Post-Punk

Post-Punk Vinyl: Joy Division, The Cure, Classic Labels and Reissues

Why post-punk belongs on vinyl

Post-punk vinyl is as much about the object as the music. The genre took shape in the late '70s, when bands in Britain and New York kept punk's energy but opened it up to dub, funk, krautrock and synthesizers. Those forward basslines, dry guitars and open spaces sound great on a full-size LP, and the sleeves, especially Peter Saville's designs for Factory Records, are part of the work.

This page gathers the post-punk records listed on Vinyles.com, from the originators to current bands. For each one, you can compare offers from several partner stores: new reissues, 180-gram pressings, color variants and box sets. The artist links above take you to each band's full list of available records.

Key post-punk labels and pressings to know

Three British labels shaped the sound and look of the genre: Factory Records in Manchester (Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio), Rough Trade in London (The Fall, Swell Maps, The Raincoats) and 4AD. In New York, 99 Records released Liquid Liquid and ESG. Original UK pressings are the most sought after, and a few are famous objects: Public Image Ltd's "Metal Box," issued in 1979 in a metal tin, or New Order's "Blue Monday" 12-inch with its die-cut floppy-disk sleeve.

On the new-vinyl side, the catalogs of Joy Division, New Order, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees are reissued regularly, and Superior Viaduct reissues, among other things, post-punk and no wave records. For everyday listening, a clean new reissue is often the better buy, while an original is more of a collector's piece.

• Originals: check country, label design and the matrix etched in the runout groove
• Watch for unofficial pressings of the big classics
• Reissues: look for the remaster credit and the original label's name

Essential post-punk albums

Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" (1979) and "Closer" (1980) remain the cornerstones, followed by Gang of Four's "Entertainment!" (1979), Wire's "Pink Flag" (1977) and The Pop Group's "Y" (1979). On the darker side, Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Juju" (1981) and The Cure's "Pornography" (1982) pointed toward gothic rock, later carried on by The Sisters of Mercy. Echo & the Bunnymen's "Ocean Rain" (1984) and The Chameleons widened the guitar sound. A revival arrived in the early 2000s with Interpol's "Turn On the Bright Lights" (2002), followed by a newer wave including Iceage, Sleaford Mods and Mandy, Indiana.

Post-punk, cold wave and goth: following the scene

Post-punk spills into several neighboring styles: cold wave, gothic rock, the industrial sound of Severed Heads and New York no wave. If a record here hooks you, the artist links above let you follow a band's new editions. Anniversary reissues and Record Store Day bring limited pressings from these catalogs every year, and comparing prices across stores keeps you from overpaying for a color variant.