RECORD STORE DAY: 10 (More) Albums That Changed My Life, Part Three

10 (More) Albums That Changed My Life

Part Three

By Stephen SPAZ Schnee

     Music strikes a chord in me... pun only partially intended. No matter what my mood is, music is such an important part of my day to day activities.  From work to play and back again, music is always playing somewhere around me.  I can't escape it and I would not even try.  I don't care if it's something I love or despise, my day to day listening experience only enhances my knowledge and understanding of this truly amazing art form.

     Some of my favorite people erroneously say that I 'know everything' about music.  While I am humbled by that assertion, I don't believe that at all... because I am constantly learning something new with everything that is being played around me. I might hear something new in a song that I missed before, I might hear something that I know I never want to hear again and I might hear something that I can't live without.  But the important thing is that I'm listening, searching and being moved by the music  I will never 'know everything' because, once I think that I know it all, I will stop learning... and I certainly don't ever want that to happen!

     The albums that changed my life may not be the best albums in the respective bands' catalog, but they are albums that reached deep inside me and stayed there.  Whether I heard them being played in a record shop or read about them somewhere, I discovered these albums when they were first released and I've held them close ever since.  The albums listed here are no less important than the ones in my previous lists.  I've just decided to break the lists up to make it easier for readers to take them in and, hopefully, check them out.

     Here are 10 albums that never fail to take me back to a certain period in my life. They may not have sold millions of copies but they had an enormous impact on me. And they are albums I will cherish until my dying day….
     I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by band because, to be honest, I can never say that one of them had more of an impact on me than the other. They are all equally important. And I've refrained from explaining WHY they mean so much to me. Those reasons are ones that only I would understand... (and I'm sure that your choices are made based on similar situations and circumstances).

ANY TROUBLE/Where Are All The Nice Girls?

BUZZCOCKS/Singles Going Steady

FINGERPRINTZ/Distinguishing Marks

THE JAM/This Is The Modern World

THE LAMBRETTAS/Beat Boys In The Jet Age

NICK LOWE/Pure Pop For Now People (AKA Jesus Of Cool)

(This is an alternate version of the song that appears on the album)

MENTAL AS ANYTHING/If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?

THE PLIMSOULS/Zero Hour EP

SHOES/Tongue Twister

THE UNDERTONES/The Undertones

SPAZ reviews the BUZZCOCKS Special Edition reissues

BUZZCOCKS

SPECIAL 2CD EDITIONS 

OF THE FIRST 3 ALBUMS

In Stores NOW!

While Sex Pistols got the guts and The Clash got the glory, there were many bands from across the pond that deserved much more attention in the U.S. than they received during the glory days of Punk in the late '70s.  Some names that come to mind are The Jam, The Undertones and, of course, Buzzcocks. 

While the band has  legions of fans all around the world some 30+ years later, they only caused a minor stir here in the states first time around.  The first American release was the excellent Singles Going Steady collection, which compiled their first eight singles (A-sides on Side One and b-sides on Side Two of the album). In fact, their first two studio albums were never issued in the U.S. until over a decade later when they appeared in the three CD Product box set!

The band consisted of Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle, who both handled guitar and vocals. The rhythm section of John Maher (drums) and Steve Garvey (bass) made up the rest of the quartet.  In this original incarnation, Buzzcocks released an amazing string of singles plus a trio of studio albums. Those three studio albums have been given the Special 2CD Edition treatment and are now more worthy of your attention than ever before.  While they have been called one of the best singles bands during the Punk era, Buzzcocks were certainly no slouches in the album department. And with all the bells and whistles added to these reissues, now's the best time to snap them up!

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

While the band are known for their catchy Pop/Punk singles, their albums were a mixture of hook-laden gems and more experimental and edgy material. Those looking for instant gratification should stick with the singles.  But those looking for something a bit different should dive in head first.  Another Music In A Different Kitchen was their debut album, released at the beginning of 1977. While their first few singles were not included on the album ("Orgasm Addict" and "What Do I Get?"), the album still has some glorious melodic gems including "I Don't Mind", "No Reply", "I Need" and "Get On Our Own". Elsewhere on the album, there are some top notch tunes that could have only been born during the Punk era ("Fast Cars", "Fiction Romance") and songs that tended to incorporate bits and pieces of edgy Rock and experimentalism ("Moving Away From The Pulsebeat", "Autonomy", "Love Battery"). While the band would continue to improve, this is certainly not a bad place to start to get the full effect of the electricity and excitement of the Punk era.

