After the demise of the brief partnership of Howard DeVoto and Pete Shelley, Buzzcocks continued with Shelley, while DeVoto carved a spot out for himself with his own band, Magazine.  Both bands were born in the late '70s just as Punk was gaining momentum with savvy musicians and lyricists creating defining albums.  By the launch of Buzzcocks, The Sex Pistols were at a peak and heading towards implosion.  But as most punk fans will know, Punk had yet to hit its stride.  Buzzcocks were one of many, but this Manchester band proved to be one of the frenetically-styled music's better gifts.

Mute Records reissues the band's first three albums, Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978), Love Bites (1978), and A Different Kind of Tension (1979) in brilliant 2CD sets that provide the original album in remastered form (sounding great) on the first disc along with some of the album's associated singles, and some Peel BBC sessions sharing disc space.  The second disc continues with more associated singles that were released during the album's appearance but were not on the album.  The second disc also adds any collected demos, any additional BBC sessions, and Live shows.

Each set provides, within the 3-panel digipaks, inspired booklets that have the feel of the era in their make-up, which is great as those booklets lend to these revered albums in their new reappearance.  Reading them is kind of like pulling you into the moment, and this is what these reissues do effortlessly.

The first album, Another Music in a Different Kitchen, is a classic album that showed that the band could exist on a stage.  UK punk was a different animal than the usually more visceral US punk.  Where US punk depended largely on anger and unhindered energy, UK punk actually incorporated a structure that had at it's roots an influence of many kinds.  The music was smarter, more musically engaging, and incredibly memorable.  The Buzzcocks embodied that in their first album.  The historical importance of this Mute reissue are found in not only the 4 UK non-album singles (The US was never that engaging) that includes the well known "Orgasm Addict," but also the band's 3 performance tracks from a 1977 Peel BBC show.  The second disc supplies a strong collection of demos that are surprising in their playback, covering most of their album and associated no-album singles.  The disc is completed with the energetic Live at The Electric Circus performance from 1977.

Love Bites, the band's second album, is a maturing project that is clearly heard in it's 11 tracks.  This was an album that endeared me to the band more intensely back when it was released.  This Special Edition adds 4 non-album singles and three separate sets of John Peel BBC tracks, three from April of 1978, three from October of 1978, and an album track performance heard on May of 1979.  The second disc delivers 13 demos from the period and the previously unreleased 10 performance tracks from their July 1978 Live set at Lesser Free Trade Hall at Manchester.

The final gem in this phase is the incredible A Different Kind of Tension, released during a particularly fruitful period of the band, underscored by the inclusion of 11 associated non-album single tracks.  This album contained strong tracks, end to end, such as "Paradise," and the accessible "You Say You Don't Love Me."  "Sitting 'Round at Home" was another great track with it's heavy bass and drums.  This set's two CDs share the prolific non-album
tracks while the 2nd disc adds 8 demos, two separate John Peel/BBC Sessions shows (one from October, 1978, and three from a May 1979 taping), and a few extra tracks.

Shelley's Buzzcocks were a force in Rock history, contributing to the Punk genre with greatness in their tunes.  These three albums go far in assessing that greatness, not only of the band but also of the period, a period that yielded many such great and memorable bands. 
These three reissues are essential collection pieces that are not to be ignored particularly if you were/are a Buzzcocks fan.  Don't let these well-assembled Limited Special Editions disappear without you having your copies where they do the most good - in your library!

I'll finish with this: if you're a part of the generation that witnessed Buzzcocks at their height, you already know what these albums bring.  If you're young and want to hear where Green Day, and other punk bands got their influence, you'd do well to check out Buzzcocks.