Spiral Scratch (EP) (1977)

7

Breakdown / Time’s Up / Boredom / Friends of Mine

Recorded on 16 track on the 28th of December, 1976, with money guitarist Pete Shelley borrowed from his father, Spiral Scratch is a raw and rather clumsy, but ultimately charming document. More important than that, however, is the fact that it’s also a historically important release, out on the market before the Clash had even secured a contract with CBS, and also three months before the release of the first actual British punk album, Damned Damned Damned (April ’77). At the time, the band’s line-up consisted of Pete Shelley (guitar), Steve Diggle (bass), John Maher (drums) and geek Howard Devoto (vocals), a college friend of Shelley, who would leave the band soon after the release of this EP and went on to write another interesting musical chapter called Magazine. Devoto’s singing is very average, not steady at all, and his intonation is ‘snarly,’ but he’s not the only one here, because all the others also sound much less competent than they would be a year later. The essence of the Buzzcocks is there, though: a ragged guitar (mainly in the verses), steady and powerful drumming, often funny but self-deprecating lyrics, and hooks galore. “Breakdown” is short, quite fast, and has an immediately memorable chorus that’ll wander around in your head for a while. “Time’s Up” is less catchy and a bit longer, but features some awkward call-and-response vocals. “Boredom” is essentially a blueprint for the debut album’s “Fast Cars,” with exactly the same intro, recognisable chords and two-note solo. The EP’s last track, “Friends of Mine” sounds very clumsy: Devoto utters his lyrics way too fast and Shelley provides a distorted solo that showed he’d improve with giant leaps during the next year.

Spiral Scratch is probably of interest only for hardcore Buzzcocks-fans or those willing to delve deeper into British punk history, but because of its low price (or check out the used bins), I’d recommend it to any fan of British punk, as it’s a primitive but promising hint of what was to come.

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Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978)

9.5

Fast Cars / No Reply / You Tear Me Up / Get On Our Own / Love Battery / Sixteen / I Don’t Mind / Fiction Romance / Autonomy / I Need / Moving Away From the Pulsebeat

Recorded a year after the Spiral Scratch EP, and by consequence hot on the heels of other seminal punk albums such as Never Mind the Bollocks and The Clash, Another Music In a Different Kitchen may very well be one of the very best (early) punk albums, since still today it sounds very exciting, catchy and plain fun. A far cry from the nihilistic anger of The Sex Pistols, the combative idealism of The Clash, or Wire’s studied dadaist take on punk, Another Music is in essence a punked-up romantically pop album. And yes, that means ‘pop’ as in “first-rate melodies, hooks, catchy choruses, suitable backing vocals, simple yet memorable lyrics.” More than any other punk band (with the possible exception of The Undertones), the Buzzcocks created a brand of punk-pop that not only relied on crunchy guitars, an above-average speed and simplicity, but also on pop conventions. Pete Shelley proved he had a great ear for catchy melodies and was backed (in my opinion, at least) by an awesome band (John Maher (drums), Steve Garvey (bass), Steve Diggle (bass, vocals)) willing to explore the outer edge of genre conventions by combining ingredients from seemingly contrastive genres, and even adding touches of experimental Krautrock-influences (examples are some lengthy songs (“Why Can’t I Touch It,” “Moving Away From the Pulsebeat,” etc) that lock into a hypnotic groove and Shelley’s soloing, that may have been influenced by Can’s pioneer Michael Karoli).

The first side of the album, however, has a straightforward energy that never lets up. “Fast Cars” (a Shelley/Devoto-song), rehashes Spiral Scratch’s “Boredom,” but adds more gusto. The guitar that opens the song sounds really vicious and is way up front in the mix (thank you, producer Martin Rushent). The second Shelley/Devoto-composition is the equally raunchy “You Tear Me Up,” with its drum intro, harsh sounding guitars (probably quite an influence on Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould), and stuttering bridge towards the end of the song. In the meantime, we’ve also had “No reply,” a punk boogie (it is, it is!) that shows that being in command of pop’s conventions isn’t a bad thing for a punk band. The hopelessly romantic “Get On Our Own” features some amazing vocals (Shelley almost yodelling “Get on our ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-own”). The lengthy “Sixteen” closes the first album side with a semi-martial rhythm, funny lyrics and a section with lots of sci-fi sounds effects that seems to end the song, until it’s suddenly disrupted by returning guitars and intensifying drums that prepare for one last exhilarating finale.

The single “I Don’t Mind” that opens the B-side sounds a bit less aggressive than the majority of the songs on side A, but nevertheless is an excellent track with damn fine lyrics, a catchy chorus (“I don’t miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind”) and an almost ridiculously simple solo (two or three notes?). “Fiction Romance,” dirty and tight in the verses, lighter and more melodic in the chorus, is a fine example of Shelley’s lyrical obsession with love and the desire to fall in love with love. Diggle’s “Autonomy” is a match for Shelley’s best stuff and boasts galloping guitars and a solo similar to the one in “I Don’t Mind.” The song would have been essential, if it were a bit shorter. The album-closer “Moving Away From the Pulsebeat” is one of those more experimental, Krautrock-inspired songs, and something different. The drum pattern that introduces the song is maintained during the entire song and creates a trance-like backing track over which the guitars and vocals come and go, until the drummer is left on his own again to finish the song.

