The new Joy Division limited box set on Bertus which was lined up to be released this week has been pulled.

The black box contains 3 live cds (Preston, Les Bains Douches and Paradiso), a reproduction poster and a t-shirt and would have sold for around 40 GBP. The first two discs are previously-released live recordings of classic gigs packaged in Peter Saville artwork.

However, it seems that the third disc, which actually includes three tracks included as bonuses on the Les Bains Douches ('Passover', 'New Dawn Fades' and 'Atrocity Exhibition'), has not been officially licensed for release, doesn't have Saville artwork and is already available as a bootleg that most hardcore Joy Division fans will have anyway.

A note on catalogue numbers. The first two discs were allocated official Factory Too catalogue numbers (Facd 2.60 and Facd 2.61) despite being unofficial releases on the NMC label. The new third disc has been allocated the number Facd 2.63. Confusingly, on Amazon.co.uk where the box set is listed for sale, the label credit for all these live albums is listed as 'Factory'(!) The obvious number to have allocated to the box set would be Facd 2.62 as this remains vacant. Facd 2.63 was previously used for the Space Monkeys' March of the Scarecrows cd single.

That's not to say that Factory never allocated duplicate catalogue numbers in the good old days. Indeed it happened many a time but that's another story.

Labels: Joy_Division, poster, Space_Monkeys, T-Shirt

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