The Last Trio Novo Show
July 14, 2015
@ Chateau Rieger, Towson, MD
Trio Novo's farewell gig at Chateau Rieger
Trio Novo is: Paul Rieger: Rickenbacker bass guitar Robert "Bob" Tiefenwerth: Yamaha keyboards Tim Taormino: drums
Sunday, July 14th marked the last live performance of Trio Novo. The trio's swan song concert took place at Chateau Rieger in Towson, where friends and family gathered to say farewell to the genre-defying band that may have been Baltimore's Best Kept Musical Secret over the past decade. With keyboard whiz Robert Tiefenwerth and his wife relocating to Houston, Texas, two days later, Trio Novo is no more. To paraphrase Monty Python and a certain dead parrot, Trio Novo has ceased to exist, ceased to be, expired, kicked the bucket, shuffled off their mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible. This is an ex-Trio Novo.
Departing keyboardist Robert Tiefenwerth is already fading from view in this picture
But, hope springs eternal that the band will utilize the borderless Internet to collaborate on future projects virtually. So, as King of Bling Liberace once sang, "Never Say Goodbye, Say Ciao!"
Formed in 2006, Trio Novo - keyboardist Robert Tiefenwerth,
bassist Paul Rieger, and ex-BLAMMO drummer Tim Tourmino - played a variety of what
they called "classic jazz" and featured the music of such composers
as bossa nova legend Antonio Jobim, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and
Herbie Hancock, among
others. But as the band progressed, their setlist reflected an even more
eclectic repetoire, adding Martin Denny exotica ("Quiet Village"),
'60s psychedelia (after all, Tiefenwerth and Rieger were veterans of the '80s neo-psych band The United States of Existence), '70s Prog
Rock (The Nice's still-epic "America"), secret agent TV theme songs (Edwin Astley's "High Wire,"
aka "The Danger Man Theme" - the UK series predecessor to Secret Agent Man), and straight up rock & roll (Small Faces, "Barefoot in
Baltimore" by Strawberry Alarm Clock, et al).
Paul Rieger (far left) and Robert Tiefenwerth (far right) in U.S.E.
Trio Novo's Dynamic Duo today: Bob Tiefenwerth and Paul Rieger
At Paul Rieger's stately West Towson manor, Chateau Rieger, the trio played all of the above and more to an appreciative crowd of family and music friend fans whose ranks included Dave Wilcox (Chelsea Graveyard), Mark O'Connor (Buck Subtle, OHO, Food For Worms, et al), and WCVT/WVUD DJ Rod Misey (incidentally, Misey's liner notes for The United States of Existence's 1994 CD The Collection provide the definitive history of that band and are worthy of publication in Ugly Things magazine).
A highlight of Trio Novo's farewell performance was their rendition of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," a snippet of which is shown below.
Over the years, the trio had
enjoyed supporting the local arts (Tiefenewerth is an accomplished artist, as well as musician, and even sold a greeting card on FineArtAmerica.com) and non-profit communities by
providing music for events held at Center Stage, Gallery G, the
Visionary Art Museum, and the HACbox. And they were supposed to play at the Hamilton Arts Collective this past May, but had to cancel due to the city curfew imposed following the death, in police custody, of Freddie Gray. (But a gig's a gig, and trouper Tiefenwerth posted on social media that he would be playing piano at home alone that night, just as the Baltimore Orioles would be playing the Chicago White Sox in an empty Camden Yards.)
"How's this thing work again?" Robert Tiefenwerth keys off with Trio Novo
Unfortunately, few Trio Novo performances have been captured on video. A Google search turns up only a September 2014 Trio Novo performance at the Hamilton Gallery (5502 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21214) in Northeast Baltimore - that is, they provide the soundtrack to a clip showing highlights from that night's gallery show.
Trio Novo at Hamilton Gallery
And Paul Rieger, Esq., recorded their May 24, 2014 performance for Band Bash 2014: "You're With the Band!", (a private party for "friends, families and
others who have suffered through the hardships of repetitive rehearsals,
frightening feedback and decor-destroying equipment" over the years with the GOHOG-Toys bands)atHeritage Parkville Gardens Hall in the Parkville Shopping Center. So, there is archival footage of this great band out there (hint, hint, Paul!)
