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 ...
Read More
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 was re-released on LP in 2017.] ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Time's Up to cart. $18.95, new condition, Sold by SellingTales rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Belvidere, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Domino Record Co.
Add this copy of Time's Up [Vinyl] to cart. $55.81, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2017 by Domino Records.
![Time's Up [LP] - Buzzcocks](https://www0.alibris-static.com/times-up-lp/cover/z63425fraqi_l.jpg)
![Time's Up [LP]](https://www0.alibris-static.com/times-up-lp/cover/z63425fraqi.jpg)
![Another Music in a Different Kitchen/Love Bites [1989]](https://www2.alibris-static.com/another-music-in-a-different-kitchen-love-bites-1989/cover/k57148irt2z.jpg)
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.