| Singles Going Steady | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 25 September 1979 | |||
| Recorded | November 1977 – July 1979 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, pop punk [1] | |||
| Length | 47:49 | |||
| Label | I.R.S., United Artists | |||
| Producer | Martin Rushent, Martin Hannett | |||
| Buzzcocks chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles Going Steady is a compilation album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks, first released on I.R.S. Records in the United States on 25 September 1979. [2]
Singles Going Steady was the first Buzzcocks album to be released in North America and intended as an introduction to the band for the American public, coinciding with a tour of the US. Side one of the original release of the album featured their eight UK single releases on United Artists Records from 1977 up to the time of Singles Going Steady's release in 1979 in chronological order, while side two featured their corresponding B-sides, also in chronological order.
After healthy sales on import in the UK over the next two years, and following the group's split in early 1981, the album was belatedly released in the band's home country on United Artists Records on 16 November 1981 as a 'greatest hits' album. [3] However, as in the US, the album failed to chart.
The album was reissued in expanded form on compact disc in 2001 with an extra eight tracks, featuring the A-sides and B-sides of Buzzcocks' four singles released between Singles Going Steady and the group's break-up.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Classic Rock | 9/10 [5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.4/10 [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10 [11] |
| Uncut | 9/10 [12] |
| The Village Voice | A− [13] |
Reviewing the album on import in 1979, NME called Buzzcocks "a vital part of the inspiration for the new pop age... This is the best album Buzzcocks never made. Hear it and weep." [14] A second review by the NME two years later upon the album's official UK release was no less enthusiastic, declaring that "this is the best Buzzcocks long-player to be realised, enshrining eight singles and their B-sides in a compilation which at a stroke helps to forgive the inconsistency of their other albums and clarifies the enormous debt which post-Buzzcocks pop owes to this frail practitioner [referring to Buzzcocks principal songwriter and singer Pete Shelley ]... Employing the most traditional of beat group formations and turning their attention to the most elemental considerations, Shelley and the Buzzcocks created pop of such intense truthfulness it literally hurts." [15]
Melody Maker claimed that "to describe it as 'wonderful' would be doing the lads a gross injustice... Somehow, they devised a simple, crude but hugely effective medium for songs which were fast, funny and memorable." [16] Reviewing the 2001 reissue, Q said, "When Kurt Cobain picked these aging English punk rockers as the support act on Nirvana's final tour, the Buzzcocks received long-overdue recognition as one of the punk era's greatest singles groups... this singles collection, newly supplemented with eight bonus tracks, has lost none of its vitality." [17]
Looking back in 2019, Pitchfork 's Jason Heller called the compilation "a paragon of songwriting about the pain and joy of love" and wrote that it "stands as one of the most endearing, intimate, and impeccably crafted batch of earworms in either the love-song or punk-rock realm". Heller praised the album's willingness to address emotions through punk music, saying, "Unrequited longing, severed ties, knock-kneed bashfulness, rash declarations of euphoric infatuation: Shelley delivers it all with jaunty melodies and deceptively complex chord progressions on par with the Beatles and the Kinks". [7]
In 2003, Singles Going Steady was ranked at number 358 on Rolling Stone 's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [18] It has been subsequently included on updates of the list published in 2012 (at number 360), 2020 (at number 250), and 2023 (at number 250). [19] [20] [21]
In 2004, Pitchfork listed Singles Going Steady as the 16th best album of the 1970s. [22]
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Orgasm Addict" | Howard Devoto, Pete Shelley | Non-album single | 2:00 |
| 2. | "What Do I Get?" | Shelley | Non-album single | 2:52 |
| 3. | "I Don't Mind" | Shelley | Another Music in a Different Kitchen | 2:16 |
| 4. | "Love You More" | Shelley | Non-album single | 1:47 |
| 5. | "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" | Shelley | Love Bites | 2:39 |
| 6. | "Promises" | Steve Diggle, Shelley | Non-album single | 2:34 |
| 7. | "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" | Shelley | Non-album single | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Harmony in My Head" | Diggle | Non-album single | 3:06 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "You Say You Don't Love Me" | Shelley | A Different Kind of Tension | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Are Everything" | Shelley | Non-album single | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Strange Thing" | Shelley | Non-album single | 4:10 |
| 12. | "Running Free" | Diggle | Non-album single | 3:14 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What Ever Happened To?" | Alan Dial, Shelley | "Orgasm Addict" single | 2:12 |
| 2. | "Oh Shit!" | Shelley | "What Do I Get?" single | 1:34 |
| 3. | "Autonomy" | Diggle | Another Music in a Different Kitchen | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Noise Annoys" | Shelley | "Love You More" single | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Just Lust" | Dial, Shelley | Love Bites | 2:58 |
| 6. | "Lipstick" | Diggle, Shelley | "Promises" single | 2:36 |
| 7. | "Why Can't I Touch It?" | Diggle, Steve Garvey, John Maher, Shelley | "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" single | 6:32 |
| 8. | "Something's Gone Wrong Again" | Shelley | "Harmony in My Head" single | 4:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Raison D'etre" | Shelley | A Different Kind of Tension | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Why She's a Girl from the Chainstore" | Diggle | "Are Everything" single | 2:26 |
| 11. | "Airwaves Dream" | Diggle | "Strange Thing" single | 3:54 |
| 12. | "What Do You Know?" | Shelley | "Running Free" single | 3:15 |
Buzzcocks
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 25 September 1979 | I.R.S. Records | LP | SP 001 |
| Canada | ||||
| United Kingdom | 16 November 1981 | United Artists Records | UAK 30279 | |
| United States | 1988 | I.R.S. | CD | CD 001 |
| Europe | 20 August 2001 | EMI | expanded CD | 7243 5 34442 2 8 |
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Bolton in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".
