From reading Wikipedia, I’ve gathered that Still is a controversial release, and I guess that’s understandable: Joy Division’s tiny official canon mixed with the intense fandom and scrutiny that canon receives is bound to generate some contention when it comes to the odds-‘n-sods B-side/rarity collection.

The funny thing is, though, that outside of the hubbub regarding which tracks get included with which versions of the album (and the perhaps muddled production on some of the live material), Still is Joy Division’s most straightforward release by far. The lyrical preoccupations with morbidity and emotional trauma are still here, as are the driving, intense guitars, but the production is considerably cleaned up from both the haze of Unknown Pleasures and the feral nakedness of Closer. The tracks on Still are the closest Joy Division ever got to mainstream, red-blooded rock, which could in theory make this their least-interesting release, although for me personally, I’m far more likely to return to these tracks than the discomfort of their two proper studio albums, if only by virtue of the no-nonsense drive of the production and performances.

That’s not to say I like this release more than their two records, but I do think it’s more approachable and less intimidating to jump into than the rather harrowing spins their albums take.