The Buzzcocks
French (I.R.S.)
by Marc Hirsh
The Buzzcocks
French (I.R.S.)
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in the Public News, April 10, 1996
Punk music is dead and bloated and some of its own are turning into vultures and feasting on its own carcass. In a world where the Sex Pistols reunite to celebrate twenty years (of what, having broken up?), it shouldn't seem particularly shocking that the Buzzcocks, one of the happiest, and thus most insidiously subversive, of all punks, have released what was once the last refuge of a heavy metal band: the double live album.
The capacity of the compact disc disguises it well, but let's face facts: 70 minutes is 2 LPs. Frampton Comes Alive! is only 5 minutes longer. Thankfully, French dispenses with the mindless trappings of such albums, such as the witty stage banter (the band mostly just says the title of the next song) and the overextended guitar (and bass, and drum) solos. Still, 70 minutes of live Buzzcocks, with no visuals, offers little in terms of unique entertainment value.
To take a more optimistic tack, French, recorded in Paris a year ago, shows that the Buzzcocks still put on one hell of a show. Sure, the band has no relevance anymore, but they've gotten most of the kinks out of their system by touring hard since reuniting for 1993's Trade Test Transmissions. The songs are great, but you're not going to chuck your copy of Singles Going Steady. Hearing Pete Shelley singing "Orgasm Addict" in 1995 is one thing; hearing Pete Shelley performing the same song circa 1978 is quite another.
The question underlying French is a resounding "Why?" If the answer is "To show that they still can," then more power to them. But if that's the case, do yourself a favor and stick to the past that the Buzzcocks trying to hold so desperately onto.