CLOSER LP

Released 18 July 1980
43:59 minutes
Producer: Martin Hannett
Engineer: Martin Hannett
Photography: Bernard Pierre Wolfe

click for larger image

1 Atrocity Exhibition 6 Heart & Soul
2 Isolation 7 Twenty Four Hours
3 Passover 8 The Eternal
4 Colony 9 Decades
5 A Means To An End    

Due to a lack of promotion Closer failed to sell enough copies in its first week of release to even enter the Top 30 album chart

See below for info about the sleeve photo


Groove notations:
Original UK edition: "Old blue?" (side A), supposedly a reference to Frank "old blue eyes" Sinatra.
The original US Closer LP on Factory USA (Factus 6) doesn't have any groove notations.


How to tell an original UK LP from a UK reissue:


Brazilian Pirate:

European Pirate - released 2005:

Picture Disc Pirate - released 2006:

See also: the French Les Coffret Culte Fnac box set

CLOSER CD Numerous pressings

There have been numerous CD versions of Closer over the years, some better than others, we're not going to try and list them here

CLOSER (remastered) CD 2007

Released 17 September 2007
2CD Re-mastered feauturing Closer and live University Of London Union 8th February 1980
Digipak in a plastic sleeve + booklet with text by Paul Morley and photographs by Anton Corbijn
This is the latest release of this album on CD. There have been several previous CD versions, all of which were the same as the original LP.

Joy Division CD re-releases 2007 Joy Division CD re-releases 2007
Images show Unknown Pleasures, Closer, and Still which were all re-released on the same day

Closer

1 Atrocity Exhibition 6 Heart & Soul
2 Isolation 7 Twenty Four Hours
3 Passover 8 The Eternal
4 Colony 9 Decades
5 A Means To An End    

Live University Of London Union

1 Dead Souls 7 Colony
2 Glass 8 These Days
3 A Means To An End 9 Love Will Tear Us Apart
4 Twenty Four Hours 10 Isolation
5 Passover 11 The Eternal
6 Insight 12 Digital

CLOSER CD in metal box packaging London Records 2564680682 FACD-XXV 2010

French CD version in a metal box. Sold by Fnac
Released 2010

1 Atrocity Exhibition 6 Heart & Soul
2 Isolation 7 Twenty Four Hours
3 Passover 8 The Eternal
4 Colony 9 Decades
5 A Means To An End    

CLOSER - UNKNOWN PLEASURES 2CD WEA/Warner Music France 5249806162 2010

French version in cardboard slipcase sold by Fnac
Released 2010

The sleeve photo:


Peter Saville was inspired by an article in a photography magazine called Zoom (#10) March / April 1980 . The article features Bernard-Pierre Wolff's photos of the Staglieno Cemetary in Italy where there is a tradition of lifelike statues and tableaus. Peter lifted one of the photos and put it on the album sleeve. Another Staglieno tomb appears on the cover of the Love Will Tear Us Apart 12" single.


International discography for the vinyl releases of Closer:
     
Country
of Origin		 Distribution &
Catalogue Number		    
       
Australia FACOZ 1001
Issued by EMI		 Inner sleeve is a 24" x 12" insert folded once.
Labels are silver on black like UK edition, but has "Sound recording by Factory Records. First published in UK. (P) 1980, Factory Records" printed across the label.

There are red-stamped promo copies that often come with a similarly stamped LWTUA 7", an A4 booklet and a couple of 10" x 8" b/w photographs.

Rarer yet - there is an official EMI promo poster for this LP.

Australia FACOZ 1001
Issued by CBS		 Labels are silver on black, but the "(P) Factory Records" notice is missing.

This edition has a matrix number (the EMI edition does not) 207719/20.

The reference on the inner sleeve (manufactured & distributed by EMI) is generally over-stickered by one that reads "M&D by CBS Australia"		  
Holland /
Belgium		 Factory Benelux
FACT XXV		 Shiny/semi-glossy sleeve, FACT 25 printed in top right corner on back cover and in bottom left corner on thin paper printed inner.

Sleeve is similar to Swedish pressing, LP also has similar stamped matrix numbers as Swedish issue: FACT-25-A//48507-1Y / FACT-25-B//48508-1Y		  
Holland Factory FACT 25 Silver on black labels with "VR22495 STEMRA"

Matrix : 08-22495-1A-1 A NL // 08-22495-1B-1 A NL

Cardboard inner has "Printed by Garrod and Lofthouse Limited", as well as "VR22495" in the bottom right corner.		  
Japan Nippon Columbia YX-7338 AX Silver on black labels. Black & white on green OBI sash.

4 page insert including short biography and lyrics in Japanese and English.

This was released in July 1984.

Promo copies are identified by a tiny red sticker - normally on the rear sleeve.

Incidentally, Japanese releases originally retailed at LP's - 2500 Yen
12" singles - 1500 Yen
Still 2LP - 4000 Yen		  
France Factory via Virgin
70162		 Silver on black labels  
France Factory via Virgin
201882		 Silver on black labels.