The addition of their two previous singles (A and B-sides), Peel Sessions, 14 demos and nine live cuts makes this damn near essential.  

Love Bites

Released at the tail end of 1978 (yes, less than a year after their debut), Love Bites found the quartet more focused then their debut, but still with plenty of edge.  The percentage of melodic hooks on the album is way up while the more experimental percentage is nearly cut in half. This balance of Pop power doesn't dull the band's Punk edge at all.  In fact, while most of their contemporaries were putting out weak sophomore efforts, Buzzcocks went from strength to strength. "Ever Fallen In Love" remains the track they are best known for, but there are other absolute standouts on the album including 'Nostalgia', 'Sixteen Again", the fantastic instrumental "Walking Distance" (written by bassist Steve Garvey) and Diggle's acoustic-led "Love Is Lies". A real highlight of the album is the hypnotic "E.S.P" with it's catchy guitar riff that runs through the song and takes the listener through one of the longest fade-outs in Punk history!  While there are some tracks that could only have been born during Punk's heyday ("Just Lust", "Nothing Left"), Love Bites was an enormous leap forward. 

This Special Edition icludes two non album singles (A and B-sides), 7 BBC radio sessions, 13 demos and 10 live tracks.  Yes, this is an essential Pop/Punk gem for sure!  But it doesn't stop there!  The band still had one more great album in them... 

A Different Kind Of Tension

While many of the original Punk bands never got past their second album, Buzzcocks' third was their musical masterpiece. Stepping even further away from the confines of Punk, the band embraced Psychedelia, Garage Rock and anything else they fancied, mixing it all together with their trademark sound (never equaled or bettered by any other band, by the way!). Yes, this was still a Punk album, but one that helped usher in the New Wave and Post-Punk eras as well.  From it's fantastically eye-catching cover (one of my top fave album covers of all time) to it's emotionally frayed lyrics, A Different Kind Of Tension lives up to it's title. And then some.  The first half of the album was a collection of powerful tunes including the single "You Say You Don't Love Me", "Paradise" and and a trio of Diggle rockers ("Sitting Round At Home", "You Know You Can't Help It" and "Mad Mad Judy"). Once "I Don't Know What To Do With My Life" starts the second half of the album (called Side Two in my day), the album twists and turns in so many directions, it's hard to keep up.  Some of their finest tracks can be found here including "Hollow Inside", "I Believe" and the title track.  The album takes the listener on a journey of emotional burn out and uncertainty, yet remains an uplifting experience due to the melodies and energy.  

This Special 2CD Edition adds 11 demos, four BBC sessions and five non album singles (A and B-sides) including their final three singles before the band split.  If you own one Buzzcocks album, this should be it.  Although most folks would stand by Singles Going Steady as the ultimate Buzzcocks release, this solid effort edges it out just a bit for me.  But that's just because I'm not fond of a few of their earlier b-sides like "Oh Shit".  Did I just say that out loud?

You're welcome,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

RECORD STORE DAY 2009: An Editorial

If you happened to visit a record store on Saturday, April 18th, 2009 in honor of the 2nd annual RECORD STORE DAY, then THANK YOU! If you are a record store who participated, then THANK YOU! If you are a label that supported RECORD STORE DAY, then THANK YOU!

Though I almost missed the opportunity to support RECORD STORE DAY since I was attending the equally cool Fangoria Convention in Los Angeles, my buddy and I stopped at Amoeba Music in Hollywood on Sunset in order to partake in the festivities. I was overwhelmed by the amount of folks in the store. If you've been to any of the Amoeba Music stores (Berkeley, San Francisco and Hollywood), you know that there are many folks trolling through the bins, searching for that special gem or just checking out the latest releases. But yesterday, the aisles at the Hollywood store were filled with music fans and the line for those who were waiting to buy their treasures extended all the way to the back of this big and beautiful store. It didn't hurt that I managed to catch Wendy & Lisa spinning a sexy, funky DJ set either! Ah, it made me feel so damn good.

