By By Billy Florio
Perfect albums are hard to come by. It’s even harder to find one in a singles-based genre, like late ’70s punk. Bands like The Damned, X-Ray Spex and The Undertones all released great singles that made the genre what it is. However, none of them came up with an album that could fall anywhere near the realm of perfect. These bands specialized in the short three-minute punk/pop song, not full length LPs, which hindered their writing ability. The Buzzcocks found a way around this.
Singles Going Steady is a collection of A and B-sides from the first years of their existence. They didn’t attempt to make a full-length album of new material-why follow those rules? They did what they wanted and with that, created one of the greatest punk albums ever, only subordinate to the Clash’s London Calling.
The album bursts open with “Orgasm Addict,” the Buzzcocks best known song. This is actually the second version of the song. The original featured vocals from former band-member Howard Devoto. This time it’s Pete Shelley doing vocals, who brings an extraordinary amount of energy.
“What Do I Get?” starts up next. This song may be familiar to some due to its use in a car commercial a few years back. It’s also notable for being a perfect example of how the Buzzcocks molded together punk and power-pop in a style that would influence new wave bands in the ’80s, and ’90s bands like Harvey Danger. Along with the merseybeat-punk amalgamation “Love You More,” “What Do I Get?” glorifies teenage love and desire; something counter-acted by other Buzzcocks songs such as “Ever Fallen In Love.”
“Ever Fallen In Love,” another one of The Buzzcocks’ best known singles, is a hard hitting diatribe against love and everything it stands for. Its lyrics: “You spurn my natural emotions / You make me feel like dirt / And I’m hurt / And if I start a commotion / I run the risk of losing you / And that’s worse,” are especially potent. It comes after the song “Love You More,” with lyrics about loving someone so much that if they ever leave, you’d kill yourself.
The Buzzcocks were never the most popular band. They were one of many British punk bands to come out in the late ’70s, most of whom you couldn’t tell apart. It didn’t even matter that the BBC banned “Orgasm Addict” from airplay.
Now though, The Buzzcocks are being honored by critics, with “Best of the ’70s” lists, and punk compilations like No Thanks. Not to mention the use of some of their songs in commercials, including “Orgasm Addict.” Ironic, isn’t it?
The Chronicle gives “Single Going Steady” by Buzzcocks five stars out of five.