Something's Gone Wrong Again: the Buzzcocks Cover Compilation

"Something's Gone Wrong Again: the Buzzcocks Cover Compilation", C/Z records, copyright 1992.

I've had this CD in my collection for years, and I think I've listened to the whole thing maybe twice. I had a tape around for a long time that had three or four songs from this CD, but I've finally listened to the whole thing a couple of more times (now that my car has a CD player!).

Verdict: so-so

The only bands that I had heard of on this compilation are Lunachicks and Naked Raygun. I don't follow music very closely, now or in 1992, so whether I have heard of someone doesn't really count for much, but there you are.

For the most part, these are just bar band versions of Buzzcocks songs, not inspirational in any way. Looser in all cases, I think, missing the Buzzcocks tautness, which was in large part provided by their original drummer, John Maher.

Of course, you don't really want the covers in a compilation like this to sound exactly like the originals, but the Buzzcocks parts that were removed weren't replaced with anything as good or better.

There are a couple of exceptions -- the Steve Diggle songs ("Why She's a Girl from the Chainstore", "Sitting 'Round At Home", "Running Free") seem to have lost less in the translation. Possibly this is because his voice is much closer to a normal voice than is Pete Shelley's, so it's easier for other people to inhabit the songs. On some of the Pete Shelley songs, it sounds to me like the singer went for "definitely not Pete Shelley" rather than trying to find a way of singing that actually suited the song, resulting in what amounts to a parody. Parodies don't seem worth it, unless they're extremely clever.

Speaking of parodies, the Lunachicks "Noise Annoys/Promises" medley is definitely in the parody direction, but I found it pretty entertaining anyway. Perhaps it's the drum sound, which actually gets close to John Maher's original work, which endeared it to me. Again, as I said before, duplicating the original shouldn't be the goal here, but, you know, I do like the original....

I actually liked Alice Donut's version of "E.S.P." quite a bit. It's the one case where there's a substantial departure from the original Buzzcocks tempo and arrangements, and the overall feel is darker.

The Dose version of "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" (perhaps my favorite Buzzcocks song) is also an addition rather than just a subtraction. Similar tempo and arrangement (looser and noiser, of course), but with more desperate vocals.

So, after ten years, I think this is going back on the market. Maybe I can download that Alice Donut track off the net somewhere.... 

¶ 1/07/2006 11:05:00 AM