The Buzzcocks "Love Bites" 1978 [2008 Deluxe Edition] - disc 1

"...There is much to treasure in Pete Shelley's magnificent 'Ever Fallen In Love', the sarcastic 'Operator's Manual', the sharp, cynical blast of 'Just Lust' and the enchanting conundrum 'Nostalgia'..." - Record Collector (magazine) (p.88) - 5 stars out of 5 -- " tour de force of pop-punk gems..."More musically accomplished, more obsessively self-questioning, and with equally energetic yet sometimes gloomy performances, Love Bites finds the Buzzcocks coming into their own. With Devoto and his influence now fully worked out of the band's system, Shelley is the clearly predominant voice, with the exception of Diggle's first lead vocal on an album track, the semi-acoustic, perversely sprightly "Love is Lies." Though the song received even further acclaim on Singles Going Steady, "Ever Fallen in Love," for many the band's signature song, appears here. With its note-perfect blend of romance gone wrong, a weirdly catchy, treated lead guitar line, and Shelley's wounded singing deserves its instant classic status, but it's only one of many highlights. The opening "Real World" is one of the band's strongest: a chunky, forceful yet crisp band performance leads into a strong Shelley lyric about unrequited love and life. "Nostalgia"'s strikingly mature, inventive lyrics about where one's life can lead, and the sometimes charging, sometimes quietly tense, heartbroken "Nothing Left" are two other standouts. The group's well-seasoned abilities, the members' increasing reach and Martin Rushent's excellent production make Love Bites shine. The Garvey/Maher rhythm section is especially fine; Maher's fills and similar small but significant touches take the music to an even higher level. His undisputed highlight is the terribly underrated concluding instrumental "Late for the Train." Originally done for a John Peel radio session and rerecorded with even more a dramatic sweep here, it gives the group's motorik/Krautrock new power. Not far behind it is "E.S.P.," a strong rock burn that only fades out at the end very slowly and subtly. - by Ned Raggett

trax:

01 Real World 02 Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)? 03 Operators Manual 04 Nostalgia 05 Just Lust 06 Sixteen Again 07 Walking distance 08 Love Is Lies 09 Nothing Left 10 E.S.P. 11 Late For The Train 12 Love You More 13 Noise Annoys 14 Promises 15 Lipstick 16 Noise Annoys (John Peel) 17 Walking Distance (John Peel) 18 Late for the Train (John Peel) 19 Promises (John Peel) 20 Lipstick (John Peel) 21 Sixteen Again (John Peel)

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