With one of the most exciting A-sides in punk music ever, and loads of great poppy punk songs, Another Music In A Different Kitchen is compulsory stuff for anyone even remotely interested in punk (or should I write ‘good music’?). Although the band didn’t try to repeat this album’s success with a similar album but instead opted for expanding their horizons and increasingly incorporating their more experimental influences, they never again (they disbanded in 1981, but were re-formed in the early 90’s) created an album as enthusiastic, exciting and relentlessly powerful as this debut, a punk masterpiece.

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Love Bites ( 1978 )

8.5

Real World / Ever Fallen in Love / Operators Manual / Nostalgia / Just Lust / Sixteen Again / Walking Distance / Love Is Lies / Nothing Left / E.S.P. / Late for the Train

… And the boys kept their momentum going with a second album in little over half a year. However, despite the short period between the release of their stellar debut and this sophomore album, the two albums differ quite a lot. The former is probably more of a ‘regular’ punk album (with the exception of the lengthy album closer “Moving away from the Pulsebeat”), with loads of concise and hasty songs, aggressive guitars and poppy hooks. All these elements are also present on Love Bites, but not as prominent, since it is obvious that the band made an album that sounds a bit more experimental, and not as frantically-paced as Another Music. Whereas the first album side of Another Music was one big thrilling kick, on Love Bites the band alternates their pure pop-punk exercises with songs that rely more on repetition and strange rhythmical patterns, provided by one of British punk’s most original rhythm sections. The result isn’t inaccessible (it still is The Buzzcocks’ best selling album), but it requires a few more listens than the earlier stuff.

The main reason why this album was so popular, is probably mainly because of the inclusion of “Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve),” the band’s most famous song, and one of the era’s best: the twin guitar attack, addictive melody, backing vocals, recognisable theme (?), and unstoppable drive create an adrenalin-shot of the highest order. The first half contains two more tracks that are (almost) as good. “Nostalgia” is a perfect track, infested with another incredible melody and a subtle melancholic atmosphere. Its lyrics and brilliant ultra-short guitar solos prove that Shelley knew how to get maximum effect with a few notes. “Sixteen Again” (anyone else noticed it’s very akin to Magazine’s “Shot by Both Sides”?) refers to Another Music’s “Sixteen,” but is also an album highlight in its own right. Another pop track, but without the punk, is Diggle’s “Love Is Lies” that has an uncanny similarity to Nick Lowe’s releases at the time (try your copy of Jesus of Cool (1978) or Labour of Lust (1979)), which had the same old-fashioned cutesy melodies perverted by an underlying cynicism in the lyrics. Relatively straightforward is also Garvey’s instrumental, “Walking Distance,” which they’d recorded earlier, during a John Peel-session. Not weird or anything, but definitely not your average punk songs are, firstly, “Just Lust,” (co-written by Shelley and their manager Richard Boon), which steams ahead at a steady pace, with a pumping rhythm section (listen to those cool-sounding toms at the end!); and, secondly, “Nothing Left,” which is introduced by martial drumming and concrete riffing, but which soon undergoes a tempo shift, and especially benefits from a jerky guitar solo and Shelley’s great vocal delivery (he’s one of the few singers who could make “At all at all at all at all at all” sound good). That’s when we get the more experimental tracks: the long intro (well, 40 seconds was long at the time), angular guitars, yodelling vocals, and weird drum patterns in “Real World” aren’t exactly what you’d expect from The Sex Pistols, right? Even more awkward is “Operators Manual,” which hints to Shelley’s infatuation with machinery-metaphors and sterile sounds (see also: “Fast Cars” and especially his solo album Homosapien (1981)), and which has more inventive rhythmical changes (a silly waltz during the chorus) than most punk albums at the time. Finally, there are the two album closers that, like “Moving Away from the Pulsebeat,” have a terrific trance-like quality and manage to turn repetitive rhythms, melodies and chord progressions into exciting songs. Both go on longer than expected (4:45 and 5:31), but sustain their catchy drive and appeal, which makes them album highlights.

I mentioned the rhythm section a few times, but in my opinion it is the drummer (John Maher) who steals the show on this album, adding original touches that strengthen the songs enormously, helped by an excellent production job by Martin Rushent. A very good album, with a few classic punk tracks on the first album side, two marvellous tracks that end the album (how many albums have you heard that have two great tracks at the end?), and a handful of good stuff in between, Love Bites proves that even in a supposedly ‘narrow’ frame as punk, there was room for experimentation that didn’t get in the way of the band’s pop sensibilities. Therefore, owning Singles Going Steady is not enough to get a complete idea of what this band was capable of.

Note: The 2001-reissue of the album adds four bonus tracks: “Love You More,” “Noise Annoys,” “Promises” and “Lipstick,” all of which belong in everyone’s CD-case.

