308) Buzzcocks - Another Music in a Different Kitchen

So, if Buzzcocks had never existed Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley would still have been thanked by the people of Manchester as they arranged for the Sex Pistols to play at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. They had hoped to support the Pistols but were let down by other musicians but when the Pistols returned, they were ready. Remember according to the myth most of the UK were at these two gigs.

After the legendary Spiral Scratch EP Devoto quit, this could have been the end, but Shelley moved to lead vocals, Steve Diggle on guitar, John Maher on drums and they eventually brought in Steve Garvey on bass and the classic Buzzcocks line up was ready to go.

Another Music in a Different Kitchen was released in 1978 and made the top twenty, the band decided to write incredible catchy punk classics that would lodge in your brain, many bands would like to do it, but Buzzcocks had the talent and intelligence to do it.

What’s the best way for an album to get you, you need the opening track to make you think oh I need to hear more of this and they manage it with Fast Cars an almost police like siren guitar a bass to underpin it all and a shout along chorus, two and a half minutes of pure joy.

The phone rings and we are straight into No Reply a mad thrash along punk sprinkled with pop they may be managed better than any other punk band and for Love Battery and Sixteen all four band members bring their A game, the last minute of Sixteen a real joy.

I Don’t Mind most will know and if you don’t remedy that straight away and Pete Shelley’s vocals on Fiction Romance are another level, underrated pop star Mr Shelley.

Autonomy John Maher’s drums remind me of Iron Maiden’s Run to the Hills and the guitar kicks in and then a solo that picks up, slows down as the band comes to a deliberate faltering halt.

Moving Away from the Pulsebeat is seven glorious minutes long as the band move away from pop nuggets to flexing their muscles as Steve Diggle goes on a guitar fest and John Maher follows him around beating out a perfect rhythm, written by Shelley he and Buzzcocks clearly demonstrating there was so much more to them than the two minute pop song.  Seriously underrated.

8.5/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Fast Cars