A Different Kind Of Tension is the third and final installment in Mute Records’ excellent Buzzcocks reissue program. Like the previous sets, Tension contains the contemporary singles, demos, and John Peel Sessions in addition to the original record. In this case, the extracurricular material is crucial, for it documents the sound of a band coming apart.
1978 had seen the release of two full LPs, Another Music In A Different Kitchen and Love Bites. They had also issued five singles (which with B-sides add up to nearly an album’s worth of tunes themselves). In 1979, the year Tension was released, the pace had clearly caught up to the group. The fact that lead ‘cock Pete Shelley was tripping on LSD at the time did not help matters.
For those of us in the United States, the release of Singles Going Steady in early 1979 was a revelation. The 16-song compilation was nearly ideal, featuring all the hit singles in chronological order, the A-sides on the A-side, and the B-sides on the B-side. Even more exciting was the fact that the two most recent ones were included, and both boded extremely well for the new record.
I was right there when the first all-new Buzzcocks album came to the local record store. The very first track, the punky “Paradise,” hooked me. “You Say You Don’t Love Me” should have been a hit, and the side’s closer “Raison d’Etre” was another blast of punk, with a psychedelic guitar solo twist.
Side two was another beast entirely. The five songs that make up this mini-suite resonate a lot deeper than anything the band had done previously. Lyrically and musically, this is the sound of a mind coming unglued. Although it took me a while to realize this, the evidence is there in the song titles alone: “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life,” “Hollow Inside,” and “A Different Kind Of Tension.”
The fact is, the band were burned out. This is nothing new of course, it happens all the time. But what makes Tension such a great record is the fact that the Buzzcocks were actually able to essay the process. When most bands “lose it” the situation is usually pretty obvious, the records simply suck. Not so with the Buzzcocks. The five closing songs of Tension (six if you count the 41-second “Radio Nine”) are a mix of psychedelia, punk, power-pop, and the avant-garde. They are unlike anything else released by a major group of first-wave British punk. Incredible.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Will have to check this out.
2 - zingzing
have you ever noticed similarity between "why can't i touch it?" and "jack and diane" by some hobo from indiana? i guess it's just in the bass line, but they sort of feel similar in a very dissimilar way.
and "homosapien" is brilliant. it may lack the group interplay, but it has the same magic, i say. it's really a fantastic song.
3 - Greg Barbrick
Zing-
Now that you mention it, that Indiana hobo did cop the bassline. What I like about the song so much are the guitars. Great sound.
I like "Homosapien" too, but in a much different way. It is pure synth, which is fine when you are in the mood. It just strikes me as SO far removed from the Buzzcocks.
4 - zingzing
my favorite song of theirs is "i believe." that is just such a ridiculously good song. so moving. but you fail to mention it. shame.
"homosapien," as you mention, was intended to be a buzzcocks song. that whole album was just demos for the band, but then they broke up. i'm sure it would have been different if they had recorded it, but it's perfect as is. it's only removed from the buzzcocks in that it was a demo, i think. i love the buzzcocks for many reasons, but pete shelley's creativity is first among them. and the "homosapien" album displays it in spades.
5 - Greg Barbrick
"I Believe" is a great song, I probably should have mentioned it. I think practically everything they did is worthwhile though, to be honest.
Such a great band.