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Singles Going Steady (1979)

10

Orgasm Addict / What Do I Get? / I Don’t Mind / Love You More / Ever Fallen in Love / Promises / Everybody’s Happy Nowadays / Harmony in My Head / Whatever Happened to? / Oh Shit! / Autonomy / Noise Annoys / Just Lust / Lipstick / Why Can’t I Touch It? / Something’s Gone Wrong Again

For some reason I postponed discussing this compilation and now I’m afraid I’ve run out of the ecstatic adjectives this album deserves. Singles Going Steady gathers eight singles released between 1977 and 1979 and their respective B-sides, and the interesting thing is that most of these never ended up on their albums (that’s why you should get them as well – although the reissues do have some of these songs added). “I Don’t Mind” and “Autonomy” grace Another Music, while their greatest classic “Ever Fallen in Love” and “Just Lust” are highlights on Love Bites, but that needn’t imply the other tracks are of a lesser quality, because each of the singles has something simply unforgettable about it, whether it is the hilariously horny panting in “Orgasm Addict,” the thrilling two-not guitar solo of “I Don’t Mind,” the falsetto chanting of the sarcastic “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” or Diggle’s impassioned delivery during “Harmony in My Head.” At their best, the Buzzcocks succeeded in combining the passion of The Clash with the Beatles’ knack for melody and the indignation that possessed many albums of the era. But of course the band was much more than the sum of their influences as they basically perfected the genre of “power pop-with-an-edge,” shamelessly delved into hopelessly romantic subject matter and adolescent frustration, and turned in an unequalled series of concise and spirited gems.

I have absolutely no idea how often I’ve listened to this album, but it must have been dozens and dozens of times and still I’m not bored with it. The mere fact that they could pull it off to make 8 B-sides in a row sound like another series of first-class singles is astonishing. OK, the first half is probably better, with “What Do I Get”, and “Ever Fallen in Love” as some of the best singles ever, but also the second half has so much more to offer than you dare to imagine, whether it’s the delicious galloping guitars of “Autonomy,” the delirious chorus and harmonies of “Lipstick,” the mutant krautrock-funk of “Why Can’t I Touch It?” or the intense repetition of the lengthy proto-post punk of “Something’s Gone Wrong Again” that proved that not only brief and energetic attacks were the band’s stick. Some people went as far as to call these B-sides retreads, but I can imagine that most of those horribly boring punk pop combos of today (where do they keep coming from?) would sacrifice their mother in return for just one good idea like that. These songs crackle and sizzle with youthful energy, unconditional passion, literally dozens of classic hooks, moments both of joy and disappointment, absurd humor and justified pessimism. It would be a ridiculously difficult task to assess this band’s influence, but I think it’s fair to say they probably influenced hundreds of bands, major and minor, directly and indirectly. While acts as different as Lambchop, Fine Young Cannibals and Billy Bragg have covered their songs, bands such as Hüsker Dü, Nirvana, Supergrass and The Libertines, who in their own way also unite melody and muscularity, also continue their legacy. I’ve thought for a while that I couldn’t give Singles the highest rating, as it doesn’t really offer a complete introduction to the Buzzcocks’ output (Love Bites has several songs that hinted at more experimentation fully embraced on A Different Kind of Tension), but then I looked at the cover and it doesn’t say The Balanced Best of the Buzzcocks nor The Buzzcocks Anthology. The fact that one band released this many brilliant singles and B-sides in such a short time span is simply stunning and also implies it’s one of the truly essential compilations out there. Compulsory stuff for anyone even remotely interested in pop music, Singles Going Steady is an item I’d sacrifice more than a limb for. If I earned more money, I’d hand out free copies myself.

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A Different Kind of Tension (1979)

8

Paradise / Sitting Round at Home / You Say You Don’t Love Me / You Know You Can’t Help It / Mad Mad Judy / Raison d’Etre / I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life / Money / Hollow Inside / A Different Kind of Tension / I Believe / Radio Nine

Previous releases made clear the Buzzcocks were one of the supreme singles (proof being the stunningly consistent compilation Singles Going Steady, also released in 1979, which contains stuff that was released in a mere two year span) and album acts of the punk era, so it would be nice to observe what they’d come up with once the initial punk wave had waned. Would they continue in the same punk-pop direction, or would they fully embrace the experimentation Love Bites more than once hinted at? Well, as usual, the answer lies somewhere in between, but it’s a fact that A Different Kind of Tension is the most experimental Buzzcocks album by far, one that contained some songs that might’ve been on Love Bites as well as some tracks you’d rather expected on some obscure German post-punk band’s album. It’s not that the less catchy stuff (which is – in a way – also immensely catchy) is inaccessible, but the structures and length of the songs have more in common with krautrock or avant-garde averages, so that’s epic length for a band who formerly specialised in ultra-short and tight singles that oozed out a single-minded energy and conviction. I should add that it’s mainly Shelley’s contributions that head into the different direction, as Diggle’s three songs are among the album’s more conventional punk-flavored tracks, both musically and lyrically, as opposed to Shelley’s increasingly existential concerns.

