Joy Division

Only Joy Division's second (and last true) album, Closer finds the band expanding out from their innovative guitar rock format into a multitude of sonic styles and tempos. The trick, of course, is that no matter what each song does, Closer holds together as an entire work. The brilliance of such songs as "Heart and Soul," "Decades" and "Isolation" (which could've been a pop single) and Ian Curtis's domineering personality also serve to make this a strikingly mature work that should've been beyond the grasp of its creators (a fancy way of saying Closer contains that special magic artist's can rarely plan for). This remastered edition also includes a complete London concert by the band that is miles better than the one originally included on Still.