Different Compilation

Personnel: Pete Shelley, Steve Diggle (vocals, guitar); Dan Farrant (drums).Photographer: Ian Rock.As part of the justification for A Different Compilation, Pete Shelley claimed that the original versions of these re-recordings "now sound like demos." Had Buzzcocks producers Martin Hannett and Martin Rushent been alive, they might have had something to say about that. There's no denying that there's more punch, more of a wallop, in these versions -- live-sounding takes with some overdubbing -- but there's also less bounce and nuance. And, of course, the voices of Shelley and Steve Diggle are evidently those of men their fifties instead of their twenties. This is not something that needed to be done, but it is one way to prove that Shelley and Diggle still have it. Anyone who has grown tired of the original recordings -- if such a person exists -- should be thrilled. ~ Andy Kellman