Artist: Buzzcocks
Year: 1993
This pick has much in common with the one from Nick Heyward last week. When our store copy of 'Trade Test Transmissions' arrived, I looked at it with skepticism. I was surprised Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle were trying to make a go of it. Why bother? You guys are legends! The legacy is secure. After all, there hadn't been an album from Buzzcocks since 'A Different Kind of Tension' in 1979. Still, all of that earlier work, including 'Singles Going Steady,' perhaps the best band compilation of all time, is absolutely unimpeachable. In other words, out of respect, this comeback album deserved my attention for at least a cursory listen. Whoa! Although I chose the single today,'Trade Test Transmissions' was no 7" surrounded by filler. In particular, There was something about those background vocals that really grabbed me. Check 'em out on "Innocent."
Not too terribly long ago I made a mix of my favorites from the band, and six songs from this album made the cut. I'm not going to be so bold as to say this album is better than a 'Love Bites' or 'Another Music In A Different Kitchen,' but no other long player had more than a half dozen picks. In other words, in my mind, there were still no dents in the discography after 'Trade Test Transmissions,' and I do lump it in with those earlier classics. Heck, it has been 22 years. This one is one of the classics!
Off topic, but here's a little plug for you purveyors of punk. Did you know Seattle has a shop called Singles Going Steady? Stop by when you're in the Belltown neighborhood.
3 comments:
I was EXTREMELY skeptical of TTT when it came out. Buzzcocks are a band I felt had NO bad songs in their discography, sure maybe some less memorable than others, but they were on fire during their Imperial Period.
I will admit it took me some time to get into TTT, but with some focused listening, I got it. It didn't diminish their legacy, it didn't try to work of anyone else's either. Favorites were Never Gonna Give It Up, When Love Turns Around (Diggle vocal!) and the title track which is exactly what this great band should have sounded like 14 yrs on.
Hi Echorich. You chose some great songs from TTT. I didn't get into their work as much after this one, but I haven't heard them all either. The song Totally From the Heart from the next album was really good though. Happy to hear you eventually came around to this one.
Pleased to see this in here, I think I featured a Buzzcocks tune from the same period in 55 from 55. TTT is a very good, strong album that I still play from time to time.
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