Unsurprisingly, Diggle’s songs all situate themselves in the first (“traditional”) half of the album. The excellent “Sitting Round at Home” alternates chugging rock riffs with speedier sections that rave ahead at greater speeds, while his distorted vocals nicely embody the inertia expressed by the lyrics (“It’s a family show, ten part serial, something for everyone, tea on end of part one”). Both “You Know You Can’t Help It” and “Mad Mad Judy” could be called straightforward punk-pop, but neither of them is really convincing. The first one extrapolates the experimentation with repetition to the lyrics, while the topic isn’t treated in a very, uh, interesting way (“You know you can’t help it getting into her, you know you can’t help it ‘cos she’s your world, you know you can’t help it that sex is good, you know you can’t help it you just can’t help it!”), while the outraged “Mad Mad Judy” just goes on for too long, and that’s almost deadly when you want to offer a portrait of a confused girl at odds with the world in this format. The first half of the albums also contains some terrific Shelley bliss: the brisk “Paradise” (“Everything’s fake, nothing’s real (…) is this the place that they call Paradise?”) is infectious as hell, and the same goes for the charged ennui of “I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life,” a mighty fine addition to their lengthy list of powerful-yet-catchy-at-the-same-time punk tracks. What this album is really about are of course the more experimental tracks that inhabit the second half of the album and that are already hinted at by the telling “Raison d’Etre” (existentialism, anyone?) that basically rehashes the riff of “Mad Mad Judy,” but adds a slightly more robotic angularity. The four last songs on the album (that’s not counting the 50 seconds long “Radio Nine”) are radically different. Instead of dealing with previous subjects such as fast cars, girls that won’t answer the phone and a struggle for finding autonomy, these defeatist songs show the boys have become a lot more serious, getting their inspiration from other (philosophical) sources.

Alienation, solitude, and an omnipresent angst constitute tracks like “Hollow Inside” (“We’re all hollow inside, but I couldn’t find out what the reason was”) and “Money” that have more in common with the dark and reverberating sounds of post-punk bands such as Siouxsie & the Banshees and (ironically) Howard Devoto’s Magazine. The title track could’ve been the final destination of this all, with its dehumanized enumeration of orders (Stop, go, live, die, yes, no, rebel, submit, right, wrong, sit down, stand up, create, destroy, etc.), but the unquestionable centre of gravity is the lengthy “I Believe,” which basically combines the two prominent directions found on this album. It almost starts off like any other of their punk-pop songs – swift and light – although the lyrics (“I can’t feel the future and I’m not even certain that there’s a past”) announce less lightweight matters. Shelley mentions a lot of things he believes in, in the end coming to the one thing he doubts: “There is no love in this love anymore.” The last few minutes of the songs contain no other lyrics than those (increasingly louder sung by Shelley), while the music takes on this galloping and frenetic pace, ending after 7 minutes of bitter disappointment. “I Believe” is definitely a key track in the Buzzcocks output and an uncomfortable final chapter to A Different Kind of Tension. While the first two albums serve as better introductions to the world of the mighty Buzzcocks, Tension proves they also were an ever restless outfit, willing to experiment much more than most of their brethren at the time, and while it didn’t result in a masterpiece, the album still deserves to be heard by anyone even remotely interested in what was happening at the time.

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Parts 1, 2, 3 (1980)

5.5

Are Everything / Strange Thing / What Do You Know / Why She’s a Girl from the Chain Store / Airwaves Dream / Running Free

Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye! Parts 1, 2, 3 combines the three last singles (and the respective B-sides) this line-up of the band recorded. A Different Kind of Tension made clear that the band wasn’t going to consolidate its position or its sound, but unfortunately it also hinted that the band was bursting at the seams, with the songs written by Diggle and Shelley growing more and more apart. The differences aren’t that apparent on this EP (Shelley having toned down the slightly abrasive experimentation), but it sure doesn’t sound like a collective effort, further worsened by the lousy production job done. Shelley’s vocals are buried in the gooey mud of “Strange Thing,” while also the drums – previously so special on Buzzcocks recordings – sound horribly fake. Diggle’s “Airwaves Dream” sounds completely bottomless and the fact that’s the worst sung track in the Buzzcocks catalogue makes it even more frustrating. There are, however, also some aspects that make this EP a bit special: the straight use of strings in “Are Everything,” for instance, and the use of saxophone (!) during “What Do You Know.” It sounds kinda silly and even cheesy, but for some reason I like this song because of its melancholy and the infectious sax parts. “Why She’s a Girl from the Chain Store” sounds frighteningly much like The Jam and is probably the only track on here that’s decent Buzzcocks, while “Running Free” would’ve been a contender if it didn’t suffer from that crap production.

Note: During the release of these singles, the band ran into troubles with EMI, resulting in some financial chaos and uncertainty. During the beginning stages of the recordings for the fourth album, Shelley disbanded the band by sending his band mates a lawyer’s letter. Consequently, Shelley continued in a more electro-oriented direction (the single “Homo Sapien” being the notorious highlight), while Diggle formed the more traditional Flag of Convenience, which never really became a success. The band re-united in 1989, temporarily with The Smiths’ Mike Joyce at the drum kit. After a while, however, the line-up would consist of Shelley, Diggle, Tony Barber (bass), and Philip Barker, to this day still the line-up of The Buzzcocks.

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French (1995)

7

I Don’t Mind / Who’ll Help Me to Forget / Get on Our Own / Unthinkable / Strange Thing / Energy / Breakdown / Innocent / Roll It Over / Why She’s a Girl from the Chainstore / Last to Know? / Running Free / Libertine Angel / Why Can’t I Touch It? / Noise Annoys / Isolation / Boredom / Do It / Harmony In My Head / I Believe

The first in a series of live releases (not counting earlier semi-bootlegs such as Lest We Forget and Live at the Roxy Club), French captures the current line-up in action in Paris, France. At the time of this recording (April 12th, 1995), the band had only released one album (1993’s Trade Test Transmission), which has its advantages as well as a few disadvantages. For once, it’s actually cool to get a “different” set list, because there are more compilations around of this band than necessary, and most of them have too many overlapping songs (only hardcore fans need, say, Singles Going Steady ànd Operator’s Manual ànd the new singles collection Inventory). While this album has its share of classic era ‘Cocks (8 of these songs were written before 1980), there are also two inclusions from the very mediocre Parts 1,2,3, eight tracks from Trade Test Transmission, and finally also “Roll It Over,” which never appeared on any of their albums, and the single-only “Libertine Angel.” Now, the problem is that ultimately, this set-list is more interesting than ideal. Of course, it’s cool to hear the band tear through terrific later songs such as Diggle’s “Isolation” and Shelley’s “Who’ll Help Me to Forget?,” but when they’re followed by “Boredom” and “Get on Our Own” respectively, they suddenly sound, uh, less convincing.