Paul Rieger paints a pretty picture on his Rickenbacker
There may not be a lot of video footage of Trio Novo, but they did
record two CDs, one of which (Tribute) you can check out of the Enoch Pratt Free
Library's "Local Music" collection (wonder how that happened?).
So while the Novo we all know is no more, the Trio's legacy lives on. Remember: Never Say Goodbye, Say Ciao!
Buzzcocks is my favorite punk band, and has been since I first heard them back in 1979 - back when I was blown away by the symphonic earwig that is Side 2 of A Different Kind of Tension, which remains my all-time favorite Buzzcocks LP to this day. (Reviewing ADKOT, Robert Christgau famously characterized the sound as being "as bright and abrasive as new steel wool," which I think perfectly describes the band's pop-punk aesthetic.) I share this musical adulation with my fiancee, Amy Linthicum, and good friend Dave Cawley, the only other people I would characterize as hardcore Buzzcocks fanatics. For we love Buzzcocks in all their manifestations - past, present, and future. In fact, our feelings for this band of brothers is summed up in the opening lyrics to founding 'cock Pete Shelley's song "Reconciliation":
Been contemplating lately what you mean to me You are the one I care about, the only one I love And though we remain separated by the sea It's still you I'm dreaming of, you must believe me
Buzzcocks broke up in 1981, with founding guitarists Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle pursuing solo careers throughout the 1980s. (Original vocalist Howard Devoto had already jumped ship in 1977 to form the art-rock band Magazine.) Shelley went on to record two great synth-pop records, Homosapien (1981)and XL1 (1983) before his electronic music career stalled, while Diggle spent the decade playing with Buzzcocks drummer John Maher and others under the aegis of Flag of Convenience. (Diggle would later release three impressive solo albums in the 2000s.)
And then in 1989, the original "Golden Era" lineup of Shelley, Diggle, bassist Steve Garvey, and drummer John Maher - the players that appear on the four Buzzcocks albums released between 1978 and 1979 (Music from Another Kitchen, Love Bites, A Different Kind of Tension, Singles Going Steady) - reunited for a world tour. But it was a short-lived reunion (with ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce eventually replacing Maher), and by 1992 Shelley and Diggle were backed by the new rhythm section of bassist-producer Tony Barber and drummer Phil Barker. This was the dawn of the era of the "Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks" (aka "New Buzzcocks," "Post-Prime Buzzcocks" or "Buzzcocks 2.0"). The Shelley-Diggle-Barber-Barker lineup continued intact through 2006, touring extensively and recording five albums (Trade Test Transmissions, All Set, Modern, Buzzcocks, and Flat-Pack Philosophy). Barker was replaced by Danny Farrant in 2006, and bassist Chris Remington joined the group in 2008. This Buzzcocks 3.0 line-up has been the face of the brand from April 2008 up until the present, recording two full-length albums, 2011'sA Different Compilation (re-recordings of previously released Buzzcocks songs) and 2014's The Way.
It is a cruel irony that despite our boundless love for this band, none of us ever saw the original quartet in their late '70s prime; we've only seen the two post-breakup renditions led by Shelley and Diggle. Dave Cawley has seen them the most (I foolishly passed up Dave's impassioned entreaty to see their first visit to Baltimore's Ottobar back in July 2003 when Tony Barber and Phil Barker were in the band), but we all count ourselves lucky to have seen their subsequent transatlantic stops here and in D.C. in 2010, 2014, and 2015. Amy even got to see Pete Shelley at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., back in the day.
