Category: Buzzcocks

All the while that Ever Fallen In Love was riding high in the charts so too was Love Bites the album it had been lifted from.  Like many other bands who were coming to the fore in the post-punk/new wave era of 1978 Buzzcocks were quite prolific and it was no real surprise when it was revealed that a brand new song was set to be the next 45.

The problem was that Ever Fallen In Love showed no sign of drifting out of the charts completely and so United Artists delayed the release of its follow-up all the while claiming, with the support of the band, that it was even better than the big smash.

In the event Promises was eventually released in late November 1978 but it only reached #20 in the charts as opposed to the previous single’s #12 showing.  However, it is worth remembering that this particular single was in the shops in the run-up to Christmas 1978 – indeed it was in the Top 30 on Xmas Day – and it is very likely that it actually sold more copies and in effect became the band’s best-selling 45.

It is an absolute belter of a record which, if there hadn’t been an Ever Fallen In Love would probably have been held up as the band’s all-time classic.

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Promises
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Lipstick

The b-side uses the same tune as Shot By Both Sides, the debut single by Magazine – a song which had been attributed to Devoto/Shelley.  But Lipstick is attributed solely to Pete Shelley thus robbing Howard of some deserved royalties.

 

A bona fide classic and one of the greatest singles of all time.

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Just Lust

It charted for 11 weeks all told, spending 8 weeks in the Top 40, five of which were in the Top 20, peaking at #12.

That was back in September – December 1978. Almost 40 years ago (gulp!!)

Cracking b-side too.

There’s something unjust however, when a hugely inferior cover by Fine Young Cannibals in 1987 enjoyed greater chart success by reaching #9.

 

I was really sure that Love You More was a much bigger hit than #34. I think it’s the fact that it hung around in the Top 50 for a while that leads to that conclusion but its chart run was 41,34,35,35,60,53 and so yup, mid-30s it was.

What it did do was get the band their first all-important appearance on Top of The Pops in July 1978 thus instantly making their name and sound recognisable to millions more people overnight. Which sort of set them up for the rest of the year. In the meantime, enjoy the magic of the 1min 45 second pop single and its rather spendid b-side:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Love You More
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Noise Annoys

Till next time.

February 78 had seen them hit the charts with What Do I Get?. The following month saw the debut LP Another Music In A Different Kitchen hit the shops and to many a surprise, none of the old singles were included among its eleven tracks.

The record label were keen to promote the LP with a single. The band weren’t too keen – they were already well advanced with plans to get a second album im the can and new songs were earmarked for singles. But in the end two of the ‘Kitchen’ tracks were chosen and put out as a single a full month after the LP had gone on sale. The sleeve was also a bit on the lazy side – unarguably the least attractive of them all.

mp3 : Buzzcocks – I Don’t Mind
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Autonomy

In the circumstances, reaching #55 wasn’t too bad.

After the self-inflicted wound of Orgasm Addict, the band enjoyed their first taste of chart success with the follow-up, released on 3 February 1978. But they made sure nobody could play the b-side on the radio:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – What Do I Get?
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Oh Shit

A #37 hit. Deserved much better as it is one of the most underrated post- punk pop tunes of all time.

Bonus Peel Session version from 7 September 1977:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – What Do I Get? (Peel Session)

Howard Devoto might have left the band after the release of the Spiral Scratch EP, but the band decided that one of the songs he had co-written with Pete Shelley should be the debut single now that they had signed with United Artists, one of the first punk groups to end up at a major label.

The choice of said single was designed to court controversy, as was all the rage in November 1977:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict

Not surprisingly, it was banned from radio stations up and down the country and so very few people got to hear it and even fewer bought it. That so few copies were purchased before UA deleted it means you need to pay £10-£15 nowadays for a copy that’s in decent condition.

Incidentally, Pete Shelley now considers the song to be embarrassing. I’m sure that Howie D also doesn’t consider it to be his finest moment, funny as it probably seemed at the time.

