2012.09.15 Joy Division - Amsterdam

Color: Translucent Pink w/ Pink Marbling

Released: 1980(??)

Label: Bootleg

I was living in Nashville when I first started to actively buy vinyl. Sure, I had purchased the occasional record here or there, mostly at show and sometimes from a record store. But I’m pretty sure I can thank the wonderful selection of vinyl at Grimey’s for the early stages of my vinyl buying habits. So, I remember at one particular point being in the mood for some Joy Division. This was the only thing on wax in the bins that day, so I figured why not. Even if it was a bootleg. Doing a bit of digging, it’s seems that there may be several versions of this particular show floating around. This one’s packaged pretty nicely as far as bootlegs go. Aside from the gorgeous translucent pink vinyl (only 238 were pressed on this color), the cover design isn’t too shabby either. It’s in keeping with the minimalist design usually employed for Joy Division’s proper releases and features the broken up modern typeface used on the “Atmosphere” single. In terms of sound quality, this is pretty decent sounding when you consider the era it came from. It’s a fine testament to the band’s energy, warts and all. The amount of times Peter Hook flubs the bass line to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” cannot be counted on one hand. It’s kind of charming in a way and serves as a reminder that the best music is not always that which is always executed flawlessly.