And while there's no point trying to measure the "new Buzzcocks" tunes recorded in the Nineties and Naughties to "Golden Era" Buzzcocks songs from the late Seventies (which remain Shelley and Diggle's essential Holy Scriptures), taken on their own merits, there are a number of gems to be heard from The Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks Era, which now spans six studio albums (Trade Test Transmissions, All Set, Modern, Buzzcocks, A Different Compilation, The Way) over the last 22 years. Everyone has their own personal favorite album from this period:
Dave Cawley insists that the first release from the reformed Buzzcocks, 1993's Trade Test Transmissions, is their finest hour (and it's hard to argue with songs like "Do It," "Isolation," "When Love Turns Around," "369," "Alive Tonight," and "Unthinkable");
Amy prefers 2003's self-titled Buzzcocks (impressively produced by Tony Barber and featuring two songs written by Spiral Scratch-era 'cocks Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley - "Stars" and the Lester Bangs riposte "Lester Sands" - not to mention her faves "Jerk," "Sick City Sometimes," "Friends," "Driving You Insane," and "Wake Up Call");
I find myself preferring 2006's Flat-Pack Philosophy (also produced by Tony Barber), which may be far from perfect but boasts at least six good tunes ("Reconciliation," "I Don't Exist," "Wish I Never Loved You," "Sell You Everything," "Credit," "Big Brother Wheels") out of 14 tracks. (I find it amusing that some naff on Amazon criticized the album thusly: "Steve Shelley's infamous high-pitched vocals sound more like a strange
old geezer than a hyperactive kid, but that should not come as much of a
surprise." WTF???) It's also the mostly attractively packaged Buzzcocks album in ages, with Paul Terrence Madden's design aesthetic recalling the glory days of those gorgeous Malcolm Garnett and Linder Sterling album and 45 record sleeves (especially true of the CD Singles that accompanied FPP's release).
FPP narrowly edges out 1999's Modern, a much under-appreciated album which, true to its title, attempts to merge the Buzzcocks formula of buzzsaw guitars-with-clever lyrics with more "modern" contemporary rock trends such as hip-hop (Diggle's regrettable "Doesn't Mean Anything"), electronica (synths pepper the mix all over the place), and even (unfortunately) drum machines. Still, at least half the songs on Modern are worth a listen, with Shelley's "Rendevous" and "Thunder of Hearts" and Diggle's "Speed of Life" standouts; "Soul of a Rock," "Sneaky," and "Choices" have good bits but the sum of the parts fall somewhat short of the mark, while Diggle's "Turn of the Screw" continues to be included in Buzzcocks live shows.
Note: Speaking of which, to hear what the Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks sound like live, I recommend listening to 1995's French and Encore Du Pain (same '95 Paris concert featuring Shelley & Diggle backed by Tony Barber & Phil Barker) and 2007's 30 (London Forum show featuring Shelley & Diggle backed by Tony Barber & Danny Farrant). Both live albums are heavy on the back catalog, but mix in songs from the post-prime albums ("Isolation," "Reconciliation," "Unthinkable," "Innocent," "Speed of Life") that hold up surprisingly well standing alongside the greatest hits.
That said, I think we all can agree on the tunes that make up my fantasy listening guide to the best of the Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks, including many tracks from those Pete Shelley solo LPs (for Diggle's solo output, see my extensive - exhaustive? - blog posting, "Digging Da Diggle"). This list started out as a mix CD I burned, but I ran out of space after 74 minutes; thanks to the unlimited space of the Internet, I can now expand it to include even more bonus tracks! As far as the quality of this list, well, as Mr. Shelley sings in "Friends,"
It's a mixed up world
These are mixed up times
And the recipe of life is mixed up too
But if it's the quality of ingredients that matter
I would award myself a cordon bleu
The Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks Listening Guide: An Operator's Manual
1. "Here Come the Nice" (Marriott/Lane) - from Long Agos and World's Apart: A Tribute to the Small Faces (1996).
Long Agos and Worlds Apart: A Tribute to the Small Faces (1996)
Steve Diggle is perfectly suited to handle Steve Marriott's howling vocals that praise the drug-peddling Dr. Feelgood, while Pete Shelley (he of those "high-pitched/strange old geezer" vocals, as one clueless detractor described Shelley's delightful upper registers) takes over on the alternate verses to great effect. As the song says, "You don't need money to be wise," and this is a very wise inclusion on this tribute to the Mod's Mod Group, perfectly essayed by Great Modfather Diggle, he of the ever-present polka-dot shirt and white jeans wardrobe.
Watch Steve Diggle play "Here Comes the Nice" at the Ronnie Lane Memorial Concert (Royal Albert Hall, London, April 8, 2004):
2. "Jerk" (Shelley) - from Buzzcocks (2003).
