Warsaw

The bulk of this record was the (fortunately) abandoned RCA album that had been bootlegged for years with a large sloppy imitation of the artwork from Unknown Pleasures. The quality of the original vinyl was definitely below average. This vinyl version is much superior to the old bootlegs, and the oldest amateur demo "EP" (the last 5 tracks) is surprisingly clean if somewhat unintentionally amusing, but you got to love the new bands very earnest energy.The versions of songs from the abandoned album are not always the best version recorded, this recording seems rather sterile compared to other demos, the earlier EP, and live versions, but it is very interesting to hear pre- Martin Hannett versions. "As You Said" is unnecessary as it is now become easy to find, and just adds to the length of the record, which is long for vinyl. The vinyl is rather quiet, but seems good... these are rather simple low end recordings anyway. If you are interested in Joy Division, you want to hear every relic you can.

This is great for many reasons:1) It's a good chance to hear the band as it just started to shed its early punk sound and become much darker-sounding. Its also a chance to hear them without any fancy Martin Hannett production trickery.2) It's a remarkable document of just how much Ian's voice changed in a very short time. This is a snarling, snotty sounding, angry young man at the mic - nothing to even hint that in two years he'd be crooning like a despondent Frank Sinatra on songs like "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Heart And Soul". Listen to "Walked in Line" on this album and compare it to the version from "Still." Its hard to believe they were only done a year apart.3) It's got a couple of what i feel are the best versions of Joy Division songs: "Shadowplay," "No Love Lost," "Leaders of Men," and "Novelty" all sound better here, even in their somewhat rough recordings, than any other version I know of.4) Only 3 of the 11 songs here are included on the box set.5) For sheer comic value, you have to love the last five songs - these are the earliest, rawest recordings of Joy Division. Sometimes I just crack up listening to these incredibly primitive cuts - "You're No Good For Me" could have been done by any number of booze-soaked louts. But even as early as July '77 Ian's lyrics were already chilling: "Human beings are dangerous and they call me in the dark" (At A Later Date), for example. Plus you get the immortal "Warsaww!!!" howl at the beginning of "Gutz."This is a very good "punk" album and a very interesting Joy Division album. Highly recommended.

This seems to be the RCA sessions Joy Division recorded in 1978. The mastering seems kind of low for my liking, but the material here is first rate! This is when Joy Division were very much Punk influenced and very fast and furious. There are a number of tracks that were later re-recorded and released on Unknown Pleasures and Still, but on this record they are far more "rocked out" guitars and drums heavier in the mix and comparatively more uptempo.

Great punk and partially post punk album. Setups Unknown Pleasures which came afterwards.

Coming to Joy Division first and foremost as a fan of punk rock, I was always kind of curious when i heard they had started off as a more traditional punk band. When i saw this album I had to buy it. Too bad it is apparently a bootleg?Some of my buddies get pissy when i put on a Joy Division record ("what's with the goth s***?" lol), but when i put this album on they're like "what is this? it is good...." Too sad.

I'm an avid Joy Division fan, and had to add this to my collection of Joy Division vinyl. The recordings are fantastic and I would recommend this to any fan of Joy Division, New Order (Joy Division includes the same members as Warsaw, there was a name change due to the fear of a lawsuit, New Order is a group that was formed after the death of Ian Curtis), or any other post punk groups.

Got here super fast, no issues with the CD...love it! Thank you so much:)

If you want early joy division without the processed drums, intense reverb and the heavy darkness, this album is for you. I pretty much learned how to play GOOD punk guitar by listening to this music. Raw British tone with childlike blasts up and down the blues scales make this record full of energy and great sounding riffs.I especially like the version of "interzone" found here. It is much more stripped down and punk. The drums sound real and live, unlike that (...) drum machine tone on the later version. The vocals are similar to the Keith Morris era of black flag, high and dry.If you are into wire (pink flag) and gang of four (entertainment) -- (and for some strange reason aren't hip to the warsaw trip), you've gotta get this.

This album was a wonderful surprise. The last five tracks from their first recording session in July 1977 are rough and ready and the sound quality isn't great but that was punk and they are of their time. What really stands out are the first eleven tracks from May 1978 - the band's development in just 10 months is incredible, really underlining their potential. I agree with other reviewers that some of the tracks are "better" than the later Joy Division versions, although I was slightly underwhelmed by this version of Transmission.It's the energy of most of these recordings which really lifts many of them, especially Leaders of Men and They Walked in Line. No Love Lost goes beyond that, in my view, it's a classic. A lengthy, complex, Neu-esque opening, carried by motorik drumming, embellished by ground-breaking guitar and bass lines, running into a fabulous version of the song. No wonder Joy Division were so influential.As well as being an important document in the development of a great band, it's a really good record on its own terms, if you like this sort of thing ... and I do!One piece of trivia - As You Said (track 12) sounds like an early Kraftwerk instrumental and was recorded in 1980, so surely it's a "proper" Joy Division track, rather than a Warsaw recording - one for JD completists?In summary, it's definitely not the place to start for someone new to Joy Division but well worth the price for someone who already has theJoy Division albums.

I bought this under the impression it was an official release, namely the album that was slated for Record Store day 2018... However it isn't. It;'s infact a fairly good quality bootleg/unofficial release on 180grm vinyl.I wait patiently for an official release.... until then this will do. And the good thing is they've got rid of that awful baby cover

Anyone looking for this album knows that it is actually Joy Division under their previous name. Many of the tracks on here appear on later releases but the alternate versions here show their undoubted talent. As punk started to go underground in the late 70's/early 80's (it never went away) and new wave surfaced, it was left to bands like JD to carry the banner for great music. This is a superb example of this era.

Once again another record of the classic Warsaw demos and im not disappointed in fact im over the moon as the record is half black and half white brilliant.

I can't add much more than what's been said in previous reviews, other than to say this is a great document of an early Joy Division finding their feet and their musical direction. If the (unreleased) album had indeed been released by RCA back in 1978/9, who knows what would have happened? Excellent album, although the bonus tracks (the 1977 demos) were a bit too raw for my taste, that's why I've only given it four stars. Standout track for me - the slower than normal 'Transmission'.