The Buzzcocks -

Date: 1979
Release: EMI / IRS #13153
Cover Art: view / download
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While the albums that make up the Buzzcocks‘ sacred late-’70s trilogy (Another Music In A Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind Of Tension) are all must-hear masterpieces in their own right, the Buzzcocks were, first and foremost, the premier singles band of Britain’s early punk movement. Therefore, no ‘Cocks collection–hell, no record collection, period–can be complete without their A-sides compilation Singles Going Steady, which not only sounds as fresh in 2001–the year of the Manchester band’s 25th (!) anniversary–as it did in 1979, but in fact sounds much more vital than some bordering-on-parody works by such better-known punk peers as the Damned and (yes) the Sex Pistols.

The most obvious reason that SGS has aged so gracefully is its universal subject matter: While many overtly political punk bands of the ’70s tackled the dour and somewhat alienating topics of revolution and anarchy, the ‘Cocks have always focused on interpersonal politics, exploring such timeless matters of the heart as one-sided crushes, doomed romances, rejection, jealousy, betrayal, paranoia…y’know, all that fun stuff. The result? Oh, only some of the greatest unrequited-love and love/hate songs of all time–”Love You More,” “Ever Fallen In Love?” (later covered with disappointingly little passion by Fine Young Cannibals), “What Do I Get?” (later perplexingly featured in a Toyota SUV commercial), “Promises,” “Why Can’t I Touch It?”–all of which are included on Singles Going Steady, whose coy title cleverly hints at this lovelorn theme.

And the sharp, sour lyrics–sniveled with nasty, neurotic abandon by the Buzzcocks‘ brilliant main singer-songwriter Pete Shelley–resonate just as powerfully in today’s Tony Blair-era as they ever did during Thatcher’s reign. (Note that Shelley’s songs are never gender-specific, never mentioning the words “he” or “she”–whether this is because he wants to make his lyrics relevant to listeners of all sexual orientations or because he’s clouding the issue of his own uncertain sexuality is still up for debate, but regardless, the tactic works wonderfully.)

However, SGS’s lovesick laments are hardly tedious exercises in pre-grunge angst. Remember, its 16 cuts (with eight more being added to this year’s UK reissue) are singles, the type of songs specifically engineered to win the listener over in three breathless minutes or less with impeccable melodies and singalong choruses. By applying punk rock’s spotty-faced adolescent aggression to the radio single’s hooks-and-harmonies-oriented format, the Buzzcocks have created short, sharp, souped-up powerpop (emphasis on “power”) that sacrifices neither the snottiness of the former nor the sweetness of the latter. Only the ‘Cocks could write an obnoxious two-minute ode to frantic teenage masturbation (“Orgasm Addict”) and make it sound as catchy and carefree as a Partridge Family tune; only they could write a song about a sexy yet innocuous topic like lipstick (“Lipstick”–duh) and come up with a sad, twisted (but still extremely hummable) tale of a spurned lover’s anguish. It’s Shelley’s coquettish, brazen vocals that always lend his caustic words just the right smidge of playful pitch-black humor, and when they pair with the blistering guitars and airy, almost Spectorian harmonies of axe-slinging partner Steve Diggle, it’s pure punk-pop perfection.

It’s also the perfect post-breakup soundtrack. Without delving too much into my personal life here (I will spare you the gory/pathetic/boring details), suffice it to say I have suffered my unfair share of Cupid’s slings and arrows, and the extremely cathartic Singles Going Steady–which combines all the emotional bloodletting of the mopiest of woe-is-me breakup songs with the feelgood vibes of finger-snapping, toe-tapping, chart-topping powerpop–has helped me cope during those troubled times more than Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream or voodoo-doll replicas of my ex-boyfriends ever did.

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