It was my fault, you're not to blame, it's me who is in the wrong
That's why I wrote this song just to explain
Amy's favorite song from her favorite later-years Buzzcocks album. Along with Flat-Pack Philosophy's "Reconciliation," it's one of the great pleas for romantic forgiveness:
I'm a jerk, you're right to tell me so
Forgive me - I beg you
You know I only love you
Wish I hadn't told you where to go
Having passed up the chance to see Buzzcocks play Baltimore in 2003, I totally relate to a song called "Jerk." Perhaps this song also inspired Dave Cawley's own tail-between-legs plea for atonement, "Forgive Me," with his band Garage Sale?)
3. "Sick City Sometimes" (Diggle) - from Buzzcocks (2003)
I only recently learned that this was a song about 9/11. At least, that's how Steve Diggle introduced it when Buzzcocks played The Black Cat in Washington, D.C. in April of 2014. Now it all starts to make sense:
Now the buildings take a fall/And it tries to kill us all
In the name of something zero in your mind
Prior to that, I just assumed it was a great rocker with a hooky chorus about urban decay ("...the paper and the trash, all the needles and the cash"). An energetic tune that continues to be a staple of Buzzcocks live shows.
4. "When Love Turns Around" (Diggle) - from Trade Test Transmissions (1993)
What do you do when love turns around you, when hate is just a state in your mind? So asks Steve Diggle on this highlight track, arguably the best song on TTT. The answer, unlike love, is not so hard to find: you press play and put this tune on infinite repeat! Amy likes the coda, "And you and you and you - and you and you!," which is always a high point in concert when Diggle plays to the crowd.
Yield when love turns around you
Another version, featuring drummer Danny Farrant and bassist Chris Remington, appears on A Different Compilation. 5. "Wallpaper World" (Diggle) - from Steve Diggle's Serious Contender (2005)
The best song from Diggle's debut solo effort, an album that also boasts the cracking good "Starbucks Around the World," "See Through You" (later recorded by Buzzcocks with a different arrangement), and "Terminal."
Steve Diggle, "Serious Contender" (EMI Europe Generic, 2005)
People can say anything to you What in the world would it take to wake up you? Can you see me, can you hear me? Can you see me, in this Wallpaper World?
This is perhaps Diggle's best-ever song, a beautiful mixture of acoustic and electric guitars, great chorus, and lovely guitar solo. And Professor Diggle of the Ministry of Truth once again drops a literary reference, this time to the Everyman protagonist of George Orwell's dystopian future classic Nineteen Eighty-Four. "They got a bucket of paste to put on your face/And disappear behind a wall/And if my name wasn't Winston Smith, I could laugh about it all."
Who's laughing now?
6. "Reconciliation" (Shelley) - from the Flat-Pack Philosophy "Reconcilation" CD Single (2006)
"Reconciliation" CD Single (2006)
What I want is reconciliation This separation's more than I can bear Don't wanna be alone, my love is guaranteed I want to know that you still care
"Renconcilition" is a great word and a great song, and boasts more clever wordplay by pop-polyglot Pete (author of such "Parlez Vous Francais" songs as "Raison d'etre" and "Qu'est-ce Que C'est Que Ça"), this time dropping some Espanol into the mix:
And so I'll tell you something you already know Para siempre means forever
And I intend to keep that promise, you know
7. "Wish I Never Loved You" - from the Flat-Pack Philosophy "Wish I Never Loved You" CD Single (2006)
"Wish I Never Loved You" CD Single (2006)
Now I know how it feels to have loved and lost because of pride
To be deserted so that hurt is all that's left inside
I'm ashamed, I've been blamed so much I wanted to die
Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why, tell me why
Wish I never loved you but I just can't let go
Modern was the first Buzzcocks album produced exclusively by bassist Tony Barber. Amy thinks it's critically under-appreciated, and I concur. It's certainly got an eye-catching pop-art cover.
Though Dave Cawley considers Modern a mostly an ill-advised and forgettable foray into electronica (Pitchfork agreed, calling it "a weak attempt by a once-great band to simply sound 'current,' whatever that means"), Shelley's song about a memorable bus trip remains one of its shining moments, if only for its unusual vocal approach. Amy likes the love-on-a-double-decker-bus imagery: "I'd overslept so I caught the bus; it's the only thing I could do/I went upstairs, took a vacant seat, and found I'd sat next to you."
And then comes the memorable singalong chorus:
I'm on a cloud I must be in a dream
This can't be real this can't be happening
What are the odds against this rendezvous?
