Buzzcocks: On This Day…in 1978


Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks




Buzzcocks released their classic single ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)?’.

Formed in Bolton in 1976 by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, the duo reportedly took the name ‘Buzzcocks’ after they read the headline ‘It’s The Buzz, Cocks!’ in a Time Out review of the TV series ‘Rock Follies’. The Buzzcocks first significant contribution to the UK punk scene came when they arranged a Sex Pistols gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall after seeing the band perform in London. Devoto and Shelley had intended to perform as the Buzzcocks at the gig, but were forced to withdraw when other members pulled out. The gig has gone down in legend, and a collection of soon-to-be significant figures in the Manchester post-punk scene, including Factory Records owner Tony Wilson and the future members of Joy Division, were in attendance.

They released a Martin Hannet-produced EP, ‘Spiral Scratch‘ on their own label at the end of 1976, and released their debut album ‘Another Music In a Different Kitchen’ in March 1978 after signing to UAI Records. By this time, Howard Devoto had left the band, with Pete Shelley taking up frontman duties.

Not long after the release of their debut, the band went back into the studio to begin work on the follow up ‘Love Bites’. ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)?’ was the only single released from the album, and hit the UK Top 20 upon it’s release. Initial ideas for the track came in November 1977, when the group watched the musical ‘Guys & Dolls’. Pete Shelley, talking in The Guardian, takes up the story: “The song dates back to November 1977. We were on a roll. It was only six months since we’d finished the first album. Up in Manchester this was what we used to dream of; a whirlwind of tours, interviews, TV. We were living the life.”

“One night in Edinburgh we were in a guest house TV lounge watching the musical Guys and Dolls. This line leaped out – ‘Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have?’ The next day the van stopped outside a post office and I wrote the lyrics there. I did have a certain person in mind, but I’ll save that for my kiss’n’tell. The music just seemed to follow, fully formed. Originally, the first line was: “You piss on my natural emotions …” We’d just had Orgasm Addict out, so were certainly telling it like it was and weren’t worried about getting played on the radio. But I changed “piss on” to “spurn”, which seemed classier. Radio 1 played it and the single set up camp outside the gates of the top 10.”

The single quickly became considered as one of the classic tracks from the punk era and became a favourite of legendary DJ John Peel. Shortly after Peel’s death, the single was re-issued as a mark of remembrance to Peel, Shelley told BBC Manchester how the idea came about: “It was an idea put forward by John Peel’s son Tom and he thought it would be a good to have a single and they chose Ever Fallen In Love as one of John Peel’s favourite songs,” he said. “So they just started phoning up everyone and before we knew it there was me, Peter Hook from New Order, Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd, Elton John, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, the Futureheads, the Datsuns, El Presidente… a cast of almost thousands. Everyone had been helped by John and it was a way of saying thank you to him.”

The song was comfortably the Buzzcocks biggest hit. They released one more studio album after ‘Love Bites’, ‘A Different Kind Of Tension’ a year later in 1979. The group disbanded during sessions for a fourth album in 1980, but have reformed on a number of occasions since 1989. Most recently, the band played a full UK Tour at the start of 2009 and have been confirmed as the support act for The Courteeners‘ gig at the Manchester Central venue on December 11th.


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