration camps that houses women prisoners who was forced to prostitute themselves for the JOY of the NAZI soldiers depicted in KA-TZETNIK 135633's 1955 novel THE HOUSE OF DOLLS. After releasing several albums and EPs credited to JOY DIVISION but recorded during the WARSAW era, UNKNOWN PLEASURES was released in June, 1979, officially the first JOY DIVISION album. IAN CURTIS hanged himself on May 18, 1980 due to his collapsing relationship with his wife, DEBORAH brought about by his infidelity with a Belgian woman, ANNICK HONORE. In July, 1980, their second and last studio album was released, CLOSER. JOY DIVISION later became NEW ORDER.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE was an Irish-British band formed in Dublin. Ireland in 1984 by band members KEVIN SHIELDS (guitar/vocals) and COLM O'CIOSOIG (drums) together with DAVE CONWAY (vocals) and his girlfriend TINA (keyboards), taking their name from a slasher horror film. They relocated in Berlin, released the EP THIS IS YOUR BLOODY VALENTINE in 1985 and in 1986 added bassist DEBBIE GOOGE while moving to London. Several EPs were relased: GEEK! (1986), THE NEW RECORD BY MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1986), SUNNY SUNDAE SMILE (1987), STRAWBERRY WINE (1987), ECSTASY (1987). CONWAY left the band late that year and was replaced by BILINDA BUTCHER. The band released their first album in 1988, ISN'T ANYTHING. Four more EPs folowed: FEED ME WITH YOUR KISS and YOU MADE ME REALISE (both from 1988), GLIDER (1989) and TREMOLO (1990) before their second album came out, LOVELESS (1991) which contained the hit ONLY SHALLOW (Modern Rock Tracks Chart, #24, February 1, 1992). Since then, MY BLOODY VALENTINE has not released any album but in 1996, there were signs that the group were emerging from hiding when they contributed to the WIRE tribute album, WHORE, covering the song MAP REF. 41N 93W and SHIELDS played on EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH's BEYOND THE PALE. Still, no new MY BLOODY VALENTINE material appeared.      

Maraming salamat po!

BONG M. SANTOS
Manila, Philippines