Buzzcocks - Operators Manual (EMI)

I came to the Buzzcocks late through the back channel of Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould’s breathless encomiums about the band. It was a dubious means of ingress, akin to discovering Bad Brains via Living Colour (another among my many cart-before-the-horse musical sins). But ever since their autumnal addition to my rotation they have seldom left for very long. This 1991 compilation lives up to the utilitarian promise of its title by presenting twenty-five of the Buzzcocks prime cuts across triple as many minutes. That temporal ratio distills their role in the rise of bubblegum punk, that curious blend of aggro angst and commercial song craft that built the careers of countless bands after. As with Phil Spector before them, their best songs are two to three minute paeans to youth and romance, in this case shot through with teeth-gnashing doses of insolence, indolence and ire. “Orgasm Addict” is an ideal and instructive opener, not to mention a near-impossible act to follow. Lascivious lyrics reflecting a fevered equal opportunist sex drive couple to buzz saw guitars and a pummeling drum beat. “What Do I Get?” carries the egotism even further as Pete Shelley whines about his sorry luck with love. “Autonomy” is anthemic and disarmingly intricate in its fretwork. “Fast Cars” is fairly inconsequential from a topical standpoint; its charms cached instead in Steve Diggle’s gargantuan bass line and more layered guitars. The energy and economy of the group falters a bit on later, longer cuts, but there really isn’t a bum one in the bunch. I never bothered to check back in with the Buzzcocks on any of their reunion efforts over the years. This dog-eared and well-spun primer still has pretty much everything I need.