It's worth the gamble when the prize is you
And, as an added riposte to Mr. Cawley, I must note that Modern is the only Buzzcocks album released on Go-Kart Records - the same label as Cawley's pop-punk band of the early '90s, Berserk. Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls, DC!
10. "Thunder of Hearts" (Shelley) - from Modern (1999)
You live what you learn
I'll beg, steal and borrow
The thunder of hearts
Will echo tomorrow
This was the official single for Modern. Amy thinks "Rendezvous" should should have been the single, but this straightforward pop-by-the-numbers tune is very radio friendly, though the lame video recalls the worst of those MTV "story" videos...and is perhaps a little over-produced.
Pete Shelley remarked that the line "sometimes even monkeys fall from trees" was inspired by Japanese culture. "I buy a lots of Japanese books," he told Earcandy magazine in a1999 interview. "There was one that was Japanese proverbs. And that was actually the title of the book, Even Monkeys Fall from Trees. It means even the most skillful people can make mistakes."
Japanese Proverbs: More fun than a barrel of monkeys
Pete must have been reading a lot of Japanese books during the recording of Modern, for he name-checks Nippon again on the randy album track "Why Compromise": "I've been a bad boy, so do what you please/Talking of pleasure, speak in Japanese." (Turning Japanese? I really think so!)
11. ""Isolation" (Diggle) - from Trade Test Transmissions (1993)
A definite highlight of TTT with that trademark Buzzcock lead guitar sound. Wonder what Diggs means by "living under two nations," though? Is this a UK reference, like being Scots or Welsh and part of the United Kingdom? This from the guy who once flew the Flag of Convenience.
Living my life in a separate way
Living on my own from day to day
I'm living in a world of isolation Oh yeah, living under two nations
"You're living at the Speed of Life/On the edge of a razor knife"
As usual, nothing too deep lyrically from Diggle, who cuts straight to the chase with this hook-happy rocker, that sounds like glossy AM pop straight out of the '80s, especially the guitar solo. And that's not a bad thing - not at all.
13. "Credit" (Shelley) - from Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006)
My favorite song from FPP is an anti-debt manifesto (and as one who has only recently gotten out of debt, I totally relate to its theme!): "Credit, in love with the never never/Wish I could get something I really need."
In fact, the very title of the album Flat-Pack Philosophy refers to Pete and Steve's anti-consumerist world view, a world in which even love "is a cashed-in check," as Pete sang in the early Buzzcocks B-side "Whatever Happened To?" That song, written by Shelley and Alan Dial, also contained the bon mots: "Your pasteurized life so fit for consumption/Ooh those undressing eyes so strictly commercial."
AssemblyRequired: That's Flat-Pack Philosophy!
OK, while the album's title song takes on deeper existentialissues - Why am I here? What are we living for?/All of my hopes, dreams and desires: Assembly required/That's flat-pack philosophy - I think FPP is really all about how one buys and sells those "hopes dreams, and desires." Like an earlier Buzzcocks CD box set's title, it's all about Product.For inthe UK, "Flat-pack" refers to a piece of furniture that sold in parts, which consumers must then fit together and reassemble. In other words, it's the IKEA-ification of Britain by cheap, affordable goods, (under)class warfare fought against the economy by armchair generals and sofa warriors. It's cheap goods on offer for purchase with cheap plastic credit. When the first IKEA opened in London in 2005, greed-frenzied shoppers stampeded for bargains, with 20 customers rushed to hospital in its aftermath. (Stateside, we call this phenomena "Black Friday.")
Paradise is a platinum card Behind the wheel of your car, with your new pair of trainers Designer clothes: Go on, I'll have seven of those And go to ski where it snows/Its bounty sustains us Videophones, with all the latest ringtones
You buy-to-let your new home
Don't care what you're spending
Then just like that, reminders under the mat
Of your flat full of tat
The pile of debts never ending
Diggle also addresses crass commercialism and the global homogenization of culture in his song "Starbucks Around the World" from 2005's Serious Contender, as well as in "Sell You Everything" from 2006's Flat-Pack Philosophy.
14. "Big Brother Wheels" (Diggle) - from Flat-Pack Philosophy (2006)
Big Brother is watching YOU!
A tune about 1984 hitting a tad later than expected. Yes, Big Brother is watching and his jack-booted "line of blue" will make "you believe what you receive". Shouts from the crowd? Not allowed.
