Buzzcocks – A Different Kind of Tension (Reissue)

In 1979, punk rock music was about to experience a landmark moment that would not only change the world of punk but the entire landscape of pop music. The movement that broke into mainstream culture thanks to pioneers like The Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and Patti Smith would go through a transformation that ushered in the next phase. That game-changing event would be the release of arguably one of the greatest albums ever recorded, Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. It was revolutionary, reveling, and influential. The punk mantra of “fuck you all” was about to change to “we all are fucked.”

So where did that leave The Buzzcocks? Their Spiral Scratch EP helped pioneer the Manchester scene that birthed Joy Division. With Pete Shelly taking command they churned out “Orgasm Addict” and “What Do I Get,” two songs that would establish them as sexually charged lovelorn punk popsters. Their two first albums only furthered the reputation. Now with Ian Curtis and Joy Division nipping at their heels, The Buzzcocks needed to evolve to stay relevant in the changing landscape and appeal to a crowd that was less concerned with teenage love and more focused on emphasizing self-pity.

The result is A Different Kind of Tension — an album that had The Buzzcocks maturing at all levels, with one foot keeping them steady in their roots and the other taking a step forward. The duality almost made it sound as if Tension is actually two separate albums. The first half found the band on familiar ground of pop punk melodies. “Paradise” opens the album with fast paced guitars and even faster drums. “Sitting Round At Home” “You Say You Don’t Love Me,” is their typical ballad of unrequited love found in pleas of, ‘I don’t want to live in a dream. I want to be real.’

The tension is thicker on the latter part of the album with Pete Shelly’s existential ponderings on purpose, meaning, and belief. “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life,” has the usual slacker musings (“I can’t wake up in the morning, and I can’t get to sleep at night”) for two-and-a-half minutes until his closing declaration of acceptance. “Money,” features some dark guitar work while Shelly’s vocals sound like they’re caught in a downward spiral questioning, “You are a stranger, but I’m even stranger. What can I do?” The track “Hollow Inside” furthers the trend of emptiness and is emphasized by a drowning bass line. The title track finds Shelly fighting off conformity in a call-and-response/monosyllabic conversation with his self. At the end of “I Believe,” the repeated statement of, “There is no love in this world anymore,” may be the biggest giving of middle finger found on the album.

The Special Edition reissue tacks on some key singles from The Buzzcocks discography. “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays,” “Harmony in My Head,” and “Something’s Gone Wrong Again” are representations of some of the best The Buzzcocks ever offered. Still the collection Singles Going Steady, which features these songs along with the aforementioned early singles, remains the best showcase of the band’s work.

A Different Kind of Tension was The Buzzcocks’ answer to the evolution of punk. Then at the beginning of the new decade the post-punk wave would be in full swing. The last will and testament of Ian Curtis would come in the form of Closer. Albums from The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, Seventeen Seconds and Kaleidoscope respectively, would ensure the relevance of the goth sub-genre of post-punk. And The Buzzcocks would be on the brink of the first of many breakups to come. However after that first wave of releases, the legacy of the Pete Shelly and company was already written in stone.

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Tagged as: England, London, Punk

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