I don’t mind saying that there are many b- side tracks that rank among my favourite songs.

Someday soon I will make a playlist to demonstrate that point.

Today I want to talk about my undisputed favourite B-side ever. It ranks as one of my all-time.

This song has that distinction both sonically and situationally. I will explain.

As many of you know my history and connection to the Manchester band Joy Division 🇬🇧 is lengthy, obsessive and personal.

Following the death of singer Ian Curtis on May 18, 1980, the three remaining members (PETER HOOK (bass) BERNARD SUMNER (guitar) and STEVEN MORRIS (drums) decided to “end” JOY DIVISION pursuant a pact the 4 of them had made and start anew. After a short while they added MORRIS’S then girlfriend (and later wife), GILLIAN GILBERT.

And so began NEW ORDER.

However it wasn’t until March of 1981-some 10 months later- before New Order released their first music.

It was a 7” inch single that was entitled “Ceremony b/w In A Lonely Place.” (See pic above signed by HOOK.) I also have copies of the later 12” release and 12” remix.

Amazingly, I didn’t realize for many years that both songs had actually been recorded by Joy Division before Ian’s death. [Ed. Note – rex probably should have looked at the label but he was way too excited about this release to even think to look.]

“Ceremony is a legendary New Order track and is usually included on their “Best Of” lists. It is a particular fave of my daughter Meghan.

But for me, it was the percussion driven dirge of “In A Lonely Place” that has rattled in my music psyche like a comet returning almost weekly these past 44 years and I just had to write about it today.

Now for the personal side of this story.

From March to November of 1981, that single was all there was to listen to from the band. Their debut LP “Movement” was released on November 13, 1981.

I think I bought my first copy of the record probably a week later as I was travelling to see NEW ORDER play for the first time!

I went to Toronto on the 14th (I was doing my law clerkship in Wïndsor at that time) and attended their gig at the Masonic on Yonge Street on the 15th. I would not have heard the LP at that time.

(It is noteworthy that like Joy Division, New Order did not include any singles on their LPs as they considered that to be ripping of their supporters.)

Here is the setlist from that gig with the release date of the songs in brackets-

1. Everything’s Gone Green (Dec. 19, 1981)
2. In A Lonely Place (March 2, 1981 and two 12 “ versions in May and September, 1981.)
3. Dreams Never End (Nov. 13, 1981)
4. Chosen Time (Nov. 13, 1981)
5. ICB (Nov. 13, 1981)
6. Senses (Nov. 13, 1981)
7. Ceremony (March 2, 1981March 2, 1981 and two 12 “ versions in May and September, 1981.)
8. Denial (Nov 13, 1981)
9. Temptation (May 10, 1982) —-
10. The gig was astonishing. We were up on the balcony on the left near the stage. 9 songs only 2 of which I had ever heard before!!! I heard classics “Everything’s Gone Green” and “Temptation” for the first time ever that night. (Imagine though having to wait a month for one of the songs and 6 months for Temptation.)

Hook was situated stage left so we were almost over top of his position.

It wasn’t until they released the 4 CD Joy Division box set entitled “Heart And Soul” in 1997 that I learned that both “Ceremony” and “In A Lonely Place” were initially recorded as Joy Division songs! There are poor quality versions sung by Ian Curtis on one of the discs.

In addition and incredibly though, when NEW ORDER released their collector’s box set of the “Movement” LP there were videos on a DVD including “In A Lonely Place” from that night in Toronto!

To that point I only had an audio of the song from that night recorded secretly…. [Ed. Note- rex has shared a copy of that audio with HOOK and there has never been any attempt to monetize same.]

Turns out that our group member extraordinaire @WALLYTBM from Ottawa was at that gig as well. We discovered that factoid when we met for the first time in 2015.

For copyright reasons Toronto version does not seem available for me to drop into the post. [Ed. Note- If any group members want to view, rex will personally share same.]

So, I have copied a version from the BBC that is similar to what I remember. In particular note how HOOK uses mallet drumsticks to join on percussion by pounding cymbals on the drums for much of the song to create the funereal sound.

SPOTIFY-

https://open.spotify.com/track/0MiQ1k4LH38jrmmlSelLgw?si=BCQq1pGQShGe89iXOQGD5w

And finally [Ed. Note- Because what would this website be without rex obsessing about indie details?] here is an audio of the song sung by IAN C. recorded less than 2 week before he took his own life.

Knowing what happened, the lyrics are just downright chilling…

And there you have it. My favourite B- side.

(SONG 1251)

Play Loud Or Perish

9/28/25