Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady (1979)

The Buzzcocks were one of the most consistent and inspirational Punk music groups to this day. They released a bunch of witty, out there and classic tunes that certainly made an impression, despite the fact that the subject matter was often provocative. This compilation has some of their best musical moments on here and is a good starting point for the group. Let’s take a listen to this compilation and see what we have here.

We begin with the hilarious Orgasm Addict which is incredibly silly and funny and is about a habitual masturbator, complete with some mock sexual sounds to match. Any teenager would find this oddly hilarious, and so will many out there in the world. Short, sharp and direct, this is a legendary song. Great to hear something so quirky and different here, a great song and start to this compilation.

Next along here is What Do I Get? which has a brief keyboard intro, followed by Punk guitars and simple sounds here. It is a great song about relationship issues here, and just sounds like something that would particularly appeal to young people in particular. This music definitely has stood the test of time, and just sounds like excellent late 1970s Punk Pop/Rock. The guitar solo here is simple yet very, very good. Another great song here, this is simple music that makes sense. Great to hear. Great and over before you know it.

I Don’t Mind begins with a drumroll, before launching into a song that defines teenage angst with an incredibly catchy chorus that sounds awesome. This is a song about ignoring gossip and disagreements, all in the space of a two minute long song. Really great and wonderful listening, this is a decent song that needs repeat listens to absorb and enjoy. Which is the point, but it is mind-blowingly great.

Love You More comes next with some lead phrasing that is fantastic. Another short piece of music that discusses direct relationship issues here, it is a very short piece to blow away the Progressive Rock that was so dominant during the 1970s. Simple, but amazingly good romantic songs here. It’s also less than two minutes long, so listen carefully if you want to hear the message. Brilliant all the same.

Next is Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) is a standout from the Buzzcocks, with a groove, melody and a repeated listening experience that sounds awesome. The chorus is extremely infectious and very, very good. It is a direct rant about love based problems, but sounds like essential listening from these guys. Clever, original and witty, the Buzzcocks do well here. Cool, quirky and romantic, this is an excellent Punk piece, with a different guitar solo here. Brilliant stuff, great to hear, with an interesting finish.

Following is Promises which begins with some fast and simple guitar work, before launching into another piece of teenage romanticism that still sounds much better than many overrated acts today. It is seriously that good, and is an impressive and wonderful listen, no matter if it is the first time you hear it or not. Awesome song all the same, with some pounding drum work throughout. These guys were great Punk artists, no doubt. Excellent music here, short and punchy.

Everybody’s Happy Nowadays is a quirky piece of melodic awesomeness that is memorable and catchy from the start. It has some brilliantly good and memorable singing and lyricism here, not bad for a short piece of music from this era. It goes into a lively midsection which is rather funny and with pounding drumbeats. Brilliant music here, this sounds legendary. Great music, and nice to hear. A fine effort by the Buzzcocks, and very catchy and energetic. The chorus is super catchy.

Harmony in My Head follows and is a straightforward, punchy and fun sounding piece of Punk music that sounds really amazing. A clever and unique piece of music, and a great collection of songs, this is a historic compilation. Great short and catchy songs, if you think two minutes of music is too short, then simply replay these songs. It goes into an awesome palm muted guitar breakdown here that sounds great, and is a great example of what the Buzzcocks could do. Great catchy and fun listening from these guys, excellent to listen to.

Next along is Whatever Happened To? which begins with a gurgling bass riff, Ramones styled guitars and has oneself questioning the things that have gone by in one’s life. A really unusual piece lyrically, matched with instrumentation that suits it perfectly. “Your love is a cash-in-cheque,” is a great lyric here, and this is a really great piece of Punk Pop intellect and music mashed up together on this compilation. Good to hear.

The classic Oh Shit! is next, which is quite humourous, once again. It begins with some pounding guitar and drums, before quickly launching into an awesome piece of songcraft. It is the best one and a half minute song out there which sounds incredibly awesome here, and is a wonderful and lively listen from start to finish. The twist at the end is gold, finishing off with a keyboard sound. Brilliant.

Autonomy comes next, beginning with some great drum work and guitar riffing that sounds powerful. There are some interesting descending guitar melodies here that sound really captivating, with more teenage romance styled lyricism. A cool, calmly delivered and straightforward sort of song, the Buzzcocks prove themselves to be excellent musicians. A really excellent sounding piece of three minute listening, this demands to be heard, even today. It has a rather dark sounding guitar solo here to make things a bit different, and sounds very good, all the way to the end. Nice music here. It slows right down before concluding.

Noise Annoys is a slower and more straightforward piece with a brief guitar interlude, before launching into a piece about teenage sex and disturbing one’s parents about it. There is a great drum solo here, with a little bit of bass playing, followed by a brief guitar interlude. This is quite a repetitive, but decent listen about what kids get up to. Simple, effective and brilliant, the Buzzcocks are performers to the best of their Punk styling. Great though. It ends fairly quickly.

The dirty sounding Just Lust follows and this piece sounding really effective and direct lyrically, matched by a basic and really awesome musicality here. A catchy, memorable and excellent piece that is played really well by the whole band, who said Punk was irrelevant today? It still has its place in the world of music, and this is a great three minute Pop song for those who have an ear for music. Brilliant song, and this sounds awesome. Some interesting musical touches are here towards the end, with drumrolls and electronic sounds. Great.

Following is Lipstick is a quick, melodic and quirky song with more youthful romance here to hear. A really golden example of what the music of this time best represented, it is punchy, energetic and just great to hear. There is a simple guitar solo in the middle here, which sounds very well played. An awesome song for being in love with someone with, this sounds really great. Short, yet again, but tasty musically.

Why Can’t I Touch It? is surprisingly lengthy, at six and a half minutes long. It begins with rolling drumbeats, punchy bass guitar, excellent sounding electric guitars and a piece that doesn’t sound instant and rushed, like the other songs on this compilation. Singing about sensual things, likely women, this is a really good piece, oddly enough. Excellent song with some passionate musicianship and singing, this is one of the oddities in the back catalogue of the Buzzcocks, but sounds incredibly good. An amazing listening experience, it has some real soulful singing here. Towards the middle are some great electric guitar sounds that sound really cleverly executed and played. A great piece of instrumentation and songcraft that is never dull or boring throughout its six minute piece. Kind of funky in its own way as well, which is different, particularly with the bass guitar line that drives it along. Great song and melody, too. The instrumental goes on for a while towards the end, with dashes of interspersed guitars. Another great listen from start to finish, although perhaps could have been edited a little. Still, it is very, very good.

Something’s Gone Wrong Again is last here, with some rather odd keyboards, meshed up melodies and has a strange song about bad luck. Still, it is a good piece of songcraft that sounds different. A good way to finish off this retrospective listen about different mishaps in life, this is a decent listen by the Buzzcocks. A rather weird and discordant sounding guitar solo is here, and is a strange piece of listening that sounds rather repetitive and probably not necessary on this compilation, but still is good, just not great. In any case, it fades out gently at the end, and we finish here.

This compilation is a must have for fans of Punk, Pop and very short songs. There is a great amount of eclectic and different songs to listen to here that are generally very brief. If you liked The Sex Pistols or The Clash, you will be at home here, no doubt. A great retrospective of Punk Rock.

Short and direct.

9/10