Substance (compilation album)
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 21,823.
(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 380 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 14 hours ago |  RasmV | 2,457 | 73/100 |
| ! | 4 days ago | Skerns | 5,055 | 80/100 |
| ! | 12/07/2025 04:11 |  Hayden | 7,368 | 72/100 |
| ! | 11/12/2025 23:16 | NYAndreas | 1,432 | 43/100 |
| ! | 11/10/2025 05:39 | Exist-en-ciel | 4,222 | 70/100 |
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 81.7/100, 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.
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.
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
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.
A great compilation. For people who are hungry for more Joy Division after listening to the studio albums.
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.
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