For those who may not be familiar with the pre-Singles Going Steady Buzzcocks, let me begin by stressing that Spiral Scratch is absolutely not just another compilation of half-assed outtakes collected from long-ignored dustbins, closets, and vaults. "Of course," you say. "But doesn't every legendary but financially needy band experiencing a creative or financial lull eventually release every demo and outtake they ever tossed off and subsequently forgot about?" Well, ya got me on that one. But Spiral Scratch is a bit different, folks.

The recent release of Time's Up, a compilation featuring tracks culled from the group's first live performance, captures the early 'Cocks sound from back when they were opening for the Pistols in Manchester around 1976. A somewhat "best of" release called I Don't Mind the Buzzcocks was recently released, and now there's this, the even more historically significant attempt at reviving interest in the band's original lineup and sound.

Spiral Scratch features four Howard DeVoto-era recordings that, until now, never really made it into any sort of substantial public circulation. In a nutshell, this was the Buzzcocks before the groundbreaking pop-punksters added a second guitar to the fray and began emphasizing the pop over Pistols-influenced punk. Spiral Scratch holds its place in history as the first official demo the band recorded, and the only publicly-released Buzzcocks recording (until recently, anyway) on which you'd find DeVoto handling lead vocal duties.

Here, the songs being scrappy, manic studio takes of "Breakdown," "Time's Up," and the fantastic "Boredom," a song that explores a recurring theme the young punks of '77 inherited from 19th century European pre-punk dandies like Baudelaire-- that prolonged ennui was a fate worse than death. And, last but not least, there's DeVoto's frenetic machine gun vocal delivery on "Friends of Mine." Although the vocal harmonies hadn't quite meshed as of yet, you could sense greatness blossoming under the rough-hewn surfaces. DeVoto's cutting nasal whine helps to round out a vocal style that falls somewhere between Johnny Rotten and Wire's Colin Newman. Pete Shelley's guitar work is focused and disciplined at times; although he does enjoy the occasional wild rollercoaster runs up and down the fretboard.

Of course, unless you're the rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth sort of Buzzcocks fan, it's difficult to try and convince someone they can't live without this brief sampling-- however important-- of ancient Buzzcocks history. It doesn't carry the accessibility or studio-enhanced sheen of Singles Going Steady, to be sure. So, if your knowledge and interest in the Buzzcocks extends beyond Ever Fallen in Love you'll most likely buy this and be overcome with satisfaction.

The gargantuan historical value of Spiral Scratch probably does, in a sense, outweigh its overall musical value, although the songs themselves do sound pretty impressive for mere demo versions. But this is an EP and four songs in about ten minutes offers fleeting pleasure at best. But Spiral Scratch is, without a doubt, a punk artifact. And where else can you find such an important piece of history retailing for under $10?

-Michael Sandlin