Buzzcocks – ‘Sell You Everything (1991-2014)’ (Cherry Red)

By Jim Rowland

At the time of Pete Shelley’s untimely death in 2018, pop punk pioneers Buzzcocks were already established as a national treasure, at least in the world of alternative music. They’re probably still best known for that incredible run of perfect pop punk singles from 1977 to 1979 that eventually wound up gathered together on the classic ‘Singles Going Steady’ compilation. Of course, that wasn’t the full picture as the band’s original tenure also saw them produce three cracking albums – ‘Another Music In A Different Kitchen’, ‘Loves Bites’ and ‘A Different Kind Of Tension’ – it’s hard to choose between any of them. When Buzzcocks reformed in 1989, and have pretty much been going ever since, whilst we still packed out the concert halls to see them live, it’s probably fair to say we may not have kept up with the new albums they produced since that reformation in the same kind of numbers. So that may be what this new eight CD box set is all about.

‘Sell You Everything’ brings together those six studio albums Buzzcocks released post-reformation, namely ‘Trade Test Transmissions’ (1993), ‘All Set’ (1996), ‘Modern’ (1999), ‘Buzzcocks’ (2003), ‘Flat Pack Philosophy’ (2006) and ‘The Way’ (2014). In addition you get 2011’s ‘A Different Compilation’ and a whole album of previously unreleased recordings with ‘The 1991 Demo Album’. Added on to each disc are numerous singles the band produced during that thirty three year period, alongside previously unheard rarities, home demos and outtakes. This is all housed in a neat little box with an extensive booklet detailing the band’s story during those years, with numerous pictures. For what you get, it’s very reasonably priced too.

‘A Different Compilation’ split opinion at the time and will still do so. The line-up at the time went into the studio to re-record 24 of the most vital songs from the original band, both singles and album tracks. Whilst these versions reflect how they had been honed over the years of live performance, and packed a heavier punch, they don’t really keep the charm of the original versions and you could argue how do you improve on perfection when you’re talking about tracks like ‘Promises’, ‘Ever Fallen In Love?’ and ‘Fast Cars’? It’s still a worthy inclusion for completion’s sake and an interesting listen.

Containing the lion’s share of the previously unreleased material, ‘The 1991 Demo Album’ is also available as a separate release for those keen fans who do actually have most of this stuff already. Featuring early versions of tracks that would appear on later albums, and material that wouldn’t make it that far, it was circulated as a demo cassette in 1991 but has remained unreleased until now. The sound quality is very decent, and most of the material strong. For example, a great song like ‘Dreamin’ displays all the hallmarks of a quality Buzzcocks composition and is presented here in raw, straight forward fashion but it would actually take 15 years before it was presented with a production sheen on the ‘Flat Pack Philosophy’ album.

The six studio albums are all very decent in their own different ways, but none quite match the magic of the band’s three original 70’s albums. On the whole, the music had a bit of a harder approach, but tracks like ‘Trade Test Transmissions’ ‘Innocent’ or ‘All Set’s ‘Your Love’ proved that Buzzcocks still had the magic and displayed all of the catchy song writing prowess of those halcyon punk-era days. ‘Trade Test Transmissions’ and ‘All Set’ captured moments in time, with the harder approach of the former reflecting the prevailing grunge scene to a certain extent, and indeed the band had toured with Nirvana around this time. Similarly, by the time ‘All Set’ had come around, Green Day had broken big, a band of course very much influenced by Buzzcocks. Taking full advantage, they hooked up with Neil King who had worked on Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ album and recorded it in the same studio. It’s a decent album from a band now fully match fit and firing on all cylinders and found room for some subtle experimentation with keyboards.

That experimentation was explored to a much greater extent when it came to 1999’s ‘Modern’, which, as its title suggests, saw the band controversially move into the realm of more electronic sounds and drum machines, a decision that divided fans, but is actually a damn good listen and something just a little different. The same could be said for 2003’s self-titled ‘Buzzcocks’ album. This one saw the band take an unrelenting heavier, angrier, darker, more rock approach, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. After the deviation of those two more experimental albums, 2006’s ‘Flat Pack Philosophy’ saw Buzzcocks return to familiar territory and produced an instant fan favourite. The sound of the album evoked the Buzzcocks of old and tracks like ‘Reconciliation’ and ‘I’ve Had Enough’ oozed the catchy pop punk formula that had served the band so well.

Though they continued to tour, it would be eight years before another Buzzcocks album of new material would emerge in the shape of ‘The Way’, the last to feature Pete Shelley. By this time, Shelley’s appetite for song writing had slowed and ‘The Way’ saw Steve Diggle contribute a lot more in both writing and singing, with ‘People Are Strange Machines’ proving he was no slouch at either. It’s another decent album with Diggle’s increased involvement in the writing and singing providing an eerie premonition of things to come with the tragic passing of Shelley four years later and Diggle’s decision to carry Buzzcocks forward into a new post-Shelley era.

Eight discs and 160 tracks is a whole lot of Buzzcocks, perhaps more than you really need. But ‘Sell You Everything’ brings everything from the second era of Buzzcocks together in a neat little package for a reasonable price. Whilst for me it doesn’t match the original Buzzcocks era of the late 70’s, it’s still good stuff and well worth exploring for those that never got past ‘Singles Going Steady’ or ‘Love Bites’. It’s also testament to the great talent of both Steve Diggle and Pete Shelley.

‘Sell You Everything (1991-2014)’ is released tomorrow (Friday 29 May). You can get your copy HERE.

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