29 March 2025

PETE SHELLEY, the late musical motor of Manchester‘s pop punk legends Buzzcocks made 3 albums of his own (actually 4, if you count his electronic kind of Lou Reed’s Metal Music Machine extravaganza recordings of Sky Yen from 1979, too).

The first two, HOMOSAPIEN (1982) and XL.1 (1983) get a reissue treatment.

Both LPs will come housed in gatefold sleeves featuring the original fully restored artwork, plus an extra disc featuring B-sides, dubs and extended mixes. The inserts will feature new photos and extensive sleevenotes from Clinton Heylin. Both albums will also be available on CD for the first time since 2006.

Pre-order info for
Homosapien here,
for XL.1 here.

Release date: June 6.

HOMOSAPIEN
Original LP

Melody Maker said: “By leaving behind massed guitars and thunderous drums, Shelley and producer Rushent have evolved a richer and more varied dictionary of sounds. If it doesn’t always convince, it’s persuasive enough to warrant long-term investment.”

SINGLE

ALBUM

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XL.1
Original LP

AllMusic: “With XL1, Pete Shelley integrates layers of guitar into the electronic synth-pop he essayed on his solo debut, Homosapien. While the result isn’t quite as bracing as its predecessor, the music benefits from the guitar — it sounds edgier, making the record fairly captivating.”

SINGLE

ALBUM

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Domino Records