MattA75's Full Review: Singles Going Steady by Various Artists/Buzzcocks
The mix of pop hooks with fast moving punk wasn't something that just all of a sudden came out of the 90s and the success of bands like Green Day and Blink 182, despite what some revisionist punk historians would prefer you to believe.
The Ramones come immediately to mind of course, but the fact that they aimed high in terms of pop success (and ultimately failed) is non-consequential to many of these same historians (not that I'm attacking the Ramones either...just pointing out a double standard), and other bands, like The Clash, also had their own moves into pop music. But perhaps the best example of a pure pop punk band from the early punk movement lies in The Buzzcocks, a four piece outfit from Manchester, England. The Buzzcocks were unafraid to write actual melodies, harmonize when appropriate, and have meaty hooks that would prove to be memorable to the listener.
The band would release three albums in the late 70s, but none of them were true classics. Singles Going Steady was put out here in the States at the end of 1979, and with just one listen, it is obvious that it is the only Buzzcocks CD comprised of their early material that anyone truly needs. Made up of 8 single releases, with their accompanying b-sides, Singles Going Steady is an extremely enjoyable listen from beginning to close to end, the one exception being the terrible closing track Something's Gone Wrong Again. But more on that later.
The disc is memorable from the first line belted out by Pete Shelley ("well you tried it just for once, found it all right for kicks, but now you found out that it's a habit that sticks") on Orgasm Addict, which needless to say, was a bit too racy for its time. The following song, What Do I Get?, followed Orgasm Addict's musical pattern, with racing guitars over an effective and a propulsive rhythm section. As evidenced on other songs here, the Buzzcocks would write poppier material, but their penchant for hooks is as well summed up in these two songs as any two others.
As the band moved forward, their sound became less raw and more structured, as evidenced by songs like Ever Fallen In Love? and Everybody's Happy Nowadays, both of which managed to capture the band's unabashed spirit and energy in new forms. If Ever Fallen In Love? was a romping two and a half minutes of solid pop-rock, then Everybody's Happy Nowadays points directly to the influence of the Velvet Underground on Shelley.
The hidden jewel here is Why Can't I Touch It, a six and a half minute pop song that I would imagine was at first received about as well as Green Day'sGood Riddance (Time of Your Life) was when it was first released. Bassist Steve Garvey plays a groove heavy bassline while guitarist Steve Diggle and Shelley trade off bits of colored melodic guitar bursts. It is truly an amazing song, one that breaks down the barriers between pop and punk in a historic way.
The group was unafraid to rev things back up to full speed though, such as on What Ever Happened To?, which had a bit of a hook, but was more notable for its energy. And the ridiculously over the top Oh Sh*t is straight up punk at it's best.
The only bad song on this collection comes at the very end. After the brilliant Touch It, you're stuck listening to Something's Gone Wrong Again, a song that is just plain obnoxious, and not in the good way. The repeating keyboard/piano note just drills itself into your head and makes you want to tear your hair out. Take away this and the song would at least be bearable (even if it still wouldn't live up to the rest of the compilation).
Singles Going Steady is an essential record for any punk fan to own. If The Ramones is punk 101, then consider Singles Going Steady Intermediate Punk I.
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