Many people are familiar with legendary pop-punk band The Buzzcocks and their enigmatic lead singer Pete Shelley (who as a solo artist scored the #136 spot in Marc’s Top 200). But before Pete Shelley fronted the Buzzcocks, the band was led by its co-founder, who departed after one EP - the one & only Howard Devoto. Devoto was even more an unusual character than Shelley - a true rebel & iconoclast, he was so punk rock that he prioritized his college studies over any punk rock nonsense! After the Buzzcocks he formed a pioneering post-punk band called Magazine who were way ahead of their time... and then he left the music industry entirely to work in photography.
But before he did, Devoto, tired of the whole punk genre, spent the years 1981-1983 crafting a wondrously tuneful solo new wave disc called “Jerky Versions of the Dream”. Coming from out of nowhere with great lyrics and a tight, well produced sound, “Dream” cast the eccentric Devoto in a whole new light. It even made a dent in the UK charts at #57, and was followed by a sold-out tour of Europe, Canada & the US. The stand-out track on “Dream” is the dense and emotive “Rainy Season”. I’m going with the unofficial video on this one, for many reasons - it contains the longer album version of the song, not the too-short edited single version. Plus, the quality of the sound is far superior. Also, the beauty of this tune is actually compromised by the horrific 80s cheesiness of the video.. look away, look away! And finally … Howard Devoto despite his ingenious music & innovative creativity… has a face made for radio.
Enjoy “Rainy Season”!
-WAS
I hadn't heard this for years. Time to give the whole album a listen.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a great album. How a power-pop punk like Devoto managed to channel his inner Peter Godwin and craft it is a great mystery.
ReplyDeleteFootnote: Howard’s 15 second cameo in “24 Hour Party People” is the funniest part of the movie.