Buzzcocks - The Complete Singles Anthology (3CD Set, 2004) RESTORED

Digitally Remastered Triple CD Box Set that takes the concept behind the album "Singles Going Steady" to the ultimate degree, presenting all the band's A and B Sides in one neat package. Credited as one of the original creators of punk alongside The Damned, The New York Dolls and The Sex Pistols, this collection works through all of the band's albums from 1978's "Another Music In A Different Kitchen" through to 1999's "Modern". The album also includes an interview with Buzzcocks songwriters Steve Diggle and Tony Barber as well as several live, demo & rare tracks.

This three disc Complete Singles Anthology contains all the A & B-sides by Manchester Punk legends Buzzcocks, one of the finest UK singles bands of the Punk era, all together in one package! 55 digitally remastered tracks beginning with the Spiral Scratch EP (1977), one of the first indie releases of it's time. Up next are their United Artists singles (1977-81), each one a perfect two-sided gem. The collection jumps to 1989 when the band reunited and features every single and EP released up through 2003 including some of their finest A-sides like 'Innocent' and 'Jerk'. Also includes extensive sleeve notes and rare photographs, as well as an exclusive interview with Steve Diggle and Tony Barber. Glorious stuff, this is! – EMI.

The key word in the title of this triple-disc collection of single sides from the Buzzcocks is "Complete", which in this case proves to be both a virtue and a flaw. In their original incarnation, the Buzzcocks scarcely ever made a wrong move, and between 1977 and 1981, they released a string of genius singles that not only defined the nascent genre of punk-pop, but showed how adventurous their lean but hook-laden bamalama could be. In 1989, after an eight-year split, the Buzzcocks got back together and, following a handful of well-received tours, they began recording again (with Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle joined by a variety of bassists and drummers). However, while the Buzzcocks continue to be a superb live band, the recordings from the new edition of the group simply haven't been as exciting or memorable as their original string of discs, and though the quality level of this set begins to falter a bit with the last few sides from the first Buzzcocks lineup, it's when the band reunites for Trade Test Transmissions on track 32 with "Alive Tonight" that the dip becomes really obvious. Mind you, it's not that the recordings from the second-generation Buzzcocks are bad; the group could (and can) still write good songs and play them with vigor and enthusiasm, but when you were perhaps the world's greatest singles band for four years, simply being considerably better than average just isn't the same. The epochal Singles Going Steady is still the best document of the Buzzcocks' first flower of genius, and while The Complete Singles Anthology has everything from that album, along with the brilliant Spiral Scratch EP, you also get a bunch of other stuff you'll probably find yourself skipping over after you've played it once. The completeness of this set hurts the listening experience as much as it helps.

~ Mark Deming, all media guide

Disc 1:

01. Breakdown
02. Times Up
03. Boredom
04. Friends Of Mine
05. Orgasm Addict
06. Whatever Happened To?
07. What Do I Get
08. Oh Shit
09. I Don't Mind
10. Autonomy
11. Moving Away From The Pulsebeat
12. Love You More
13. Noise Annoys
14. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've?)
15. Just Lust
16. Promises
17. Lipstick
18. Everybody's Happy Nowadays
19. Why Can't I Touch You?
20. Harmony In My Head
21. Somethings Gone Wrong Again
22. You Say You Don't Love Me
23. Raison d'Etre
24. I Believe




Disc 2:

01. Are Everything
02. Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore
03. Airwaves Dream
04. Strange Thing
05. What Do You Know
06. Running Free
07. I Look Alone
08. Alive Tonight
09. Serious Crime
10. Last To Know
11. Successful St
12. Isolation (Live)
13. Innocent
14. Who'll Help Me Forget?
15. Inside
16. Do It
17. Trash Away
18. All Over You (Live)
19. Libertine Angel
20. Roll It Over
21. Prison Riot Hostage (Excerpt From)



Disc 3:

01. Totally From The Heart
02. Thunder Of Hearts
03. Soul On A Rock
04. Jerk
05. Don't Come Back
06. Oh Shit (Live)
07. Sick City Sometimes
08. Never Believe It (Demo)
09. Paradise (Live)
10. Steve Diggle and Tony Barber interviewed By Alan Parker (Spoken Word)



Recording information: 1975-2004
Producers includes: Tony Barber, Martin Hannett, Neill King, Ralph Rupert, Martin Rushent, Buzzcocks.

Release Date: August 9, 2004
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Number of Discs: 3
Label: EMI Intl.
Catalog No.: 7243 5 71028 2 7