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Jan 21, 2021 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

As one might expect, this is exactly what the title says. It is a box of (almost) every single released by the amazing Buzzcocks in their original run starting with their “Orgasm Addict” b/w “Whatever Happened To” all the way to the final single of their initial run, November 1980’s “What Do You Know” b/w “Running Free.”  This set isn’t fully complete because it’s missing their debut 7-inch EP Spiral Scratch, long recognized as the very first DIY punk EP to come out of the UK. Of course, most fans will have already heard most or all of this material as it has been reissued a variety of times over the years, most notably on the 1981 compilation Singles Going Steady. Expanded versions of Singles Going Steady in more recent years have featured the other, post-1979 singles collected here, but it’s nice to have them in the original format they were originally released on, all with meticulous reproductions of the Malcom Garrett designed sleeves. 

And if one only has the original compilation, this set highlights the later, also excellent but very different post-punk type material they were doing then. Besides their last three singles—including the atmospheric “Are Everything,” speedy “Why She’s a Girl from the Chainstore,” and anthemic “Airwaves Dream” (later covered memorably by Jawbox)—this set also includes the singles from their third (and best) LP, A Different Kind of Tension, along with new liner notes featuring a list of every single with chart positions and commentary by the late Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, and former manager and New Hormones record label owner Richard Boon. (www.buzzcocks.com)

Author rating: 9/10