It was only a few months ago when I was writing and raving about the first two Buzzcocks reissues from Domino Records. And now I'm here to rave about two more, namely A Different Kind of Tension and Singles Going Steady, both out today via Domino Records.
The famously difficult third album from 1979, A Different Kind of Tension sees Buzzcocks go from the fast singles of their punchy past -- a style represented fully by nearly every cut on the A-side of this album -- to a more expressive and angular style of post-punk on this record's second half. Sure, "I Don't Know What To Do With My Life" and "You Say You Don't Love Me" sound a lot like the early stuff, of course, but the numbers are somehow not as peppy. Still, for whatever spark they're lacking, a listener is rewarded with the explorations on the second half of A Different Kind of Tension, namely the title cut, heard here in such clarity that I swear I can hear fingers on guitar-strings when I play this through my headphones, and "Hollow Inside", the closest this Manc band came to sounding like city-peers Joy Division. And it is, like all those early Joy Division tracks from the era, the sort of song that succeeds thanks in no small part due to the bass-line, and it's a choice one here from Garth Smith. If this cut is Smith's finest hour as a Buzzcock, "Money", with its near-free jazz drum-fills, is John Maher's. The drummer really loosens up here, and the track remains sort of startling in how much it diverges from the band's earlier, faster punk-ier template.
This Domino reissue of A Different Kind of Tension was sourced from the 1/4-inch tapes and one can truly hear remarkable levels of clarity on this record finally, especially on the epic-length cut that closes out the album proper. "I Believe" is a song that marries the late Pete Shelley's hopeful vocals, and buoyant singing, with a melody that's a bit nervous. It's a nervousness made real when Shelley sings back to himself, "There is no love in this world anymore!" later in the song. It's such a breathtaking moment that it's hard to believe this is still the same band that only a few years earlier was all Ramones-like talking about being addicted to orgasms. The song, especially in this remastered version here, is just stunning, the cut that redeems the otherwise mixed bag that is A Different Kind of Tension. The helpful liner-notes from the esteemed Jon Savage get at what keeps this album so highly-rated by many. And having listened to this new 2019 reissue of the record, I can say that it's likely never sounded this good, the players are mixed perfectly, and the work of producer Martin Rushent is crystal clear now. Still, without the epic "I Believe" near the album's end, I likely wouldn't love A Different Kind of Tension half as much.
The 1979 collection Singles Going Steady is absolutely essential. There is no disputing that. One of the finest compilations ever put together, every track here still sends chills up the spine, and reminds over and over again what a marvelous thing power-pop can be. And, really, let's not bullshit here because for every cut like "Oh Shit" and "Noise Annoys" that feels a little punk-y, there's another, like "Promises" and "Love You More", that's pure power-pop. Originally released on American label I.R.S. in 1979, and only later issued in the U.K., Singles Going Steady distills the appeal of The Buzzcocks down to the band's A-sides and B-sides. And to me, even in 2019, every cut here still sounds like a massive hit.
Of course, one of my top five favorite songs of all time is here so I had to play that first to gauge the value of this 2019 edition of Singles Going Steady. So, yeah, right away with this Domino reissue of the compilation I played "Lipstick" really, really loud. There is, of course, Steve Diggle's ascending guitar-line that seems desperate as its reaches towards the sun, but now there's more clarity with the bass and drums. This is, more or less, the song that made me love this band so many years ago and I still get a little tingle on the back of my neck every time I crank this one up in the car, or through the headphones.
Still, even if "Lipstick" is somehow not your favorite Buzzcocks cut, there's loads more here to enjoy, namely 15 other songs that will be burned into your brain as soon as you hear them: "I Don't Mind", "Everybody's Happy Nowadays", "Ever Fallen in Love" -- every single or flip collected here is as perfect and vital as anything from the first 5 years of the back-catalog of The Ramones, you know? Just aces! Has any other band but The Ramones had a run of singles of this kind of remarkable quality in their first few years?
A Different Kind of Tension and Singles Going Steady are out today via Domino Records.