That’s not to suggest this line-up was redundant, because most of the songs are fine and well performed, but somehow they rarely reach the immensely high quality of the classic stuff. With its machine gun-intro (reminiscent of The Clash’s “Tommy Gun”), “Unthinkable” is quite infectious, “Roll It Over” is a very good imitation of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Libertine Angel” proves that the band was still the leader of the pack of punk-pop bands during the mid-‘90’s. However, as argued above, it’s the older tracks that turn this into a document fans of the bands should have: “I Don’t Mind,” “Breakdown,” “Why Can’t I Touch It?,” and the lengthy “I Believe” (last song of the set, just like when I saw them in May of 2003) were, are, and will always be essential listening. As for the rookies: there are plenty of other compilations to start your Buzzcocks collection with, but if you really want to have of what the band sounds like, you might want to check out Paris –Encore du Pain, which contains ten remaining songs from this concert (with more consistently good songs), or Live Tension, featuring the classic line-up that recorded Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites and A Different Kind of Tension.

Note: the US-edition (the one that I have) contains three bonus tracks: “Orgasm Addict,” “Oh Shit” and “Fast Cars.” They’re excellent, but make this album even longer, and 74 minutes of live Buzzcocks might not be what you’re looking for.

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All Set (1996)

6

Totally from the Heart / Without You / Give It to Me / Your Love / Point of No Return / Hold Me Close / Kiss ‘n Tell / What Am I Supposed to Do / Some Kinda Wonderful / What You Mean to Me / Playing for Time / Pariah / Back With You

At this time (August 11th, 2003), I still haven’t heard Trade Test Transmissions (1993). I wasn’t into the band yet when that album was released, but I’ll make sure to find a copy someday … rest assured. On the other hand: I think I can get a fair idea of what the songs may sound like, since albums like French and BBC Sessions have their share of songs from that album. I presume it’s a combination of good (not earth-shaking) songs with a bunch of mediocre ones, with a rare excellent track thrown in. Basically, the same is true for All Set: it isn’t an excellent album by any means, nor is it a complete failure. Buzzcocks fans like me will probably find a great deal of satisfaction in the album’s better songs, but once again we’re dealing with an inconsistent album that doesn't have enough highlights.* And there’s also the production of course. Producer Neill King, who worked with Céline Dion, but also with punk-revivalists Rancid and – most importantly – Green Day (on Dookie), doesn’t really succeed in giving the albums the buzzsaw-roar it warrants. The Buzzcocks have always been a band smart enough to value the “pop” in punk-pop very highly, but of course the “punk” should be there as well, and several of these tracks are just too glossy and compromising.

There’s nothing wrong with “Totally from the Heart,” though. Easily the best song on this album and one of the best songs I ever heard by this line-up, it’s a frenzied slice of punk bliss, with a first-rate melody and nearly silly falsetto backing vocals during the chorus. Other highlights include “Give It to Me” and “Your Love”: what the former lacks in energy is compensated by the latter, and both boast their trademark combination of vigour and pop schmalz. The clearest example of their corny tendencies is probably “Hold Me Close,” a 4-minute ballad that even includes keyboards (well, yeah, that is special!). It’s a winner, but only because of the vocals, because the lyrics aren’t what they used to be. Several of their early singles contained classic one-liners or remarkable imagery, but here it’s predictable stuff: “You seem to never notice me, I dream that one day you will see, the love meant for both of us to share.” OK, the Buzzcocks have grown up, but without their snottiness it’s not really the same anymore. The remainder of the songs on the album range from decent to slightly sub-par, without descending into dreadful quality. “Without You” is a nice, glossy slice of nostalgia-pop, “Point of No Return” features a trademark two-note guitar tick and nice vocals. “What Am I Supposed to Do” once again proves Diggle isn’t the best of vocalists, but is definitely a good one when compared to the quite silly “Kiss ‘n Tell.” “What You Mean to Me” and “Playing for Time” have more in common with ‘80’s hard rock than with punk, but the boys forgot that even hard rock needs to keep up its pace, and those two songs seem to drag a bit to me. “Pariah” reminds a bit of Kitchen-era Buzzcocks, but seems to lack the essential ingredient (I’m still wondering which one), while Diggle’s “Back with You” sounds like an uninspired Oasis/Paul Weller-collaboration. Definitely not an awful album or anything, All Set just wallows too much in mediocrity to be considered a good album. Once the undisputed kings of punk-pop, the ‘Cocks were lagging behind a bit on this album.

* Did I already mention that I’m getting fed up with this recurring phenomenon? Each album I get my hands on or that winds up in my CD-player these days, is either too long or has a stupid song order. OK, OK, OK, I can see why all your good songs should be in the first half of the album (once you have the people’s attention, you gotta keep it for a while, right?), but it makes for such a tedious second half, Jesus Christ already!