Here’s your bass-heavy and rough b-side in which Pete struggles occasionally to hit his high notes:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Whatever Happened To….?

Enjoy.

I’ve gone for Buzzcocks to be the next band in the lookback at the singles set of series. Not only are the songs for the most part rather spoecial, but many of the sleeves were among the best designs of the post-punk era.

In the beginning was this.

Spiral Scratch is an EP and the debut release by English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released on 29 January 1977, and was the first punk record to be self-released (that is, without the support of an existing record label). It is the third record ever released by a British punk band (preceded only by The Damned’s “New Rose” and the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.”). The EP is the only Buzzcocks studio release to feature original singer Howard Devoto, who left shortly after its release to form one of the first post-punk bands, Magazine.

When reissued in 1979, it reached number 31 in the UK Singles Chart.

According to Devoto, “It took three hours to record the tracks, with another two for mixing.” Produced by Martin Hannett (credited as “Martin Zero”), the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive and energetic.

The band had to borrow £500 from their friends and families to pay for the record’s production and manufacture. The EP was released 29 January 1977 on their own New Hormones label. The disc quickly sold out its initial run of 1,000 copies, and went on to sell 16,000 copies, initially by mail order, but also with the help of the Manchester branch of music chain store Virgin but also with the help of the Manchester branch of music chain store Virgin, whose manager took some copies and persuaded other regional branch managers to follow suit.

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Breakdown
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Time’s Up
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Boredom
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Friends Of Mine

Enjoy.

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2008

Now you might not believe this, but it is true.

When I was typing out the words and thoughts to accompany the song that made #24 on this chart, I couldn’t remember what it was that had made #23.

But it turns out to be the 1978 song I had in my mind when I was wittering on about scratchy guitars, a tune that made you leap around and sweat profusely while joining in on a chorus to die for and all in the space of something lasting less than 2mins 30 secs in length. (OK….the song is actually 2 mins 43 seconds in length)

Do I really need to say anything else?

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)?
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Just Lust

Some stats. The single was released in September 1978. That means it’s more than 37 years of age!!!!! (Go back the other way and its unimaginable that in 1979 there would be anyone raving about a ‘minor’ hit song from 1941.)

It was the band’s biggest hit, reaching #12 in the charts.

I’m actually at a loss to work out how Ever Fallen In Love? is only at #23 in the rundown.

I suppose its because I think there are 22 singles better than it…..but even I’m having doubts.

 

I thought a nostalgic look at a famous Manchester band would go down well today. Originally posted on 15th May 2007:-

THE SOUL’S JOY LIES IN THE DOING

Outside of Glasgow, my top city in terms of music has to be Manchester. The Smiths, Joy Division/New Order, and Magazine are among my all-time list of great bands, and I’ve a soft spot for The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, James and Oasis. And of course everyone likes Mark E Smith and The Fall….. Don’t they???

And then there’s Buzzcocks (although a close friend from Manchester will always insist, and rightly so, that Buzzcocks are from Bolton, a substantial town of its own merit some 20 km outside of the northern metropolis)

Most music aficionados will know that the Sex Pistols were in the inspiration for Howard Devoto (vocals) and Pete Shelley (guitar) to form Buzzcocks in the summer of 1976. The other members of the band were Pete Diggle (bass) and John Maher (drums).

In January 1977, the true punk DIY ethos was followed to the letter with the formation of a brand new record label specifically to record and release the band’s debut, an EP called Spiral Scratch. Just two months later, and at a time when every major record company on the planet wanted them to sign on the dotted line, Devoto dropped the bombshell that he was leaving.

The news however, didn’t deter the others from carrying on. Shelley took over the responsibility of being the main songwriter, as well as lead vocalist, Diggle moved to guitar, while a new bass player, Garth Smith was recruited. By August, they had signed to the United Artists label (part of EMI who had of course dropped The Pistols), and debut single Orgasm Addict came out in October. Not surprisingly, this ode to teenage masturbation was banned from radio play across the UK and didn’t trouble the charts. By the turn of the year, the band had fired bassist Smith (seemingly he just wasn’t a good enough player) and brought Steve Garvey into the fold. The new line-up was to conquer the UK in 1978 and 1979 thanks to a run of incredibly good singles that were released at roughly two-monthly intervals.

