Record Play Pause

Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: The Joy Division Years

By: Stephen Morris

Narrated by: Stephen Morris

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

This audiobook includes music from Joy Division and original tracks from Stephen Morris 

The Sunday Times Best Seller.

Before he was responsible for some of the most iconic drumming in popular music, Stephen Morris grew up in 1960s and '70s industrial Macclesfield, on a quiet road that led seemingly to nowhere. 

Far removed from the bright lights and manic energy of nearby Manchester, he felt stifled by suburbia and feared he might never escape. 

Then he joined Joy Division - while they were still known as Warsaw - a pioneer of the rousing post-punk sound that would revolutionise 20th-century rock.

Following two landmark albums and widespread critical acclaim, Joy Division were at the height of their powers and poised to break the US, when lead singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide.   

Part memoir, part scrapbook and part aural history, Stephen Morris' innate sense of rhythm and verve pulses through Record Play Pause. 

From recollections of growing up in the North West to the founding of New Order, Morris never strays far from the music. And by turns profound and wry, this book subverts the mythology and allows us to understand music's power to define who we are and what we become.  

©2020 Stephen Morris (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

"A unique and thoughtful musical memoir." (Observer)

"Gritty coming-of-age story...plenty of anecdotes to keep us hooked, and his memories of Joy Division's Ian Curtis are poignant." (Daily Mirror)    

St Stephen’s Letters to the Mancunians

(Well actually I’m Scottish but I received the letter with gusto of a local lad)
This book is the apex of its class. I’m not saying it’s better than the Bible or put down your pen William Shakespeare. But everything in its place. As a biography of a musician this book reaches out to anyone who has been in a band. The inner thoughts and emotions are all wholly understood.
If you have never been in a band but grew up in the 70s or 80s then there is also the feel of these decades in the descriptions of every club, road, school or experience. It’s a jewel of a primary resource for future undergraduates to pluck opening lines to their social studies essay when discussing this era.
It is also read by the author. Let’s all take a second to think about that horrible feeling you felt when you heard Morrissey’s book being read by Neil Morrissey....
Stephen Morris reading his own work pushing the emphasis and accents on his own jokes, adding the intended emotions to each word.
As a suggestion I would say listen to Peter Hooks book first (also read by the author) Hooky’s story is a bit more polished a bit more guided to the audience. But this is why Stephen Morris’s book is exceptional. At first I was rolling my eyes because I hate autobiographies that talk about the first years of life (listen to I Partridge for a parody exposing why) BUT again, Stephen has reason and it is important to tell the story in this way to create a picture of a lad who grew up to be a mega star, but still a lad from Macclesfield.
I am going to listen to this a second time for sure. Maybe not straight away, I see he has a second volume coming out in January. I can’t wait,

Oh finally. And oh finally an audio book with a bit of music in it. And recordings of real conversations )the conversations were a bit hard to hear, but the drum fills speed up the heart rate and had me picking out any missing Joy Division New Order tracks missing from my collection before the book had ended.
Those chimes on atmosphere stand out alone as the sound of an era. Beautiful
Well done Stephen. Looking forward to the next one. You get an A+ from this teacher and a gold star, but I’m still reporting you for the cough syrup bottles and the red star of Belgrade.

As a Steve Morris fan...

I’m naturally inclined towards a positive review. As a reader/listener, I’m inclined towards a more critical assessment. That said, I’m happy to give this listening experience five stars.

If the tone and cadence of the narrator is off, it can destroy the audiobook experience, but Steve’s narration, in his northwest of England accent, is spot on. His impressions of his family and acquaintances, and even of himself, had me howling.

I’d read Morris’ book earlier this year, and noticed how it isn’t the standard issue rock memoir. He does relate stories of agonizing recording sessions, stolen equipment, and the wrenching suicide of a friend. But it’s also an autobiography of so many of us kids of the mid to late 20th century: how we rode bikes, discovered music, and endured boring Sundays. It’s a catalog of nerdery: Airfix kits, synths, and drum machines.

And it’s all brilliantly joined together with understated humor, amiability, a dab of subversion, bits of wisdom, and MUSIC! Anecdotes and chapters are linked with instrumental and vocal vignettes.

To sum: get this book. It’s great.

Refreshing!

Record Play Pause is an authentic, behind the scenes look from the drummer Stephen Morris. The narrative is honest, open, humorous, and filled with the nuts and bolts of Morris's account. At times self depreciative, at times the fly on the wall, it's an unique perspective on one of the most influential bands of the late and the early 1980's. A must listen to for fans of the Post Punk genre.

Funny, engaging, picturesque...great listen!

Come for the Joy Division, stay for a wonderful account that's better yet for being read by Steve! Recommended especially for those who love to see how Postwar Britain produced a generation of fantastic, expressive musicians.

