RIP Pete Shelley

Very sad news: The Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley died today of a suspected heart attack.

Details.

Thanks for posting, not sure if I'd of heard it elsewhere.

But this one is really bothering me. Why so much? Well, I loved his songs. And unlike Bowie, who seemed to belong to everybody, my relationship with Pete always felt a little more intimate. Like I was the only kid in my school who "got it". I'll bet many of you feel the same.

Wow, what melodies this guy came up with!

right on bip.
But when Pete passioned out " there is no love in this world any more" i always feel compelled to open up all the windows and share that sentiment.

I listened to HOMOSAPIEN for the first time today, never having heard solo Shelley beyond the title track. It sounds quite good, with a mix of synthesizers and acoustic and electric guitars. (Despite the general electro-pop vibe, one song looks back to '50s rock'n'roll.) Shelley repeated the 16th-note keyboard pulse from "Something's Gone Wrong Again" on several songs. The anti-cocaine "Pusher Man" seems inspired by the Buzzcocks' drug-fueled collapse. I'm very curious to hear the 20-minute electronic drones of his pre-Buzzcocks solo album SKY YEN.

Aaah damn...very sad. Major, major figure. Top rank UK Class of '77.

If for no other reason, helped organize the Manchester Pistols show that pretty much ignited: Joy Division/New Order, The Fall, The Smiths (ok, well, he's got a bit to answer to there!), John Cooper Clark, even the Simply Red guy.

I had the "Homo Sapiens" album back when it came out, long ago lost/got rid of it. Good time to listen again.



He was living in Estonia..?

"It's a mixed up world ... these are mixed up times ... and the recipe of life is mixed up too. But if it's the quality of ingredients that matter, I would award myself a cordon bleu. But I can't help thinking that you wouldn't understand unless I did a lot of explaining to you." ~ Buzzcocks ("Friends")


RIP.

This came out of left field and shocked me last night. I've just been making some headway on getting the many 12" singles from that "difficult third album" of his. There's a remix/rarity compilation I have needed to make with his name on it with all of the tracks that never made it to CD. The sad thing is that I never really bought any Buzzcocks; save for the "Trade Test Transmission" album. I really wanted "Product" on CD but only ever saw the cassette version in stores! I've not really heard too much Buzzcocks [I know… I know] apart from what filtered inescapably through the zeitgeist but at least when presented with the opportunity to see them in Tampa 90 minutes away in '93/'94 we went. Got back home on a weeknight to Orlando by 3:30 a.m. but really glad I made the effort now!



Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®

Sad sad sad,

Missed him in Paris when I was there a few years ago - the reunited Buzzcocks played a mid-week gig in some outer suburb which would have required an hour's train ride in both directions. The last time I visited London, I did pick up a box set that somehow had all the cd's I did not already own, and neither of the two I did own, in one neat package . Just a great band and criminally underappreciated on this side of the Atlantic.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Buzzcocks, I'd say the best starting point has always been 'Singles going steady', with a-sides on top, b-sides on back of the album. Even if you end up buying their studio albums outright (as i did), you still have tracks you wouldn't have had any other way, besides tracking down the singles.

Trouser Press magazine championed his early solo material post-Buzzcocks, saying he was beating the early synth-pop acts at their own game.

Yeah, this one is hitting me pretty hard. I popped in "A Different Kind of Tension" for the drive in this morning and became unexpectedly emotional during "I Believe." What a great goddamn song. No one else could make that nihilistic chorus sound so peppy.

You will be missed, Pete.

Incredibly sad news. I saw the Buzzcocks three times in Denver. The first time, they were on a tremendously entertaining bill, with Supernova and Mephiskapheles as the openers.

When I got inside the venue, I recognized Shelley sitting in the back, talking with Steve Diggle. So I rushed out to my car, got my CDs of Trade Test Transmissions and All Set, and ran back in to ask for their autographs. They both were delighted to accommodate.

A clutch of teenagers sitting on the floor in front of those two musicians overheard me. One of them looked up and asked Pete, "Who are you?"

He smiled and said, "Pete Shelley." A complete gentleman. So was Steve. Long pause, as the name didn't register with any of those youngsters. Finally the kid asked, "Are you in one of the bands?"

Pete and Steve never lost their cool ... but I did. "Dude, this is Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle OF THE BUZZCOCKS! You know, the band whose name is on the ticket?"

They just chuckled and smirked and went back to their conversation. Yeah, whatever, gramps.

The second time I saw them, my buddies and I got down close to the stage. I'm not much for the mosh pit, so I stayed on the fringe. But one of my pals got sort of "sucked in," and we didn't see him till after the show. The rest of us were outside on the sidewalk, and he emerged from the venue in a rush, his face red and sweaty, his glasses askew, his shirt disheveled ... and he said, "I've never been in a mosh pit before! Jeez, I haven't had that much fun in YEARS!"

Rest in peace, Pete, and thank you for all the great music and great memories.

A year doesn't go by without a run through Kitchen, Bites and Tension. Just listened to Kitchen last month! I know they didn't have the mainstream popularity in the states as in the UK - but the history books will always credit them with pressing themselves [causing a hundred London bands to imitate DeVoto]. I was probably at the same shows as Devin but it was n Manhattan that I got to talk to Shelley. One of those English tea gent types. Ever Fallen taught me about composition.

Paganizer, the first show was at the Mercury Café. The other two both were at the Ogden Theater.

I feel like I had a post here, but it's gone. Anyway, I loved the Buzzcocks and I'm far too young to have experienced them when their music first appeared. Like a lot of folks, I heard about the from their second-generation admirers before I heard their music directly. And while everyone loves Singles Going Steady I first got the compilation Operators Manual, which is a later (and much longer) compilation of their singles and album material, but lacks some of the famed b-sides. So my knowledge of their material was always somewhat scattershot, since I didn't know the music in its original context, but I ended up loving their stuff regardless.

But anyway, I'm glad I got to see the Buzzcocks twice in their later reunion shows, which were tremendously spirited and energetic, even if the shows were somewhat brief, as I recall. He'll be greatly missed.

Operators Manual was my first as well (on cassette!), and I still treasure it. Though I also own a vinyl copy of Singles, which I also love. I've never really delved into their original albums beyond that. Though I did spin Trade Test Transmissions for the first time in decades about a week ago, and was surprised at what a kick-ass record it (still) is.

All of the Buzzcocks' studio albums kick plenty of ass, with the exception of Modern. And that one certainly has its bright spots.