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BBC Sessions (1998)

7

Sixteen Again / Nothing Left / Promises / Lipstick / Do It / Isolation / Palm of Your Hand / Ever Fallen in Love / Energy / Libertine Angel / Last to Know / Playing for Time / Totally from the Heart / I Don’t Mind / Turn of the Screw / Thunder of Hearts / Fiction Romance / Love Battery / Harmony in My Head / Time’s Up

Not to be confused with the Peel Sessions Album that only contained performances by Mark I, BBC Sessions compiles four cuts performed by the late ‘70’s line-up (recorded in 1978 and 1979) and 16 by the current one (between 1993-’97). Now, it’s my conviction that both the line-up with Garvey/Maher as well as the one with Barber/Barker are/were excellent live units that are much more exciting than the average contemporary punk-pop band, so this compilation should be a thrill. Unfortunately it isn’t, and I guess it’s due to the fact that these twenty songs were taken from TEN different sessions. Hence, they work pretty well on themselves, but this is not a cohesive album, as the songs weren’t pasted together; instead they’re separated by radio jingles of such programs such as Kid Jensen’s, Johnny Walker’s and Jackie Bramble’s. The jingles themselves might be hilariously the first few times (most of ‘em are so silly and cheesy), but they disrupt the pace of the album. As for the material: it’s equally divided into stuff from the 1977-’79 period and songs that would wind up on their three nineties albums (Trade Test Transmissions (1993), All Set (1996) and Modern (1999)). To be true: the new stuff can’t compete with the model punk pop of their heyday, but it’s definitely better than many people claim or would expect.

Personal favorites on this compilation are the ’79 recording of “Lipstick,” a song as infectiously naive as they come and a chorus and simple solo that are all-time classics. The versions of “Ever Fallen in Love,” “Love Battery” and the surprising “Time’s Up” (from the first EP) are nearly as enthralling. The newer stuff never comes off as weak or sloppy, although not all the cuts are as impressive: “Energy” and “Playing for Time,” for instance, don’t sound very inspired or like a track you’d want to hear ten times in a row (which is often the case (in my case) when I listen to their very best efforts). The good stuff is clearly in the majority though: “Isolation” and “Turn of the Screw,” both written by Diggle, funnily enough almost sound like flat-out Hüsker Dü-tributes (must be because of Diggle’s voice, which sounds pretty similar to Bob Mould’s), while “Thunder of Hearts,” “Totally from the Heart” and some other tracks simply crackle with energy. The band plays pretty tight, the performances are meticulously executed, all of the four members kicking out the jams (although drummer Barker sounds a bit less inventive than Maher used to be). Bass player Tony Barber compiled this release and did a good job in finding a representative balance between the terrific songs that have stood the test of time and newer material that sounds almost as convincing. The question remains whether this is an album worth checking out? For the novices the answer’s probably “no, not immediatley”: there are much better places to start a Buzzcocks collection, and secondly, I can imagine the disrupted song order of the album can become quite annoying after a while if you only want toknow what the fuss is/was about. Buzzheads, on the other hand, probably purchased this way back in the ‘90’s, and I bet they don’t regret it.

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Paris - Encore du Pain (1999)

7.5

I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life / Love You More / Autonomy / Orgasm Addict / Promises / When Love Turns Around / Ever Fallen in Love ? / What Do I Get? / Oh Shit! / Fast Cars

Released in 1999, but recorded on April 12th, 1995 in Paris, Encore du Pain merely contains 10 of the 30 songs played that evening (the other ones are available on the album French (1996)). It’s not essential listening by any means, as it only contains one song that’s not from the classic era (“When Love Turns Around,” from their first – and up till this point only – post-reunion album Trade Test Transmission), nor are the versions of the songs noticeably different from their studio counterparts. Finally, at 27 minutes the album’s also damn short. Shelley introduces the show with “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but uh, I don’t know what to do with my life” and then kicks off into that same song. The sound is very good for a live record (in my opinion, at least), with all the instruments clearly audible, while the guitars are crunchy, loud and exciting. The energy and enthusiasm conveyed in the opening songs is basically kept up during the entire recording: charged and short punk bullets like “Love You More,” classic single “Orgasm Addict” and a superb version of “Promises” take no prisoners. Shelley’s voice doesn’t always sound that clear and high-pitched as it used to sound, but that’s made up for by his vigorous approach. Diggle is clearly the lesser vocalist as “Auntonomy” and “When Love Turns Around” proove, but the quality of the songs is just there.

More classics straight out of punk heaven come in the shape of “Ever Fallen in Love?” and “What Do I Get?,” that sound as timeless as 17 years before. The juvenile “Oh Shit” and personal favorite “Fast Cars” close the album on a high note, proving the ‘Cocks didn’t lose it. All in all, this show sounds a lot tighter and “cleaner” than when I saw them in early 2003, and by consequence doesn’t add anything to the original versions, but albums like these at least remind us that there still is a niche for bands like The Buzzcocks. They may have been one of the first major English punk bands to implode (unless you consider The Sex Pistols more than a one-album project), at a time when The Clash and The Jam were still going (fairly) strong, but fortunately also one of the bands that justify their own resurrection.

