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Jul 03, 2019 Web Exclusive By Michael James Hall

I’m writing this just days after the, apparently, monumentally brilliant and moving tribute show to late Buzzcocks singer Pete Shelley, at London’s Royal Albert Hall. It was an event which saw The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, The Damned’s Captain Sensible, The Only Ones’ Peter Perrett, Thurston Moore, and, most importantly, lifelong Buzzcocks bandmate and songwriting counterpoint Steve Diggle, shine a light on the punk-pop genius’ mastery of smart, emotionally attuned lyrics and astonishingly anthemic, eternally teenage rock ‘n’ roll.

As a take-home companion piece we are treated to a series of reissues from Domino that do the Mancunian legends no disservice whatsoever. Singles Going Steady, which already boasted a run of the finest songs in the British songwriting canon—“Orgasm Addict,” “What Do I Get,” and “I Don’t Mind” are the trio of all-time adrenaline classics that actually open this record (and were, chronologically, the first three singles following the release of the Spiral Scratch EP and the departure of Magazine-bound Howard Devoto)-now sounds even more dynamic and chaotic in its expressions of anguish and joy.

A tour-boosting sampler released in 1979 that, over the years, became a legendary punk album, Singles holds, simply, some of the finest, most memorable and tender punk songs ever to come out of a Mancunian mouth. This reissue is essential, if only to say you have “Noise Annoys” on vinyl. Which…you must. Its second half, compiled of various Diggle/Shelley-penned B-sides reminds us of a time when B-sides were, not only a thing, but a really, truly vital thing that had to represent a band and serve their fans well. Singles, Going Steady may not be an album per se—but it’s turned into a vital time capsule of a rightly beloved band. (www.buzzcocks.com)

Author rating: 9/10