Substance
by Joy Division

Substance by Joy Division
(Compilation album)
Year: 1988
Release date: 1988-07-11
Overall rank: 1,329th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 381 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1988 (22nd)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (214th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,329th)

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Product Details
Availability

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eBay
JOY DIVISION-1977-1980 SUBSTANCE VINYL LP RECORD ALBUM
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
Joy Division - Substance (2x VINYL) - NEW WAVE/POST-PUNK *NEW*
Condition: New


eBay
eBay
Joy Division: Substance 1977-1980 Factory Cassetta Italy
Condition: Ottime condizioni


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Joy Division bestography

Substance is ranked 3rd best out of 12 albums by Joy Division on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Joy Division is Unknown Pleasures which is ranked number 39 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 21,142.

Joy Division album bestography « Higher ranked (81st)
Closer
This album (1,329th)
Substance
Lower ranked (3,690th) »
Still

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Substance track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 86 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Substance rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,329th | 1980s rank: 214th | 1988 rank: 22nd
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 RomanelliTop 74 Music Albums of 198867/741
2026 PurplepashTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s82/1004
2026 RasmVMy 100 most listened albums in 202574/100 -
2026Exist-en-cielTop 70 Music Albums of 19884/705
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 198830/1004
2026BraddlesHendoTop 100 Greatest Music Albums14/10085
2026 swedTop 53 Music Albums of the 1980s50/532
2026 neilgeeCargo Recording Studios94/99 -
2026saltysurpriseTop 63 Music Albums of 198813/634
2026 RasmVMost listened albums since I joined BEA66/100 -
2026LittleM1971Top 86 Music Albums of 19887/865
2026 slatsheitTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s28/10015
2026stangetzawayTop 33 Music Albums of 198816/333
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 2301-240069/100 -
2026SkernsTop 83 Music Albums of 198833/833
2026 RasmVTop 100 Greatest Music Albums89/10012
2026LittleM1971Greatest Music Albums: 201-30020/100 -
2026 slatsheitMy top 101-201 (not a misprint)52/100 -
2026stevengnzTop 90 Music Albums of 198874/901
2026cicadelicTop 100 Music Albums of 198863/1002
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 228
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 1,283
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Substance collection

Substance ratings

Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 381 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 381 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 
03/10/2026 04:34 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  9,11370/100
 
80/100
 
03/02/2026 06:28 Tamthebam  Ratings distribution  22,97469/100
 
100/100
 
02/17/2026 09:43 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  3,28082/100
 
90/100
 
12/29/2025 21:45 LedZep  Ratings distribution  4,96079/100
 
90/100
 
12/25/2025 20:36 RasmV  Ratings distribution  2,52473/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 81.8/100, a mean average of 80.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 82.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.6.

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Substance comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 16 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
80/100
From 03/16/2023 11:52 | #295053
Regardless of whether "Closer" and "Unknown Pleasures" are possibly better, this is an exquisite collection of Joy Division songs, the double LP edition is even better, and 40 years later it's easy to hear what made this band exceptional .
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 01/23/2021 19:42 | #264945
Essential for any JD fan, but it can't compete with their two masterpieces.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 05/25/2017 18:13 | #191405
Warsaw and Digital are amazing. This is actually the only one of their records that i still listen to anymore. I think that's partially because the production on this is so much richer and grittier than their two "official" albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/27/2016 21:49 | #177589
It's just as essential as Unknown Pleasures and Closer.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/14/2016 16:00 | #174961
Great album and still relevant today for those not interested in mainstream music.....and what can I say about tear us apart that hasn't already been said..classic
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 10/05/2015 15:22 | #151006
Nice collection of Joy Division songs
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 12/04/2014 06:06 | #128669
Really listen to this more than their studio albums, loved Unknown Pleasures but not so much Closer
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (2 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
From 10/02/2014 20:31 | #123204
My copy has some bonus tracks, which made the album a little bit more worth the listen. The main album is the best part though, especially to see the 12 inch version of "She's Lost Control" on CD.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 08/06/2013 18:45 | #83327
A great compilation. For people who are hungry for more Joy Division after listening to the studio albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/12/2012 00:30 | #52145
This is as convenient, coherent and excellent as compilations get. Convenient because nothing here can be found on their studio albums. Substance is even better if you include the CD version which is twice as long, featuring rare, stunning tracks such as 'No Love Lost' and 'Glass'. An absolute must-have even for casual fans. In fact it's a great starting point.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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