270 – Buzzcocks – Why Can’t I Touch It? (1979)
Written by Steve Diggle, Steve Garvey, John Maher and Pete Shelley
Produced by Martin Rushent
Label – United Artists

It comes as a pleasurable surprise that of all the superb back catalogue Buzzcocks songs on Spotify this is the fourth most listened to song. After all, it was never released on an original studio album and appeared as a B side to “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays”. But as cream always rises, this astonishing six and a half minute epic deserves to be listened to by anyone with a basic interest in how punk had moulded into a more experimental new wave. A true band effort, with Steve Garvey and John Maher’s relentless bass rhythm and the jousting chops of Steve Diggle and Pete Shelley’s dual guitars makes for one of the most arresting songs of the 70s, and reminds listeners just how vital Buzzcocks were to the development of future independent sounds.