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Buzzcocks

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Buzzcocks are an English rock music group from Manchester, most famous for their part in the punk boom during the late 1970s.

Contents

Overview

They were one of the key first generation punk rock bands in the mid to late 1970s. Inspired by the Sex Pistols, the band themselves were an important influence on both the Manchester music scene and the independent label movement.

Many of Buzzcocks' singles have had a pop-punk sound, which later influenced later bands such as Green Day. Other songs have had a harder edge, and served as a basis for such bands as Crucifucks. "Ever Fallen in Love?", one of Buzzcocks best-known songs, has been covered by many other artists, most famously by Fine Young Cannibals.

The name Buzzcocks comes from local quaint slang (used mostly by the elderly) meaning "youngster". The group's adoption of the name was influenced by its use in the 1970s ITV television drama serial Rock Follies.

Biography

The band was formed by Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto soon after they had met and travelled to London together to see the Sex Pistols in February 1976. Shelley and Devoto were impressed by what they saw and arranged for the Sex Pistols to come and perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, in June 1976. Buzzcocks intended to play at this concert but were unable to do so as they lacked either a bassist and a drummer at the time. Once they had recruited Steve Diggle and John Maher to the band, they finally made their debut opening for the Sex Pistols' second Manchester gig in July 1976.

By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had released a four-track EP, Spiral Scratch on their own New Hormones label, thus heralding the independent label movement. The music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive, and energetic. "Boredom" announced punk's rebellion against the status quo while templating a strident minimalism (the guitar "solo" consisting of two repeated notes over and over). The demos recorded while Devoto was in the band were later issued officially as Time's Up. Long available as a bootleg, this album includes the Spiral Scratch EP.

Vocalist Devoto immediately left the band, already aware of the rapid co-opting of punk's attitude by the mainstream. He formed Magazine. Pete Shelley continued as vocalist, his high singing voice an antidote to the gruff pub-rock flavour of many contemporaries. Steve Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Steve Garvey became the bass player after a few months with Garth Smith playing the instrument. The Shelley / Diggle / Garvey / Maher lineup signed to United Artists Records.

True to their name, the first Buzzcocks single, "Orgasm Addict", played with sexuality in a way few punk groups dared. Later, more ambiguous songs staked out a territory defined by Shelley's bisexuality and punk's aversion to sex except as bodily function. Their trademark sound was a marriage of catchy pop melodies with punk guitar energy, with an unusually tight and skilled rhythm section—an anomaly in punk.

Their original career consisted of three LPs: Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension, each an advancement in musical sophistication. By the end they were quoting W. S. Burroughs ("A Different Kind of Tension"), declaiming their catechism in the anthem "I Believe", and tuning in to a fantasy radio station on which their songs could be heard ("Radio Nine").

But it was for their singles that they are primarily remembered, a string of would-be hits that demonstrated a strong grasp of the vernacular of pop song craftmanship. These were collected on Singles Going Steady, the CD version of which is a complete document of their 7" releases.

After recording demos for a fourth album the group disbanded in 1981, when Shelley took up a solo career. The group has reformed several times since 1989, featuring Shelley and Diggle with other musicians - initially with Maher and Garvey for a world tour, then briefly replacing Maher with Smiths drummer Mike Joyce. In 1993, Tony Barber joined on bass and Phil Barker on drums. This line up continued until April 2006, when Phil Barker left and was replaced by Danny Farrant for their European tour.

Shelley and Devoto teamed up in 2002 for the first time since 1976, producing the album Buzzkunst, a play on the German word for 'Art'. "After all those years of cocks, we thought kunst would make a change"[[Citing sources citation needed]]. The album was a mix of electronics, punk, and mannered sub-Luxuria outings.[[Citing sources citation needed]]

John Maher now owns and runs [John Maher Racing], a vintage Volkswagen performance tuning workshop located on the Isle of Harris, Scotland.

In 2005, Shelley re-recorded "Ever Fallen In Love" with an all-star group, including Roger Daltrey, David Gilmour, Peter Hook, Elton John, Robert Plant and several contemporary bands, as a tribute to John Peel. Proceeds went to Amnesty International. Shelley also performed the song live, with several of the aforesaid, at the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame. ["Music legends unite for Peel tribute single"] (The Guardian, 23rd September 2005)

Recent events

Trivia

Discography

Albums

There have been numerous Buzzcocks albums, including a plethora of compilations and live albums. To date, though, they have released eight studio albums :

In addition, the singles compilation Singles Going Steady was released in 1979. Since Buzzcocks were largely known for their singles rather than their albums, and since a number of the tracks on the compilation do not appear on any of the first three studio albums, the record is often seen as a "proper" Buzzcocks album in its own right; it is also often regarded as their standout release.

Singles

Promotional poster for Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict" single.
Enlarge
Promotional poster for Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict" single.

References

External links

 

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