Buzzcocks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Leigh, Manchester, England | |
| Genre(s) | Punk rock,Power Pop | |
| Years active | 1976 - 1981, 1989 - present | |
| Label(s) | Cooking Vinyl Records | |
| Website | www.buzzcocks.com | |
| Members | ||
| Pete Shelley Steve Diggle Tony Barber Danny Farrant |
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| Former members | ||
| Phil Barker Howard Devoto Steve Garvey Mike Joyce John Maher Garth Smith |
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Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Leigh, Manchester in 1975[1], led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Shelley for nearly their entire existence.
They are commonly regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent label movement and punk rock/post punk in general.
They are primarily remembered for their singles, a string of would-be hits that combined a strong grasp of pop song craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy. These were collected on Singles Going Steady, the CD version of which is a complete document of their 7" releases. The widely-covered "Ever Fallen in Love?" remains one of their best-known songs.
The name "Buzzcocks" comes from a Manchester slang term "cock" meaning "youngster" and its use in the 1970s ITV television drama serial Rock Follies when the line "that's the buzz, cocks" or "give me a buzz, cock!" was heard.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Band History
[edit] Origins
The band was formed by guitarist/singer Pete Shelley (real name Peter McNeish) and singer Howard Devoto (real name Howard Trafford), both students at Bolton Institute of Technology (now the University of Bolton). They shared common interests in electronic music and American proto-punk groups like The Stooges and The Velvet Underground. In late 1975, Shelley and Devoto recruited a drummer and formed an embryonic version of Buzzcocks that never performed and which dissolved after a number of rehearsals.
[edit] Devoto era
After reading an NME review of the Sex Pistols' first performance, Shelley and Devoto 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 recruit other musicians in time for the gig. Once they had recruited bass guitarist Steve Diggle and drummer John Maher, they made their debut opening for the Sex Pistols' second Manchester gig in July 1976. A brief clip of DeVoto-era Buzzcocks performing The Troggs "I Can't Control Myself" appears in the Punk: Attitude doumentary.
By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had recorded and released a four-track EP, Spiral Scratch on their own New Hormones label, making them perhaps the first punk group to establish an independent record label. Produced by Martin (Zero) Hannett, the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive, and energetic. "Boredom" announced punk's rebellion against the status quo while templating a strident musical minimalism (the guitar "solo" consisting of two repeated notes). 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 alternative takes of all the tracks from the Spiral Scratch EP as well as early version of tracks that later appeared on the official debut Another Music in a Different Kitchen.
After a few months, Devoto left the group; he returned to school for a year, then formed Magazine. Pete Shelley continued as vocalist; his high-pitched, melodic singing stood in stark contrast to the gruff pub rock vocal stylings of many punk contemporaries. Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Garth Smith joined on bass; due to Smith's alcoholism, he was quickly replaced with Steve Garvey. This new line-up signed with United Artists Records.
[edit] Signed to UAI
Their first UAI Buzzcocks single, "Orgasm Addict", was a playful examination of compulsive sexuality that was (and remains) uncommonly bold. The BBC refused to play the song, but the single sold well. Later, more ambiguous songs staked out a territory defined by Shelley's bisexuality and punk's aversion to serious examination of human sexuality. The next single, "What Do I Get?" reached the UK top 40 charts.
Their original career consisted of three LPs: Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, and A Different Kind of Tension, each supported by extensive touring in Europe and the U.S. Their trademark sound was a marriage of catchy pop melodies with punk guitar energy, backed by an unusually tight and skilled rhythm section.
They advanced drastically in musical and lyrical sophistication: by the end they were quoting American writer William 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").
[edit] Breakup and later developments
After recording demos for a fourth album the group disbanded in 1981, when Shelley took up a solo career. Diggle formed the short-lived Flag of Convenience, who released an EP in 1982.
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'. The album was a mix of electronics and punk.
John Maher now owns and runs John Maher Racing, a vintage Volkswagen performance tuning workshop located on the Isle of Harris, Scotland. He has built and raced several Volkswagen Beetles.
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 Plant, Daltrey, Gilmour, Hook and Jeff Beck at the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame.[3]
[edit] Reunions
Buzzcocks have 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 toured on one of Nirvana's last-ever tours in 1994, and in 2003, toured with Pearl Jam. In April 2006, Barker left and was replaced by Danny Farrant.