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Small Songs with Big Hearts/Beating Hearts (2000)

8

I Don’t Mind / Autonomy / Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) / Mad Mad Judy / Sixteen / Moving Away from the Pulsebeat / Nothing Left / Noise Annoys / You Say You Don’t Love Me / Harmony in My Head / I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life / Money / I Believe / Breakdown / Love You More / What Do I Get? / Boredom // Real World / I Don’t Mind / Nostalgia / Sixteen / Fiction Romance / Autonomy / Moving Away from the Pulsebeat / Noise Annoys / Walking Distance / Operator’s Manual / Nothing Left / Sixteen Again / Promises / Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) / Love You More / What Do I get? / E.S.P. / Boredom / Oh Shit

A treat for the fans who can’t get enough, this 2 CD-set gathers songs from two performances: Small Songs with Big Hearts was recorded in the Rainbow Theatre in London in 1979 (it’s the same show as Live Tension a bit further down the page), while Beating Hearts was recorded the previous year at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester. Of the two shows, the later one is probably a bit better, with the band sounding a bit more energetic and fiery. Still, the Manchester show also proves they were an excellent live band. Despite the fact that Shelley’s voice sometimes is a bit unsteady and the guitar sound could’ve been better (sometimes it suddenly sounds more muffled for a while), it’s a fine introduction to the band’s early catalogue. Besides legendary singles such as “Ever Fallen in Love,” “What Do I Get?,” “Promises” and “I Don’t Mind,” excellent album tracks like “Sixteen” and “Fiction Romance” as well as a few surprising choices (a lengthy “E.S.P.,” the angular “Operator’s Manual”) are delivered with heaps of energy. The band has never been notorious for its eccentric stage behavior (like the liner notes, containing press clipping from that time, claim: “There’s no strong visual identity, none of the standard props like instrumentals or flashiness”) or violence-laden gigs (in fact they even ask the people in the audience not to stand on the seats).

Note: I’d like to thank Graham Fyfe for sending me this 2-CD. Cheers!

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Live Tension (2002)

8

I Don’t Mind / Autonomy / Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’tve) / Mad Mad Judy / 16 / Moving Away from the Pulsebeat / Nothing Left / Noise Annoys / You Say You Don’t Love / Harmony in My Head / I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life / Money / I Believe / Breakdown / Love You More / What Do I Get / Boredom

Ten facts about this release: 1) it captures the same gig – recorded 09/11/79 at the Rainbow Theatre in London – as the second CD of the twofer Beating Hearts/Small Songs with Big Hearts (2001); 2) it’s a limited edition of 1977 copies only; 3) it gives quite a good overview of the Buzzcocks' career, spanning songs from the first three albums, the early EP Spiral Scratch (“Breakdown,” “Boredom”) and a few single-only tracks (that wound up on several compilations and on the reissues as bonus tracks); 4) the tracklist on the back cover omitted "Money"; 5) despite the fact that it’s a limited edition released by EMI – one that, you know, should be excellently packaged – the back cover mentions “I Don’t Know What to Do In My Life,” while it should be “I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life”; 6) it’s a release that was made to nitpick about; 7) it goes to show the Buzzcocks were a much better live band than most of their contemporaries; 8) it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan (and at least have the first three albums and Singles Going Steady) and willing to pay the price; 9) the speed problems of the original tape are worst during the intro of “What Do I Get” and the end of “Boredom”; and 10) it taught me how to write shorter reviews that are more to-the-point, objective and reliable than my previous half-assed attempts.

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Buzzkunst (2002)

7

Can You See Me Shining? / Strain of Bacteria / Deeper / ‘Til the Stars in His Eyes Are Dead / On Solids / Self-Destruction / You Are Still There / God’s Particle / A World to Give Away / Stupid Kunst / System Blues / So There I Was / Wednesday’s Emotional Setup / Going Off

A remarkable reunion, to say the least. Nearly 25 years after Devoto left the Buzzcocks to pursue a slightly more experimental (artier) direction with Magazine, there’s suddenly this collaboration between some of British punk’s most intriguing exponents. Shelley had always been involved in music projects (even when the Buzzcocks were disbanded for a large of the part of the ‘80’s), but Devoto had given up after his project Luxuria met with the audience’s indifference in 1990. Since then, he has been working as a librarian in a photo archive, avoiding media attention and disappearing from the music map. Then they’re suddenly back, as a duo, and fortunately not with Spiral Scratch Pt. 2 (thank God!), but with an electro album! Well, I shouldn’t come as a big surprise, since Shelley had always been interested in electronica and his solo albums (most notably, his album Homosapien) fitted very well in the synth/wave movement of the early ‘80’s. Despite the quite eclectic mix of electro, ambient and – vaguely - industrial, it’s an album that’s clearly rooted in that decade, as the duo recycles the accomplishments of pioneers such as Kraftwerk and Eno in the chilly, dehumanised frames of ‘80’s wavers and beat terrorists (Front 242, early Ministry, etc).