The two French editions are almost identical. Although the printer's logo is on the inner sleeve of 201882, the outer of 70162.

70162 seems to have a slightly yellow cast to the card.		  
Greece Factory via Virgin
VG 50086		 Black on white labels
Sweden NCB LP labels have got NCB printed on them
Back cover has FACT 25 printed in the top right corner
Inner has FACT 25 printed in the bottom right corner

The matrix numbers are:
FACT-25-A//48507-1Y (side A)
FACT-25-B//48508-1Y (side B)

Other differences; glossy sleeve, thin paper inner.

 
Portugal Vimusica
VFACT 111-2		 Silver on black labels.

Rear sleeve tells us that it is also available on cassette - VFACT 112-2

There were two pressings of this LP: One had a plain inner sleeve (and stated the printers name on the back). The other had a lightweight 24" x 12" paper insert, folded once with song titles/ etc.. Both records have the same matrix No.		  
Brazil Counterfeit edition
LPJD10.006		 Labels printed black on white with song titles/ etc on label.

Copy of UK sleeve - issued without inner.

Adds LWTUA as track 5 side 2.
Brazil Stilletto Silver on black labels.

Issued with inner sleeve.

Adds LWTUA as track 5 side 2.

Promo copies exist with a square sticker on the rear sleeve.		  
Poland Tonpress
SX-T 108		 Black on red labels.
Inner sleeves only on early pressings.		  
Italy Factory via Base Records First editions list address as 'Via Castiglione'.

Silver on black labels. Labels state "Made in Italy 1980".		  
Italy Factory via Base Records Later editions show address as 'Via Collamarini'.

Issued without inner sleeve.

Labels have white lettering on black background with song titles/ timings on them.

The people at Base Records obviously had trouble with Bernard's ever-changing surname. A credit on the label reads "Written by Curtis/ Albrecht-Dickens/ Morris/ Hook".		  
New Zealand GAP Records
M&D by EMI
EMC 225		 Completely different red/ buff/ black EMI labels.  
New Zealand Rough Trade Looks inside and out as if it is a UK copy. Although the only groove notation is FACT 25 A/ B.

Printed on coarser/ lighter-weight card than UK edition.

Small RTC logo on rear of inner sleeve.		  
Spain Edigsa
19L0094		 Silver/grey on black labels

Inner sleeve has "Edita por Edigsa" added to the credits in the same type-face.

There is writing on the spine		  
Spain Edigsa
19L0094		 Black on white labels.

Inner sleeve has "Edita por Edigsa" added to the credits in the same type-face.

No writing on spine		  
Lituania Zona
ZN V11		 Silver on black labels in a simple type-face.

Single sheet 12" x 12" insert for song titles/ etc.		  
Germany Metronome
0060.361		 Silver on black labels.
Germany Rough Trade
RTD		    
Canada Factory via Polygram
FACD 01		 Silver on black labels.
Label dated 19/6/1981.
UK Factory
FACT 25		 Silver on black labels.
Originals are printed on a coarse fibre-board paper.
Inner sleeve has rounded corners and "Garrod & Lofthouse" in the credits.		  
UK Factory
FACT 25		 Later UK editions are printed on a smoother card.
Inner sleeve has square corners. No "Garrod & Lofthouse" in credits on some versions.		  
UK Factory
FACT 25		 There is a small batch of mispressings that have Side 2 tracks on BOTH sides.  
UK Factory
FACT 25		 White label test-pressings exist on heavy vinyl.  
UK Factory
FACT 25		 2007 re-pressing. Remastered and on 180gm vinyl. Otherwise identical to the original pressing.  
US Factory
FACTUS 6		 Silver on black labels.

Has "ASCAP" printed where UK copies have "9/5/1980" - the UK label was designed with the USA in mind. ASCAP must appear on US releases of this era, whereas, there was no such requirement on UK pressings. Peter Saville, didn't want to re-design the labels to accommodate this - hence the dates on 'Closer', 'Ceremony' and the 'For M.L.' on LWTUA.

"Distributed by Rough Trade" printed in credits on inner sleeve.

There are various 'translucent' editions, on red, brown, purple, green and (maybe ?) other colours.		  
US Qwest
25841-1		 Buff/ multi-colour Qwest label - features song titles and timings.

Small "© Factory Communications, made in USA" on inner.

There are gold-stamped promo editions of this.		  
       
       
Some other versions and related items ... one day we'll extend the discography to cassettes and CDs:
         

Factory UK cassette

CentreData cassette

Italian cassette

New Zealand cassette

UK Factory cassette
         

Sonic CD

US longbox CD

FACTUS 6 CD

German Rough Trade CD

Zona CD
         

Closer Still CD from russia

Factory UK & CentreData cassettes (again)

:

Australian Promo Poster
         

Spanish pirate cassette

Russian CD

    
         
Early CD versions came with a car carry case: