Album Review Buzzcocks – Another Music In A Different Kitchen / Love Bites 40th Anniversary Reissues

In the rolling cycle of punk and post-punk landmark anniversaries, there is going to be a steady demand for this kind of deluxe reissue, and Domino have spared no expense in presenting this pair of seminal albums in their full glory. The timing as 40th anniversary reissues is slightly disingenuous, as both albums appeared originally within six months of each other in 1978, but that niggle aside, these should be a ‘must have’ item for serious Buzzcocks and punk collectors. As was ever the case with this band, packaging and presentation are of paramount importance and the peripheral items (unseen pictures and new text by Jon Savage in the accompanying booklets) complement Malcolm Garrett‘s brilliant original artwork.

The music itself has been lovingly remastered from the original tapes and is presented on 180gm vinyl and on CD, though the digital format surely loses the point of the attention lavished on the artwork and packaging: vinyl albums in all their aspects are items of sensuous beauty in ways that the digital formats can never replicate. There’s an added poignancy too in this release as they showcase the late Pete Shelley‘s early songwriting in its purest form, unfettered by what had by then become the punk rules, and full of a glorious energy. But these works are not a testament to Shelley alone. They represent a band free to express themselves in ways that their soon-to-be-established reputation as a singles band by the Singles Going Steady compilation would not let them. In that sense, these albums capture the true spirit of the frontiers opened up by the original punk vanguard. They are important documents from a vital time in British music, and Domino are to be commended on the care and attention poured into this latest iteration of these fine and beautiful albums.

Perfectly remastered and presented, these are definitely for completists and hardcore fans. With the cupboard already comprehensively raided for previous reworkings, particularly the Product box set, it’s a shame that there was not a bit more contextual material to make these a nailed-on five star purchase. Still, however, original and best. The 40th anniversary reissues of Another Music In A Different Kitchen and Love Bites are now available via the Domino Recording Company here