Label: I.R.S.
Released: September 1979
Whenever I see (or make as the case may be) a list of the “Greatest Albums Ever” or the “Top 100 Albums of All-Time,” I find it unfair to include greatest hits collections and anthologies…with one exception: The Buzzcocks’ Singles Going Steady. I love the album, but that’s not the reason for the exception. Unlike most collections which are made up of the singles and best tracks from other albums over the course of a career, this one is a collection of singles that were released over a period of less than two years. None of these songs appeared on a regular studio album, so this is the only full-length format on which they appear. In that sense, it’s more like a regular release than a typical anthology or greatest hits collection.
Unfortunately, I only own this one on CD, but the LP had the A-sides of the singles on the first side and the B-sides on the flip. It’s a pretty good way to organize the songs rather than just going in chronological order, but it’s no longer apparent on the CD.
The first single included is 1977’s “Orgasm Addict” b/w “What Ever Happened To?” Both songs are more angular and agitated than the Buzzcocks would be a short time later, but not to the point that they don’t fit in. “What Do I Get?” is probably fairly familiar these days having appeared in a Toyota commercial. Interestingly, it’s B-side, “Oh, Shit” caused quite a row in its day as prudish (or punk-hating) workers at the pressing plant refused to press the single. Over the course of the album, the Buzzcocks craft their sound ever so slightly without losing their punk rock edge. It’s pretty amazing that there is almost no difference in quality between the As and the Bs. “Ever Fallen in Love?” and “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” (another Buzzcocks song that appeared in a recent commercial, this time for old-folks organization AARP) are great catchy punk songs, but no better than “Autonomy” and “Noise Annoys” which were B-sides. The album’s second to last track is also a bit of a forgotten gem. “Why Can’t I Touch It?” finds the Buzzcocks stretching out with a song rooted in its bass line rather than a wall of guitar and hooky vocal melody.
I suppose in a sense the fact that the band’s progression can be heard over the course of the album might argue against it being the exception to the “no greatest hits” rule, but there are plenty of regular releases that have taken years to record and have the same issue. There aren’t many bands that can spit out 16 tracks, each of which has the potential to stand on its own, in less than two years. Most bands can’t do that in a lifetime.
Rating: 10/10
Note: Rock of Ages has a video for “Ever Fallen in Love,” so head over and check it out.