Name: Time's Up
Brand: Domino Recording Co.
SKU: 138241496
Price: 44.95 NZD
Availability: InStock

EAN

0887830011211

Writer

BUZZCOCKS

Country

USA

Studio/Live

Studio

Label

Domino Recording Co.

Dimensions

31.1 x 0.5 x 31.4 centimetres (0.29 kg)

Performer Notes

This is an Enhanced audio CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Buzzcocks: Howard Devoto (vocals); Pete Shelley (guitar); Steve Diggle (bass); John Maher (drums).
Includes liner notes by Greil Marcus and an interview with Howard Devoto by Johnny Rachy.
If you're looking for a sterling example of how much a band can change by replacing a single member, you might consider Time's Up, a collection of the earliest recordings of the Buzzcocks. Recorded live to tape in one afternoon in October 1976, five months after they played their first gig, the music documented by these rough demos is almost instantly recognizable as the Buzzcocks, with their minimalist pop-punk melodies and buzzy guitar lines. However, at this point, Howard Devoto, who co-founded the band with guitarist Pete Shelley, was still singing lead, and Steve Diggle was on bass, before Steve Garvey came aboard and freed up Diggle to play guitar. Musically, this is a blunter and less stylish version of the Buzzcocks, with Shelley's power chords forced to cover more ground without Diggle's help, and while the band is good, they sound young and a bit green (which, of course, they were), just a bit sloppy and not as precise as they would soon become. One can also hear what Shelley learned from Devoto when he took over as a vocalist, but here Devoto sounds more mannered than what one would expect from this band, and sometimes he seems to be forcing his aggression for effect; this is a long way from the cooler, more intellectual attack Devoto would perfect when he formed Magazine. All that said, Time's Up was the work of a young band with a wealth of ideas and energy, and heard as the work of four young men hopped up on the new possibilities of punk rock, it's a blast. They'd already written a handful of tunes that would become favorites in their catalog (including "Orgasm Addict," "Boredom," and "Love Battery"), the Troggs and Captain Beefheart covers are inspired, and if they hadn't fully honed their precision attack here, they clearly knew just what they wanted to achieve, and were close to getting there. This is a snapshot of a great band in the process of finding their feet, and for fans of early U.K. punk, Time's Up is invaluable. [Time's Up originally surfaced in 1978 as a bootleg, released as the Buzzcocks were becoming stars on the punk scene. Since then, the tapes have been given an authorized reissue, remastered to make the most of the reasonable if not exceptional audio quality.] ~ Mark Deming

Professional Reviews

Entertainment Weekly (3/24/00, p.103) - "...Finds the band honoring the hormone-crazed legacy of the Troggs with a cover of 'I Can't Control Myself', along with a lo-fi take on their own seminal anthem, 'Orgasm Addict'." - Rating: B+

Q (5/02 SE, p.135) - 3 stars out of 5 - Included in Q's "100 Best Punk Albums" - "...The only album-length documentation of Howard Devoto's time as a Buzzcocks frontman...it's a hugely evocative mix of febrile urgency and high-concept sloganeering."

The Wire (4/00, p.63) - "...A much bootlegged album of songs from the SCRATCH sessions...covering the same ground...while various other songs making their first appearances....Nostalgia for the ages to come..."

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling Time's Up on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information