#211 Joy Divison, 'Unknown Pleasures' (1979)

With an album cover as famous as the album itself, the debut album by Joy Division was the one and only record of theirs to be released in vocalist, Ian Curtis’s lifetime. It was produced by Martin Hannett, whose production technique was so unusual and unique that it made this record sound like nothing before or after. He allowed the music space, giving it room to meander around a sonic environment. As it was their first record, the band had no idea and gave him the freedom to do what he wanted. He used digital delay, tape bounce, sounds of bottles smashing, backwards guitar, munching of crisps and even a Leslie speaker whirring inside the studio lift.