"And if you walk into walls, you'll get a kick in the balls and see how
the mighty fall," Diggle warns. If his name wasn't Winston Smith, he
could laugh about it all. Instead, he offsets the dire straits with this
finger-snapping pop melody that at least one reviewer compared to the
late '70s sound of The Motors. Buzzcocks made a music video for the song, but the record company passed on releasing it as a single, much to Diggle's disappointment.
Big Brother Wheels gonna stamp it out of you in time Big Brother Wheels gonna make you jump and walk the line...
Jackboot stamp all over your face Jackboot stamp all over the place
15. "See Through You" (Diggle) - from the Flat-Pack Philosophy "Reconcilation" CD Single (2006)
If I could see through you/Through what you want to do/But you ain't got a clue If I could find a way just to make you say/But you don't play that way... Look into your life like a mirror/Backs against the wall - it's a never-ending story
Diggle originally recorded this on his 2005 solo album Serious Contender, but this slower Buzzcocks version is more stop-start/herky-jerky, its thick-and-chunky layered guitars and backing vocals creating a '70s powerpop vibe not unlike a Badfinger song - specifically "No Matter What."
I especially love the hand-claps that are added on (a Tony Barber suggestion? A shout-out to Badfinger's "No Matter What"?).
16. "Keep On Believing" (Shelley) - from The Way (2014)
"The Way" (2014)
Let’s give it up for rock and roll
If you feel it in your heart and soulThen you’re in control Keep on believing... What’s the use complaining that it’s forever raining
After all, that’s what they make umbrellas for
The obvious single, and opening track, from 2014's The Way. Nothing spectacular, just a solid pop song and concert pleaser.
18. "People Are Strange Machines" (Diggle) - from The Way (2014)
Steve's best song from the latest album, and one of the best in his 'cocks catalog. No idea what it's about (as usual), but another strong melody makes this one a keeper.
When you're stuck in a room with a mouthful of headspace
A mechanical zoom and a smile wide across your face... Looking for life, counting the cost Nothing's been gained and nothing's lost People are strange machines
19. "Totally from the Heart" (Shelley) - from All Set (1996)
"All Set" (1996)
I'm to you like the mountain to Mohammed
But these roles could be juxtaposed, it's up to you now
Made it plain from the start
Totally from the heart
Amy and I rarely ever listen to All Set, despite it being a pretty solid rock album that would appeal to fans of Green Day's sound. No surprise there, the record was produced by Dookie engineer Neill King and recorded in Green Day's hometown of Berkeley, CA. "Totally from the Heart" opens the album and sands of one of Shelley's best driving pop songs: crisp and soaring guitars, an infectious chorus, and a typically compact arrangement. That's our Pete!
20. "Telephone Operator" (Shelley) - from Pete Shelley's XL1 (1983)
Pete Shelley, "XL1" (Island Records, 1983)
Pete's irresistable single release from his second solo album is pure '80s electronic dance-club joy, married as always to his clever wordplay. Once again produced by Martin Rushent, the album itself was notable for including a computer program for the ZX Spectrum which displayed lyrics and graphics synced in time to the music - a precursor to the visuals of today's media players.
Telephone operator/You're my aural stimulator
Telephone operator/Ne c'est pas la raison d'etre
21. "Yesterday's Not Here" (Shelley) - from Pete Shelley's Homosapien (1981)
Pete Shelley, "Homosapien" (Island Records, 1981)
Several of the songs on Homosapien started out as tracks intended for the abortive fourth Buzzcocks album. But after the group convened at Manchester Pluto Studios in early 1981 and troubles continued, Shelley and producer Martin Rushent decided they loved the synth-and-drum machine experiments enough to jump ship on Buzzcocks and launch Pete's solo electronics career. Listening to "Yesterday's Not Here," I can easily imagine it as a guitar-driven Buzzcocks tune.
22. "I Don't Know What It Is" (Shelley) - from Pete Shelley's Homosapien (1981)
The second single from Homosapien is another tune I can see working as a Buzzcocks song from that post-1980 period when Pete was coming up with such Martin Rushent sound experiments as "Strange Thing," "Are Everything," and "What Do You Know?" (from the Parts 1, 2, and 3 final Buzzcocks singles releases).
