"And the worlds built of age are a stage where we act out our lives."
In hindsight, Pete Shelley's unanticipated exit from the legendary punk-pop band The Buzzcocks and his incipient career as an artsy New Wave solo artist is not as shocking as it must have appeared to his fans in the early eighties. Shelley had actually recorded an album's worth of Kraut-Rock-influenced Electronic music before forming The Buzzcocks (released in 1979 as Sky Yen). As such, the shift in focus from guitar-based arrangements to the overriding emphasis on synth-based textures and electronic percussion that is evident on his solo-debut, Homosapien, did have some aesthetic precedence for Shelley. The songs comprising the album were actually intended for a fourth Buzzcocks album; however, Shelley decided to record the demos solo primarily using synths, acoustic 12-string guitar, and drum machines, and he was reportedly so impressed with the results that he ended up unceremoniously disbanding one of the greatest bands of the Punk-era. While the musical context is radically changed, Shelley's lyrics and vocals retain much of the gritty pop spirit that characterized his work with his previous band. The classic title track, which clearly provided the blueprint for Pulp's alluring electro-pop of the mid-nineties, blends Bowie-esque vocals and some wonderfully cheesy electronic beats and hand-claps to create one of the true highlights of the New Wave genre. On "I Generate a Feeling," Shelley borrows heavily from Synth-pop pioneers Kraftwerk to create a sound-scape that would be indistinguishable from any number of the faceless synth-bands of the time if it weren't for the brooding lyrics, which effectively establish a thematic tension in relation to the music that is characteristic of the entire album; in doing so, Shelley creates a very similar effect, though in a vastly different arena, to the Buzzcock's unique brand of Punk.
Homosapien (2006 Remastered Edition)
1. Homosapien (4:32)
2. Yesterday's Not Here (4:08)
3. I Generate a Feeling (3:10)
4. Keats' Song (1:58)
5. Qu'est-Ce Que C'est Que Ca? (4:18)
6. I Don't Know What It Is (3:27)
7. Guess I Must Have Been in Love with Myself (3:33)
8. Pusherman (2:47)
9. Just One of Those Affairs (3:37)
10. It's Hard Enough Knowing (5:35)
-Bonus Tracks-
11. Witness the Change (1:46)
12. Maxine (8:21)
13. In Love with Somebody Else (3:00)
14. Homosapien (Dub Mix) (9:00)
15. Witness the Change/I Don't Know What Love Is (Dub Mix) (8:23)
16. Love in Vain (3:11)
Many thanks !
ReplyDeleteMaN
Anon., my pleasure!
ReplyDeleteA favourite of mine. I think I have like 3 copies of this Lp. Thanks & saludos.
ReplyDeleteEl Isabelino, you're welcome. I'll post more Shelley soon (a double post)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, always meant to buy this album, but...yeah, it passed me by. More Pete Shelley would be greatly appreciated in this dark corner of England.
ReplyDeleteAndie James, good to hear from you. I'll post Shelley's other two solo albums within a week. I recently ripped some more early Buzzcocks, so those will be along sometime this summer (deluxe editions)
ReplyDeleteBuzzcocks would be cool. I already own Love Bites Deluxe Edition and Singles Going Steady and can thoroughly recommend them. Will look forward to the remaining Pete Shelley albums. Thanx again :-))
ReplyDeleteAndie James, I already posted "Love Bites," so it will be the other two. I'll post the other Shelleys in the near future. I've got a few requests to take care of first
ReplyDeleteAin't in any rush Voixautre, when ever you're ready.
ReplyDeleteAndie, I'm hoping to get the Shelleys up early next week. It will be a double post. I'm looking forward to it :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so fantastic. Pete Shelley is an unsung hero (to me). Kurt
ReplyDeleteKurt, much agreed. I'll have some more Shelley up very soon (double post)
ReplyDelete