BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1981
“Ceremony” is a song by Joy Division, released as New Order’s debut single in 1981. The song and its B-side, “In a Lonely Place”, were written and recorded as Joy Division prior to the death of Ian Curtis. Both were re-recorded and carried over to Joy Division’s re-formation under the name New Order.
New Order released the song as a single twice, firstly in January 1981 and secondly in September 1981 featuring new member Gillian Gilbert.
After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division regrouped as New Order. Their first release was a re-recording of “Ceremony” as a stand-alone single backed with “In a Lonely Place”, with guitarist Bernard Sumner taking over lead vocals. Because Curtis had never transcribed the lyrics to “Ceremony” and because his singing was muted to the point of near-inaudibility on all surviving recordings, Sumner reportedly had to put them through a graphic equalizer to approximate the lyrics.
In January 1981, the first version of “Ceremony” was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Initially released as a 7″ single, it was reissued as a 12″ two months later. Martin Hannett (Joy Division’s producer) produced the record and Peter Saville designed the sleeve artwork for both releases.
The 7″ record was issued in a stamped gold-bronze sleeve. The 12″ sleeve was a completely separate design: gold typography on a green background.
SIDE A:
Ceremony (Version 1) 4:35
SIDE B:
In A Lonely Place (Original Mix) 6:13
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Ceremony | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #61 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Factory – FAC. 33, Factory – FAC 33/12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: Mar 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave
CREDITS:
Plated By – EG*
Producer – Martin Hannett
Written-By – Joy Division
NOTES:
Mastered At – The Town House
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
DAC/Phono Pre-amp: Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
You can help show your support for this blog by making a donation using PayPal. Thank you for your help.
Thanks, Paul, I love NO.
hi paul,i can’t descompressed the archive ,what i can make? i dont know why o what’s the problem,always thanks for all
Oh, this is a great one to see pop up! Was just reading the cover story about Joy Division in the new issue of MOJO – thanks a lot, DJPaul!
Thanks Paul. Love crossover period New Order, albeit as a result of great tragedy.
Hope you’re keeping safe and well, and thank you for lifting our spirits with your daily treasures.
hi paul, new order has always been one of my favorite bands. i did start listening to them in 1983, along with a lot of other people. it took me awhile to work backwards, but eventually, i did get around to their earliest tracks. yes, it was different, and more sombre, and downbeat. but that’s how a lot of joy division was. it was more rough, and raw, but that’s how they started out. its interesting to see the progression of the band through the years. personally, i don’t like the polished sound of their latter years, because then they… Read more »
Thank you Paul. I really prefer this version over the one they re-recorded. This original pressing is one difficult to find record, which I mistakenly passed up back in the day because I did not know it contained the original alternate recording. I remember the first time hearing this version early one morning around 4AM on the radio while driving my car, and wondering where it came from…. As much an homage to a friend, unlike the New Order that would soon fill the dance clubs, this is raw and imperfect, like life — there is a fragile balance of… Read more »
Thanks. Hope to see version 2! Be well.
Another reminder that what terrible singer is Bernard. Dont get me wrong, I love New Order (specially early times, until Technique, probably the best techno-pop album of all times) but Bernard was like having an F1 driven by an 8 year old kid. He indeed was a decent guitar player, but let’s talk seriously: this band was carried by Hooky all the time. Peter is one of the best bass players of the history without a doubt. When he left the band, that felt a lot. I have watched them live (where Bernard voice really shines lmao) with and without… Read more »
You’re welcome 🙂
Very cool find, Paul. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Dean 🙂
Hi Paul thank you for this New Order single. I’ve always liked this song. I really don’t know the flipside but I am intrigued. Anything by New Order is always a great time!
Have a great weekend Paul and to the community here!
Jeff
Have a great weekend Jeff 🙂
I love New Order (well, who doesn´t!) and I love “Cerenomy” and its beautiful b-side. “Version One” is so much better than the over-polished version on the “Substance” double-cd! Great sound as well, Paul. Well done, and thank you.
Thank you song And dace 🙂