You could say all you want about how The Buzzcocks were ultimately one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, how Radiohead, Blur, Pulp or even Oasis wouldn’t exist without them, how Pete Shelley, with his “sensitive,” very-not-Johnny-Rotten voice showed the world that punk rock wasn’t all cigarette butts and scowls. But save it—instead, play someone the three-minute-long majesty that is “You Say You Don’t Love Me,” from the band’s third record, “A Different Kind of Tension.” A songwriting masterpiece on par with—I don’t know, fuck it—McCartney and Lennon’s work, its straightforward, resigned lyrics are gospel to anyone who’s loved without reciprocity. “You say you don’t love me/Well that’s alright with me cos I’ve got the time/To wait in case someday you maybe change your mind” begins the second verse. Glorious punk with pop sensibility. What could be more influential? (Tom Lynch)
May 23 at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, (773)489-3160, at 8pm. $25-$50.
Related Stories
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