Three Imaginary Boys is the debut studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as a compilation album titled Boys Don't Cry.
Closer is the second and final studio album by the English rock band Joy Division, released on 18 July 1980 by Factory Records. Produced by Martin Hannett, it was released two months after the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 3 in New Zealand in September 1981. Closer was also named NME Album of the Year. It was remastered and re-released in 2007.
My Generation is the debut studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 3 December 1965 by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom, and Festival Records in Australia. In the United States, it was released on 25 April 1966 by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. Besides the members of the Who, being Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums), the album features contributions by session musician Nicky Hopkins (piano).
The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the UK by Rough Trade Records, and on 23 June 1986 in the US by Sire Records.
Beauty and the Beat is the debut album from California new wave band the Go-Go's. Released July 14, 1981 on the I.R.S. Records label, the album reached number one on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart in March 1982, bolstered by its two big Hot 100 hit singles: "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat", released in 1980, but in a different version. After a long and steady climb, Beauty and the Beat reached number one in the album chart dated March 6, 1982, the week before "We Got the Beat" entered the Top Ten of the Hot 100. The album stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks, and ranked second in Billboard's year-end Top 100 of 1982. The LP sold in excess of two million copies, and was RIAA-certified double platinum, qualifying it as one of the most successful debut albums of all time. Critically acclaimed, it has been described as one of the "cornerstone albums of American new wave".
Marquee Moon is the debut album by American rock band Television. It was released on February 8, 1977, by Elektra Records. In the years leading up to the album, Television had become a prominent act on the New York music scene and generated interest from a number of record labels, eventually signing a record deal with Elektra. The group rehearsed extensively in preparation for Marquee Moon before recording it at A & R Recording in September 1976. It was produced by the band's frontman Tom Verlaine and sound engineer Andy Johns.
Pete Shelley was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 when Devoto left. The group released their biggest hit "Ever Fallen in Love " in 1978. The band broke up in 1981 and reformed at the end of the decade. Shelley also had a solo career; his song "Homosapien" charted in North America in 1981 and 1982.
Fuzzy Logic is the debut album by the Welsh rock band Super Furry Animals. Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and released on the Creation label in May 1996, it was positively received by critics, who felt it was an eclectic if inconsistent mix of psychedelic music and glam rock, and was included in Q Magazine's list of recordings of the year. It has retained a modest respect among some critics; it was listed in Q's "Best British Albums Ever" in July 2004, and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It contains two top 20 hits in "If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You" and "Something 4 the Weekend"; it also contains the singles "God! Show Me Magic" and "Hometown Unicorn". It reached number 23 in the UK Albums Chart on release. In 2013, NME ranked it at number 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Psychocandy is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released in November 1985 on Blanco y Negro Records. The album is considered a landmark recording: its combination of guitar feedback and noise with traditional pop melody and structure proved influential on the forthcoming shoegaze genre and alternative rock in general.
Another Music in a Different Kitchen is the first studio album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete Shelley singing following the departure of the original vocalist Howard Devoto and then the firing of the bass guitarist Garth Smith. The album includes the single "I Don't Mind", which reached number 55 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1978.
The Raincoats is the debut studio album by English rock band the Raincoats. It was released on 21 November 1979 as one of the first records issued by the London-based independent label Rough Trade. The album is perhaps best known for its off-kilter cover of "Lola" by the Kinks. The album's sixth track, "The Void", was covered by Hole in 1994.
Homosapien is the second solo album by British musician Pete Shelley, released in 1981. The album follows his experimental instrumental album Sky Yen and his work with the group Buzzcocks, who initially disbanded in 1981. Homosapien saw a marked departure from the punk stylings of Buzzcocks' records, being heavily influenced by the programmed synthesizer sounds and drum machines of synthpop, with the addition of Shelley on acoustic guitar. The title track was released as a UK single and was banned by the BBC due to explicit homosexual references, but was nevertheless a hit in several other countries.
Heaven Up Here is the second album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen, released on 30 May 1981. In June 1981, Heaven Up Here became Echo & the Bunnymen's first Top 10 release when it reached number 10 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also the band's first entry into the United States album charts when it reached number 184 of the Billboard 200. The songs "A Promise" and "Over the Wall" were released as singles.
The Undertones is the 1979 debut album by the Undertones. The album was recorded at Eden Studios in Acton, West London in January 1979 and was released in May that year. The original release included just one single release: "Jimmy Jimmy" and an album version of "Here Comes the Summer", which was never released as a single.
Modern is the sixth studio album by English pop punk band Buzzcocks. After the critical success of the band's previous album All Set (1996), the band became disillusioned with trying to be a rock band and set out to become more "modern," thus birthing the project. Recording the album in Chipping Barnet with the band's bassist Tony Barber producing, Modern sees a strong electronic music influence, with electronic instruments and drum machines featuring on the songs, especially those written by Steve Diggle, who wrote five of the album's songs whilst Pete Shelley wrote the other eight songs.
A Different Kind of Tension is the third studio album by English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in September 1979 by record label United Artists.
Spiral Scratch is an EP and the first release by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released on 29 January 1977. It is one of the earliest releases by a British punk band. Spiral Scratch and the album Time's Up are the only Buzzcocks studio releases with original singer Howard Devoto, who left shortly after the EP's release to form one of the first post-punk bands, Magazine.
"Orgasm Addict" is a song by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was the A-side of the Buzzcocks' first single, with "What Ever Happened To?" as the B-side, which was released on 4 November 1977 by record label United Artists.
"Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a 1978 song written by Pete Shelley and performed by his group Buzzcocks. It was a number 12 hit on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the album Love Bites.
| Studio albums | |
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| Compilation albums | |
| EPs | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
