The Buzzcocks’ ‘The Way’

Pete Shelley passed away on December 6, 2018. A pivotal figure in the British punk-rock scene of the ’70s-’80s as coleader of the Buzzcocks (arguably the third-most important band of that era after the Sex Pistols and The Clash), Shelley brought humor and humanism to his punk-pop masterpieces — including “Fiction Romance,” “What Do I Get?,” and “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” — which often dealt with unrequited love and angst. He was a music hero whose tunes influenced Nirvana, Green Day, The Strokes, and many other groups. As a genderfluid individual, Shelley was also ahead of the curve. Buzzcocks’ The Way was the last album the band recorded before Shelley’s passing. Although not groundbreaking, it still contains some ace Shelley tunes, including “Keep on Believing,” “Virtually Real,” and “Out of the Blue.”