In March 2006, the band released their eighth studio album, Flat-Pack Philosophy, on Cooking Vinyl Records, the supporting tour found them playing on a leg of the mid-2006 Vans Warped Tour.
[edit] References in other media
Buzzcocks' name was combined with the title of the Sex Pistols' album Never Mind The Bollocks to create Never Mind The Buzzcocks, a UK comedy panel game with questions on popular music, first broadcast on BBC TV in 1996 and continuing as of 2007. Diggle later claimed in his autobiography that he and Shelley had only granted the BBC use of their name under the impression that it would be a one-off, probably unsuccessful pilot, and are now mildly disgruntled that the name is more readily associated with the TV series than with their band.[4]. Shelley himself appeared in the programme in the mid 1990s.
In 2007, the song "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" was used in an AARP commercial.
The song "Why Can't I Touch It?" was used in a Nissan commercial.
The song "Ever Fallen In Love?" was used in an early episode of Scrubs.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
There have been numerous Buzzcocks albums, including many compilations and live albums. To date, though, they have released eight studio albums :
- Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978)
- Love Bites (1978)
- A Different Kind of Tension (1979)
- Trade Test Transmissions (1993)
- All Set (1996)
- Modern (1999)
- Buzzcocks (2003)
- Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006)
[edit] Compilations
- Singles Going Steady (1979) was a singles compilation. 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.
- Product (1989) was a set of three CDs, containing Another Music in a Different Kitchen, Love Bites, A Different Kind of Tension, Singles Going Steady and additional material.
- Operator's Manual: Buzzcocks best (1991).
- I Don't Mind The Buzzcocks (1999)[5]
[edit] Singles
- "Spiral Scratch EP" - 1976
- "Time's Up EP" - 1976
- "Orgasm Addict" - (October 7, 1977)
- "What Do I Get" - (February 3, 1978) #37 UK
- "I Don't Mind" - (April 14, 1978) #55 UK
- "Love You More" - (June 30, 1978) #34 UK
- "Ever Fallen in Love?" - (September 8, 1978) #12 UK
- "Promises" - (November 17, 1978) #20 UK
- "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" - (March 2, 1979) #29 UK
- "Harmony in My Head" - (July 13, 1979) #32 UK
- "Time's Up EP" - (August 1979) #31 UK (Reissue)
- "You Say You Don't Love Me" - 1979
- "I Believe" - 1980
- "Are Everything - Part 1" - 1980 #61 UK
- "Strange Thing - Part 2" - 1980
- "Running Free - Part 3" - 1980
[edit] Covers
- Anti-Flag did a cover of "Ever Fallen in Love" on BYO Split Series, Vol. 4.
- Ash did a cover of "Everybody's Happy Nowadays", along with Chris Martin from Coldplay, for the soundtrack to Shaun of the Dead.
- Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine recorded a cover of "Everybody's Happy Nowadays". It appears on their EP This is the Sound of an Electric Guitar.
- Fine Young Cannibals covered "Ever Fallen in Love" for Something Wild soundtrack
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts did a cover of "Just Lust" on the album Good Music.
- King Missile did a cover of "Love You More" on the album Mystical Shit.
- Thea Gilmore did an acoustic cover of "Ever Fallen in Love" on her album Loft Music.
- The Offspring did a cover of "Autonomy". It appears on their single Want You Bad.
- Billy Talent did a cover of "Ever Fallen in Love" on Billy Talent 2
- Thursday did a cover of "Ever Fallen in Love" for the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Soundtrack.
- Pete Yorn recorded a cover of "Ever Fallen in Love" for the Shrek 2 film soundtrack.
[edit] References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Allmusic.com profile of Buzzcocks; URl accessed Jan 06, 2007
- ^ Smith, Steve - Bits and Pieces: the Penguin Book of Rock and Pop Facts and Trivia. (Penguin, 1988) ISBN 0-14-010743-6
- ^ "Music legends unite for Peel tribute single" (The Guardian, 23 September 2005)
- ^ Diggle, S and Rawlings, T, Harmony In My Head (Helter Skelter, 2003, ISBN 1-900924-37-4 )
- ^ I Don't Mind The Buzzcocks review, music.com. Page retrieved 2 April 2007.