As a drummer and fan

I really enjoyed this audio book. Stephen covers how we got into music, drumming and the creation of Joy Division and then New Order. I like his honestly about music and drumming, we are not all that good individually making music but together they creating something that started and created the new wave music genre.

surprisingly great

I enjoyed this so much! Morris has the smiling voice and endearing accent of someone I would nominate to narrate almost anyting. As a big fan of Joy Division, and his drumming in particular I I knew this would be interesting material, but had no idea what an engaging and funny writer he would turn out to be, nor how gratifying his reading of the book would prove.

I found myself skipping over some of the early chapters about Steve's single-digit years growing up, they weren't so much what I was looking for, but as soon as he becomes a teenage rebel kid I was along for the ride and it just got better and better. it was also heartwarming to find out that the drummer behind one of the most brooding bands of the era is such a sweet guy.

Thanks for a great time Steve. And I honestly believe the BBC or the nature channel should start hiring you to narrate their flagship pieces. March of the Penguins II?

Absolutely wonderful..

Funny, insightful and warm storytelling.. I'm reminded of my own journeys, Joy Division the soundtrack..

Fantastic storytelling

Stephen always struck me as as the quiet one , in interviews, performances , etc but his storytelling and narration of his book was fantastic. I can’t wait for volume 2.

Absolutely bloody fantastic

Record Play Pause is a window into the early life of Macclesfield’s second most famous member of the subliminal post-punk rock band, Joy Division.

And it’s ace.

A Must For The Fans

Brilliant book made perfect by Stephen's reading of it. Insightful look into what it's like being in a band from start to new start. Very funny in places and very easy to listen to. Can't wait to start part 2.

Brilliant

The book is ace - but the audio book is on another level. If you’re a JD / NO fan (and I’m guessing you are, seeing as you’re here), then this is a must-have. So funny, and Stephen's reading of it is just brilliant. Can’t wait for Volume II (it’s coming soon, apparently) I’ll buy book, and hopefully the audio version will follow soon after. You should do the same with this.

Excellent!

Funny, engaging, blunt.
No mythology or grandiose statement. It’s about a bloke who played drums in a band, a cool band but just a band.


If you love Joy Division or/and New Order etc you should get this anyway.

The Ups and Downs Of His Life So Far...

If you're a fan of Joy Division/New Order then you will want to listen to this! He openly tells of amusing tales growing up in Macclesfield; pre-joy division years, and then as his life with the band.

Morris is incredible 👍🏻

The story isn’t new but hearing Stephens point of view and read with his northern charm made me laugh more than I thought I would.

Get this book!

The Third Man....

Chapter & Verse, Unknown Pleasures; inside Joy Division and Touching From A Distance are three books - 'yep,' books' - that I have read and re-read over and over. I even bought Hooky's book in audiobook format. F**King brilliant, each and every one.

And now at last, the one I've been *really* waiting for... Stephen's one. The quiet lad. The awkward, shy lad. The drumming auto-didact, who unwittingly carved out a legend for himself that he would undoubtedly dismiss with his uniquely uncomfortable and disarming humility.

Listening along, I recognised the framework for every story, having heard Bernard's and Peter's versions along with Debbie's unique insight. I'd heard each of their individual recollections and personal anecdotes. But I always wanted to hear the drummers stories. Often dismissed and their opinions overshadowed by more prominent and outspoken band members, drummers are usually relegated to either lovable buffoons (Ringo) to absolute nutters (Moon) yet nothing in-between. So to listen to the actual man himself casually mentioning his own remeniscences is simply fantastic.

I had the fortunate privelege of Mark Hollis' company for two years at the bar of The Eagle, just outside Great Whelnetham on the Sudbury Road (bloody art gallery now). A local of mine at the time, I was the only person in the entire pub who had any idea who he was and of Talk Talk themselves. I introduced myself, and asked if I could join him at the bar. Said I was a fan, but acknowledged that he's just a bloke in a pub, having a pint and I'm hardly going to ask for his autograph. Never understood that. Anyway, he just lifted his pint, tipped it gently towards the next stool and nodded. I never once spoke to him about Talk Talk, or anything directly about his involvement in the music industry. We spoke about bands and what we each liked. But never about him. Stephen Morris comes across as the same sort of bloke. Not so much as he would prefer not to talk about his experiences, but insomuch as he is just a genuinely interesting man, with wondrous stories spoken by an everyday fella'.

Thing is, is he probably to this day, stresses about how he sounds on his own audiobook. So do him, and yourself a favour and buy this. You're possibly/probably a Warsaw/JD/NO fan anyway, and may be predilected towards another tome of theirs, so let assure you that you really do NEED to the drummer's tale by the third man.

Simply brilliant!

Stephen Morris is a natural story teller - darkly humourous, touching full of self depreciation

Great story well told

As a fan of Joy Division this was likely to appeal to me. However, not only is the story really interesting, the reading of it by Stephen is superb.

Superb

Had just read both Peter Hook's books and thought I would try this for a different perspective. On first listen I thought it was going to be awful and badly read. How wrong. This is a brilliant book, well written, being humorous, mundane, evocative and moving.

Well worth a read. I'm moving on to vol2.