An early permutation of the band formed in 1981 under the name From Eden. Members included Clint Mansell , Adam Mole, Chris Fradgley, Malcolm Treece and Miles Hunt (Treece and Hunt later formed the Wonder Stuff ). From Eden recruited Graham Crabb from Kit-Form Colossus to replace Hunt on drums…
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The result of this verbal contract was their first single, ” Dreaming of Me “, recorded in December 1980
She made her live debut with the band at the Squat in Manchester on 25 October 1980.
Gretton suggested Morris’s girlfriend Gillian Gilbert , and she was invited to join the band in early October 1980 as keyboardist and guitarist.
Released in October 1980, Boy received generally positive reviews. Paul Morley of NME called it “touching, precocious, full of archaic and modernist conviction”, while Declan Lynch of Hot Press said he found it “almost impossible to react negatively to U2’s music”. Bono’s lyrics reflected on adolescence, innocence, and the passage…
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Composition of Sound would become embarrassed about their band name and started thinking of changing it. There were several potential variants, including the name Musical Moments that was suggested by Vince Clarke as both a band name and the name of their first album. Starting at their concert on 24…
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Before Curtis’s death, the band had agreed to stop using the name Joy Division if any member died or left. Thus, when the three remaining members decided to continue without him, they chose to perform under a different name. During the summer of 1980, the remaining members recorded their first…
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With the advent of affordable synthesisers and the increasing popularity of electronic music, the group began pursuing a synth-pop direction. The first live concert of Composition of Sound as a four-piece was on 14 June 1980 at Nicholas School, Basildon , Essex, England. There is a plaque commemorating the gig…
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In June 1980, Lydon and Levene were interviewed on NBC ‘s The Tomorrow Show by host Tom Snyder . The interview was awkward (and combative at times). At one point, Snyder asked Lydon if PiL was a band to which Lydon replied with, “We ain’t no band, we’re a company.…
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Between 1977 and 1980, Ian Curtis , Peter Hook , Stephen Morris , and Bernard Sumner were members of the post-punk band Joy Division , often featuring heavy production input from producer Martin Hannett . Curtis died by suicide on 18 May 1980, the day before Joy Division were scheduled…
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