Still is a compilation album by Joy Division, consisting of previously unused studio material and a live recording of Joy Division's last concert, performed at Birmingham University. Originally planned for release in August, it was eventually released on 8 October 1981. The CD version was released in March 1990. A number of the studio recordings have "added post production", including over-dubs by the surviving members of the band.
The album includes the only time the group ever performed the song "Ceremony" live, which later became a New Order single. Another song featured is a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray", recorded at The Moonlight Club in London on 2 April 1980.
Still is a point of contention among some of the group's fans, because of the unbalanced recording of the High Hall performance. This is not aided by the fact that the engineer that night mixed the vocals far too low for the first half of "Ceremony", making Ian Curtis inaudible and thus ruining one of only three[2] recordings the band made of the song. Recent CD reissues of the album on London Records have replaced this live version with the other known recording, a 1980 rehearsal that originally surfaced on the Heart and Soul box set. (An audience recording of the live version, while of lower fidelity, has all of Curtis' vocals and has circulated as a bootleg since 1980.) A further point of contention is the omission of the track 24 Hours from all subsequent CD reissues of this album; this was said to be due to time constraints. As a result, "Twenty Four Hours" only appears on some cassette and vinyl versions of Still, and has yet to be released officially on CD.
This album, along with Closer and Unknown Pleasures has been remastered and was released 17 September 2007. The remaster is packaged with a bonus disc, recorded at the Town Hall, High Wycombe on 20 February 1980.[3]
Still reached #5 in the UK upon its release and peaked at #3 in New Zealand in February 1982.
All songs were written by Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner, except where noted.
Tracks 1, 5, 6 and 7 recorded in April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, during sessions for the Unknown Pleasures album.
Tracks 2 and 9 recorded in October–November 1979 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale, during sessions for the Licht und Blindheit single.
Track 3 recorded in January 1980 at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham, during sessions for the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" single.
Track 4 recorded in October 1978 at Cargo Studios, Rochdale, originally released on A Factory Sample in 1979.
Track 8 recorded in July–August 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, during sessions for the "Transmission" single.
Track 10 recorded live at the Moonlight Club, London on 2 April 1980.
Tracks 11 to 20 recorded live at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980.
The song "Twenty Four Hours" was also performed live at Birmingham University, but was left off the CD release due to time constraints. Despite not being listed on the sleeve, it appears on some LP pressings.
Engineered by Chris Nagle.
Sleeve design by Peter Saville Associates.