23. "Homosapien" (Shelley) - from Pete Shelley's Homosapien (1981)
Pete Shelley, "Homosapien" (Island, 1981)
Shamefully banned by the "Homo Superior"-with-heads-up-their-posterior BBC, the title track to Pete's solo "coming out" career is unashamedly infectious, working as a fun sing-along pop song as well as a (not-so-thinly-veiled) gay rights manifesto. And yes, it's the most Buzzcocks readymade of the songs here, with still a lot of guitar (acoustic and electric) between the synth-pop production by Martin Rushent.
The Post-Buzzcocks Buzzcocks even performed "Homosapien" at the 2012 Coachella music festival, as shown below:
And here's the as-it-sounded-then original from 1981's music video:
The next two songs are from a limited edition maxi-single and represent more guitar-based music that could easily have ended up on that abortive final Buzzcocks album.
24. "In Love with Somebody Else" (Shelley) - bonus single from Pete Shelley's I Don't Know What It Is Limited Edition 2x7" Single (1981)
I Don't Know What It Is EP (Genetic/Island Records, 1981)
Another in the line of great Shelley songs with "love" in the title, a list whose ranks also included "Ever Fallen in Love" (Etc.), "Love You More," and "You Say You Don't Love Me." And, lyrically, Pete could be talking about his "all booked up" post-Buzzcocks career at the time ("Homosapien" rose as high as number 14 on the Club Play Singles chart, and hit number 6 in Canada).
Everyone's coming to me For some love, oh yeah I'm popular since you left me, you see All booked up, oh yeah But half of what I want I don't need Cos you see I'm in love with somebody else With a dream whose passion is a dare And I'm always so unaware
Move over, "Mad Mad Judy," there's another gal name-checked in Buzzcocks discography. The acoustic guitar, subject matter, and arrangement lend the tune an early Beatles vibe (think McCartney's "Michelle"), while the drum machine and production keep it modernized enough to include with Pete's Homosapien CD reissue.
This song actually dates back to the late '70s, with Pete previously demoing it on Picadelly Radio in February 1979, as shown below.
26. "Every Day and Every Night" (Diggle) - from Flat-Pack Philosophy "Sell You Everything" CD Single (2006)
Cross the bridge and you will find/That it's only in your mind
Steve Diggle stays calm and carries on, in this pretty acoustic number found only on this FPP CD single.
This 1996 demo recording was originally intended for the Modern album. And, yes, multi-talented bassist-producer Tony Barber plays synth on it. Starts off real Windham Hilly with acoustic guitar strumming complementing Barber's airy synth line, but then really kicks in with a hooky bridge as Diggle sings, "Across your mind you find that time is only time and time again" and adds a restrained, economical electric guitar solo.
27. "Twilight" (Shelley) - from Pete Shelley's XL1 (1983)
Amy and Dave Cawley consider this to be the prettiest song Pete Shelley ever wrote, which makes it the perfect cool-down coda to this fantasy mix tape. Plus you get the sound of birdies merrily chirping away.
Watching the twilight, I saw it flicker Feel that I might as well give up and go On the horizon, are distant reminders Twilight is the only love I know
28. "Alive Tonight" (Diggle) - from various recordings.
"Alice Tonight" EP (1991)
The earliest version was recorded during the 1991 demo sessions for what became the Trade Test Transmissions album and featured 3/4 of the original Buzzcocks (Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle, and Steve Garvey) with Mike Joyce of the The Smiths sitting in on drums. It was released as the title track of the 1991 Alice Tonight EP. A great, rare music video of this lineup performing the song in Beatlesque matching suits appears below (Amy adds, "Steve appears to be making McCartney faces at times!"): Watch 1991 Buzzcocks play "Alive Tonight."
Seems the video was shown on a television program called Videowave, excerpted from an awkward-looking interview in which the female interviewer straddled Diggle's lap (not that the shag-loving author of "You Know You Can't Help It" was complaining!).
Then there is the version appearing on 1993's TTT album with Tony Barber and Phil Barker on bass and drums, respectively.
"Alive Tonight" is still alive on A Different Compilation (2011)
Finally, "Alive Tonight" turns up on 2011's A Different Compilation album, this time featuring the current Buzzcocks rhythm section of Danny Farrant-Chris Remington giving the song a go.
