Whatever novelty tribute records once held has long been lost, what with the deluge of discs covering everyone from Tom Petty to the Carpenters to Alice Cooper. But if ever there was a group worth paying tribute to, it would be Joy Division -- Manchester's dark soul, as personified by tortured, long-dead Ian Curtis. Curtis had a voice like no other, a frighteningly deep expression of purest despair, delivering songs that sounded like one suicide note after another. While "Permanent: Joy Division 1995" isn't quite the definitive collection -- inexplicably lacking "New Dawn Fades" and "Insight" -- the 15 songs here stand the test of time.
The still disturbing "She's Lost Control" is the perfect soundtrack for your next nervous breakdown, with Curtis' tightly reined-in voice adding a scary sense that insanity is just around the bend. On the other hand, Girls Against Boys' version of the same track on "Means to an End" is trite pop pap riddled with phony moodiness. This is a trait that all too many of the songs on this supposed tribute share: participation for a paycheck, a lark, a press clip, instead of any real emotion for the music. Which is a shame, really, since Joy Division fans are about as rabid a bunch of misanthropes as you're likely to find -- and presumably their ranks include more than a few talented musicians.
Too bad that few of them bothered to show up for "Means to an End." Codeine's "Atmosphere" is ruined by the lead singer's irritating nasal twang, and, like many of the artists here, he chooses to fuck with the lyrics for no apparent reason. And Stanton-Miranda manages to transform one of Joy Division's finest moments, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," into a saccharine bit of public masturbation lowlighted by a ridiculous "la-la-la-la" chorus in the middle of Curtis' bitterly perfect lyrics.
Amid the dross, a few tracks stand out. Moby's "New Dawn Fades" is the strongest of the lot, adding layers instead of dancing on the surface. His resigned delivery is gutwrenching, and the anguish behind the line, "I'll give you everything and more/ The strain's too much can't take much more" is spot-on. Low's subtle "Transmission" is a truly new interpretation; Versus' "Twenty Four Hours" is rife with that familiar feeling of impending breakdown and Kendra Smith's "Heart and Soul" is at least as spooky as the original.
But unfortunately, most of the covers here lack any esteem for their source material. In spite of the few respectable renditions, "Means to an End" is no kind of tribute at all: Just a sorry excuse to make a few bucks. Ian Curtis and Joy Division deserve better.
By Julene Snyder