Not all the songs here are successful, as some of them are rather unsubstantial, getting (or not) their appeal from one or two flimsy ideas, or even a bit too kitschy, but there’s plenty to enjoy as well, as the still-existing synergy between the guys can’t be ignored. Opener “Can You See Me Shining” with its rudimentary beats and samples immediately announces itself as muscled-up Kraftwerk, while Devoto’s shaky vocals (you can hardly call him a good singer) are still as intriguing as they were during his heyday with Magazine. Sometimes, the songs rely less on structure and more on textures, as in the muted ambient of “You Are Still There” (Air goes British?), while other songs, like terrific the “So There I Was,” are propelled by nearly martially tight beats and subtle tonal modulations that create a weird entrancing effect. Then there’s also stuff like “’Til the Stars in His Eyes Are Dead,” the album’s lone guitar-dominated song (and yes, it’s the Buzzcocks Buzzsaw), a tough slab of noise with balls and chaotic solos to spare. It was even recycled on the Buzzcocks self-titled album (2003) and again was an album highlight. As I suggested above, some songs are of a rather average quality: “Deeper,” the album’s love song according to Devoto (his song-by-song comments are to be found on the Buzzcocks-website), would’ve fit nicely on an ‘80’s electro album (alongside New Order and Depeche Mode), “Self-Destruction” is an average dance track that’s redeemed by the nice female backing vocals, while “Going Off,” with its beats & guitar-mix sounds (nearly) entirely contemporary. Surprisingly, the album also contains four instrumentals, but only the chilling, detached soundscape “Strain of Bacteria” and the intriguing “On Solids” – big beats with soprano sax? ECM-electro? – are successful. Still, there’s hardly anything that’s less than decent with most of the songs appearing as adventurous and refreshing, despite being rooted in three decades of electronic music. Buzzkunst* isn’t a masterpiece by a long shot, it’s even too inconsistent to be considered “excellent,” but its sonic diversity and Devoto’s unique delivery certainly turn it into a release that’s worth checking out. If you’re willing to disband the three chord punk-expectations, that is.

* Yes, the original idea was to call it Buzzcunts, but luckily “kunst” is “art” in German and Dutch.

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Buzzcocks (2003)

8

Jerk / Keep on / Wake up Call / Friends / Driving You Insane / Morning After / Sick City Sometimes / Stars / Certain Move / Lester Sands / Up for the Crack / Useless

I didn’t know these guys had a new album out until someone told me on a message board. Blame it on the small budget of Cherry Red Records or on the fact that these guys have fallen from grace with the audience (who cares about a bunch of old punks these days?). Anyway, I heard these guys were coming over to Brussels for a gig so I simply had to check that new album out to be prepared, and I’m so glad I did. You want to know why? This is the best Buzzcocks album since 1979, that’s why! While the other three albums since the 1989 reunion all offered some good songs and hooks that were more than just rehashes of former glories, Buzzcocks sounds almost like a new, reinvigorated start (like the title seems to suggest). The album doesn’t have the frenetic pace of Another Music, nor does it have the adventurous experimentation of Tension, but it’s the long-awaited reaffirmation of their capabilities, and both main songwriters turn in some exciting and catchy songs. For the first time, Diggle gets to do as many songs as Shelley (5), but there are also two Shelley/Devoto compositions added (a result of their Buzzkunst electronica project?) to top things off.

The unquestionable highlight of the album (up till now it gets my vote for “best song of 2003”) is the charged album opener “Jerk” that has a propulsive rhythm, roaring guitars and typically self-deprecating lyrics (“It was my fault you’re not to blame it’s me who’s in the wrong (…) I’m a jerk you’re right to tell me so”). On top of that, it’s so short and punchy there’s no time to screw it up and that’s why it’s become one of my favorite Buzzcocks songs as well. None of the other songs excites me like “Jerk,” although the chugging riffs, glossy bridge section and hilarious lyrics (does he really make a rhyme with “the recipe of life’s mixed up too” with “award myself a cordon bleu”?) of “Friends” do the job as well. “Morning After” sounds like vintage Buzzcocks with those spiky guitars (bass player Barber – himself providing great bass-lines - makes the band sound a bit heavier than before) and that vocal melody. “Useless,” the album closer comes across as a mix between “I Need” and Magazine’s “Shot by Both Sides,” the main difference being that the suggested existentialism of the late ‘70’s is replaced by a more direct disappointment (“Life’s only temporary, then you fuckin’ die”) that doesn’t even sound clichéd (when you’re not looking at the lyrics, that is). Overall Diggle’s songs are a bit weaker than Shelley’s, but both “Wake up Call” (with a “Fast Cars”-styled two-note guitar part) and the near-anthemic “Sick City Sometimes” are some of his most memorable songs, that they also sounded great live on stage. “Driving You Insane” boasts a hard rock riff of all things, but thankfully it’s blessed with a great chorus as well, while “Certain Move” is another Nick Lowe-ish pop song, with a simple yet catchy melody residing on the right side of “silly.” Finally, the Devoto/Shelley-compositions are probably the loudest on the album: the tough “Stars” simply crunches ahead with a massive riff, while “Lester Sands” (a re-recording of “Lester Sands (Drop in the Ocean)” from the rare archival release Time’s Up) has this near-robotic riff that, backed by Barker’s frenzied drumming, will set the place on fire. It’s not that the Buzzcocks suddenly have progressed with leaps and bounds, but this album nearly resurrects their classic momentum. Whereas the previous three album could serve at introductions to the band and instigate you to look for the classic stuff, this album is worth checking out for itself, because it more than competently shows what the Buzzcocks stand for: first-rate punk pop, roaring buzz-saw guitars and insistent melodies you can’t get rid of. Hail to the kings, ‘cause they’re back!

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