I certainly wish that I'd saved some dinero, since there were so many items that I would have loved to purchase. I did manage to buy one title (although it cut into my week's lunch budget): the import digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of BUZZCOCKS' third album, A Different Kind Of Tension (my fave album by them). I almost cried because there were so many other things I truly NEED to add to my collection including the other two BUZZCOCKS reissues, almost everything CHERRY RED has released in the last year, great new releases I've heard in the office, some choice CAPTAIN OI titles missing from my collection and so many others.

But the build up to this day (and the day itself) really got me thinking: why only celebrate RECORD STORE DAY once per year? I mean, I do understand the idea behind it, the co-ordination, the organization, etc., but I want to celebrate RECORD STORE DAY every single day of the week/month/year. I'd settle for celebrating it every weekend if someone wants to set up a committee to organize it: you'll definitely have my support!! :)

I've been thinking an awful lot about record stores in general over the last few years. I remember getting together with friends 25 years ago and visitng every record store we were able to hit in a given amount of time, whether it was a Friday night trip to LA or a weekend trek to different parts of OC. Two and a half decades ago, there was so much on offer here in OC in regards to record stores: Music Market, Camel Records, Music Plus, Licorice Pizza, Record Trading Center, Pepperland, The Wherehouse, Beggars Banquet, Up Another Octave, Tower Records and many others that are swimming around in my memory banks. Of all those great spots, only Pepperland remains. The others disappeared over the years (and many of them long before downloading began replacing the shopping experience).

Now, I'm not one who is against the idea of legal downloading (I've done the odd track here and there myself), but at the end of the day, after you've paid your money, what do you have? NOTHING! There are files in your computer that seemingly play the music for you, but is that really enough? Can you hold it? Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Can you see it? You didn't buy anything tangible: there are nothing but files on your hard drive made up of numbers, letters and codes. Where is the fun in that? What kind of memories will that leave behind?

An imperfect (and slightly offensive) analogy would be: does internet porn REPLACE an intimate physical relationship with someone? I think not. It may enhance it, but it will never replace it. Same with music: how can someone possibly be satisfied with a download of an entire album when they can actually own a physical piece of product? As I stated before, I am NOT anti-downloading; I am pro-record store! I must admit that the internet IS a great place to LISTEN to new stuff and make your purchasing decisions, though.

In terms of buying your item, the ideal situation is to go to your local indie record store and buy it. If it's not in stock, then have them special order it. It may not be instant gratification, but within a few days, you'll have what you need and you will enjoy the heck out of it. You'll be able to hold it, look at it, listen to it, read the liner notes, etc. You can then load it into your computer and enjoy listening to it that way as well, but the important thing is that you own it. It is yours. It is something you can show to your friends. It is something physical... something REAL.

When I was younger, I spent as much time in local record stores as possible. After school... after work... and, when I got my first record store job, I spent quality record store time AT work! It was more than a hobby... it was an emotional experience that is hard to describe. There are those of us who LIVE for music. It's not just something that is played in the background: it is the soundtrack to our lives!

(About a decade ago, I came up with a motto that fits me to a T: "Some of my best friends are three minutes long"! And that still rings true.)

Even today at the age of 45, I listen to music in the morning, afternoon and evening. I write about music all day long. I still get together with friends on a regular basis and discuss music, play music and hear new music that they share with me. I'm not the only one like this: there are others! Perhaps even YOU! But are there places for all of us to meet anymore? The record store was (and is) more than just a place to spend money: it was a place to spend time, meet like-minded people and learn about new music (or even older releases you may have missed first time around).

There are still plenty of sports bars around for all the sports fans to gather and enjoy a game together and that is awesome. There are upscale coffee shops everywhere where folks can get together and be arty and pretentious, and that, too, is awesome.

But all the record stores I remember from my youth have closed down. It is up to US to support the ones that are still left standing. And if you visited one of them on RECORD STORE DAY, than THANK YOU again. Visit them again tomorrow... or next weekend, too! Perhaps the kids of today and tomorrow will one day realize that the record store experience is amazing indeed. It is up to US to show them the way.

P.S. After all these years, the same friends I used to go record shopping with 25 years ago are STILL my friends and I'd like to give a shout-out to them: Chuck, Jeff G, Jeff K, Jannette, Matthew, Kristin and many others.

Peace, love and pancakes,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

The views and opinions expressed in this posting are strictly those of the author.