Warsaw "An Ideal for Killing" 2002?(comp) 1977-1979(rec)***

On June 4, 1976 The Sex Pistols played in Manchester for the first time. It was probably the single most influential gig in rock. Supposedly only 42 people were present (though hundreds, if not thousands, have claimed to have been there), but many of those went on to form bands that dominated the future UK indie scene: Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks/Magazine), Mark E. Smith (The Fall), Mick Hucknall (Simply Red), Morrissey (The Smiths). The members of a local band with the provisional name Stiff Kittens were also present. Following this concert they would change their sound and name: first to Warsaw, then Joy Division, and finally -following the tragic death of their lead singer- to New Order. In case you are a New Order/Joy Division fan and wonder what the hell The Sex Pistols have to do with an early incarnation of your favorite band, prepare to be shocked the moment you drop the needle on this bootleg of early Warsaw demos: on the first couple of tracks ("Inside the Line", "Gutz") they sound like a bunch of raw, enthusiastic Sex Pistols imitators. Especially Ian Curtis' vocals are unrecognizable, aggressive shouts and sneers rather than his famous baritone croon. Tracks 3 ("At a Later Date") and 4 ("The Kill") show more promise and musical similarities to their later work as Joy Division. Together with track 5 (the Pistols-mangle-sixties-Nuggets "You're Not Good for Me") they all make up Warsaw's first demo from July 1977. They're followed by a live version of "At a Later Date" recorded in October '77 and later included in the Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus comp. Incidently, this song, which tries to explore the state of mind of captive nazi Rudolf Hess, is the band's first ambiguous approach of nazism. Renaming themselves Joy Division after the horrid nazi forced prostitution camps was a more serious one, but, as time has proved, the band were inspired by the bleakness and hopelessness created by the nazis, not their execrable ideology. "Novelty" apparently comes from the much-bootlegged May 1978 sessions. These recordings were intended to be the band's debut LP for RCA records but were abandoned at the time only to resurface in 1994 on CD under the name Warsaw. The version here sounds rawer than the one on Warsaw - it may be that the bootleg version is an alternate take, or that it retains the original edge which was somewhat smoothed over when it got a wider release. Two more tracks from the same sessions are here: "Walked In Line", and "Ice Age". Both compositions are excellent, showing the band's progression from generic punk to proto-goth. Ian Curtis' vocals are not yet what they would become, but he is also transitioning from emulating Johnny Rotten to broodily crooning, Jim Morrison-style. Side 2 opens with the An Ideal For Living EP. Recorded in December 1977 but released in June '78 under the new name and featuring a drummer in a Hitlerjugend uniform on the cover, it added to the controversy about the band and was wisely pulled out and later re-released with a different cover in 12-inch format. The music inside was great, especially the two tracks ("Warsaw", "Leaders of Men") later included in the classic Substance compilation - my first JD vinyl, played to death before I unceremoniously replaced it with a CD during the great vinyl purge. Once again, I have the feeling that the versions in this bootleg sound rawer than the official (re)release. The only way to know if they are identical to the original "Hitlerjugend" 7-inch would be to procure a copy and compare them note for note. Good luck finding one, discogs currently has only two on sale, going for upwards of €4500. "No Love Lost" and "Failures" from the same EP have an endearing (to me) garage-rock style, but are objectively not playing to the bands' strengths. This compilation closes with a song called "The Kill". Different to the same-named track on side 1 (though still somewhat punky), it was recorded after the name change: this rough take comes from the sessions that produced Joy Division's debut Unknown Pleasures (1979) and was later reworked for inclusion in the posthumous compilation Still. So, is this Spanish bootleg comp worth buying? First things first: the music is good. Warsaw were a good punk band to begin with, and this album chronicles their evolution to a great post-punk/dark wave one. As such, it is essential to Joy Division fans and certainly of interest to punk rockers. Regarding the sound quality now... as I mentioned, the Warsaw CD sounds noticeably better, and includes all but two of these (plus the rest of the RCA sessions, not included here). I say go for that one, except if you're a JD completist, or if -like me- you come across this LP in a shop, and hear it calling your name. I can't say I regret bringing it home.

**** for At a Later Date, Novelty, Warsaw, Leaders of Men, Failures, Ice Age, Walked in Line, The Kill (2)

*** for The Kill(1), You're Not Good for Me, At a Later Date (Live), No Love Lost

** for Inside the Line, Gutz