Substance
by Joy Division
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 38 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 21,528.
(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
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 86 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Substance rankings
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Substance ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/29/2025 21:45 |  LedZep | 4,911 | 79/100 |
| ! | 12/25/2025 20:36 |  RasmV | 2,500 | 73/100 |
| ! | 12/23/2025 04:09 | Skerns | 5,068 | 80/100 |
| ! | 12/07/2025 04:11 |  Hayden | 7,484 | 72/100 |
| ! | 11/12/2025 23:16 | NYAndreas | 1,433 | 44/100 |
Rating metrics:
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 80.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 82.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.5.
Substance favourites
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Substance comments
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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 .
Essential for any JD fan, but it can't compete with their two masterpieces.
It's just as essential as Unknown Pleasures and Closer.
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
Nice collection of Joy Division songs
Really listen to this more than their studio albums, loved Unknown Pleasures but not so much Closer
A great compilation. For people who are hungry for more Joy Division after listening to the studio albums.
This is an album probably best suited for Joy Division fans and completists since most of the tracks appear elsewhere. However you have different versions here including the best version of "She's Lost Control". Also the inclusion of "Love Will tear Us Apart" makes it worth the money. On its own, this is a fantastic album. You don't have to vote it lower just because the songs exist elsewhere.
CellarDoor 04/30/2011 08:15 | #20866
The only noteworthy thing in the previous comment is : "it's possibly their best".
RaineyWins 04/10/2010 20:57 | #10481
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