Trader Rock

Friday, March 4, 2011

Joy Division: Grant Gee documentary (2007)

Beautiful and dark, both in tone and subject matter, Grant Gee's 2007 documentary Joy Division is a must see for rock fans and pop culture enthusiasts.

The film traces the group's development back to its roots in decaying, post-industrial Manchester and the punk scene that grew from its bleak, urban center.

Of course, as we now know, 1977 became 1978 and punk soon morphed into post-punk. Joy Division were at the vanguard of this new style and, following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, have been forever ingrained as the leading light of the post-punk period.

As Tony Wilson explains:

"Punk had enabled you to say, "Fuck You." But somehow it couldn't go any further...

...Sooner or later, someone was going to want to say more than fuck you. Someone was going to want to say "I'm fucked". It was Joy Division who were the first band to do that."

Now in the early part of the 21st century, Joy Division are seen as one of the most influential and important groups since the Sex Pistols. This is the story of how they got there, and how the world we live in has changed since that time.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Trader Rock playlist IV

Just completed: Trader Rock playlist volume 4, a non-stop collection of hits from your favorite rock n' roll jukebox.

Press play and you'll have tunes for days. A great selection of continuous play rock whether you're in party or work/chill mode. All chronologically mixed from our last 100 blog posts.

Some of the artists and groups you'll find in Vol. 4: The Byrds, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Nirvana, Suzi Quatro, David Bowie, Sun Ra, Os Mutantes, Roxy Music, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Cure, Orange Juice, Rocket From The Tombs, Guns n' Roses, Nikki Sudden, Jeff Buckley, and Suede.

I've been totally lax in mentioning these playlists on the blog, as evidenced by the fact that we're already on number four and this is the first post in which I've mentioned them. Click the playlist link above to hear the full 100 song list (YouTube's embedded playlists cut off at 50 songs) and check out our Trader Rock YouTube channel for more.