And it is these 8 singles, and their b-sides, nearly all of which last no more than two and bit minutes at a time, that make up one of the most listenable bits of vinyl ever to be let loose on the world.

Ostensibly, it’s a greatest hits collection, and from recollection, was the first of its type from a punk/new wave band. Singles Going Steady came out in September 1979, and it featured everything bar tracks from the debut EP.

01. Orgasm Addict – released in October 1977 but didn’t chart
02. What Do I Get? – released in February 1978 and reached #37 in the charts
03. I Don’t Mind – released in May 1978 and reached #55 in the charts
04. Love You More – released in July 1978 and reached #34 in the charts
05. Ever Fallen In Love? – released in October 1978 and reached #12 in the charts
06. Promises – released in December 1978 and reached #20 in the charts
07. Everybody’s Happy Nowadays – released in March 1979 and reached #29 in the charts
08. Harmony In My Head – released in August 1979 and reached #32 in the charts.

Tracks 9-16 were the b-sides of each single.

The chart positions might not look much to anyone nowadays, but you had to sell tens of thousands of singles to make the Top 40 in the late 70s, and the band managed this with ease. The record were also magnificently packaged, with covers and labels being colour co-ordinated (usually with the use of bright and cheerful day-glow colours).

Then, all of a sudden it all went pear-shaped. In October 1979, the band embarked on a major tour of the main concert venues across the UK, including the 3,000 capacity Glasgow Apollo. Every night they were blown away by the support act who were something fresh, new and fronted by someone unlike anyone we had seen before. Their support act was Joy Division.

Before long, the music press had started to turn against Buzzcocks. The reviews of the late 1979 tour were full of praise for the support act and full of venom for the main act who were now seen as has-beens. Having been constantly in the limelight with single and after single after single, and tour after tour after tour (not to mention 3 LPs in the space of two years), they disappeared for much of 1980, emerging in the Autumn for a tour which hardly anyone bought tickets for, and an album and two singles that no-one bought. Six months later, Shelley dissolved Buzzcocks.

The band did reform again almost a decade later, but that is perhaps a tale best left for a future posting.

For a short period in my life when I was 15/16 years of age, Buzzcocks, along with The Jam, could do no wrong in my eyes. They made great records that sounded magnificent on the radio, giving us a perfect combination of punk/new wave and pop. Singles Going Steady is glorious in all aspects except for having a lousy sleeve that was completely different in style to the works of art that had accompanied all the previous releases. Most of the lesser known b-sides are every bit as good as the singles themselves.

It was a real dilemma selecting the tracks to actually post, but in the end, I’ve gone for the flop single, the single that didn’t have Pete Shelley singing lead vocals and two more than worthy b-sides:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Orgasm Addict
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Harmony In My Head
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Oh Shit!
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Noise Annoys

This is a record that every collection just has to contain. A re-mastered copy with loads of extra tracks is very widely available and cheap to boot.

A couple of boring facts to end.

(a) John Maher was the drummer in Buzzcocks. It is also the real name of another Manchester musician who went on to achieve fame, fame fatal fame a few years later. To avoid confusion with the famous drummer, this young, handsome and talented guitarist changed his forename and surname ever so slightly to Johnny Marr.

(b) The lead track on the Spiral Scratch EP was called Boredom. And it was name-checked by the god-like Edwyn Collins who penned this lyric:-

“You know me I’m acting dumb-dumb
You know the scene is very humdrum
And my favourite song is entitled Boredom’

From Rip It Up. A song one or two of you might just be aware of.

PS : The title on the posting is a quote from a different P.Shelley, but it kind of sums up why I blog……..