I shouldn’t have to tell you Pete Shelley was in one of the most important punk bands ever, The Buzzcocks, should I? Of course not, you knew that. You also knew that as the Buzzcocks soldiered on, they evolved into a more “post-punk” sound, combining their claustrophobic noise with pure pop hooks. I’m sure you’re also aware that when Pete left the Buzzcocks, he went into full-tilt synth-pop, creating classic, historically important singles such as “Homosapien” and “Telephone Operator”.

But did you know about his third solo album, an even more mature and synth-melded piece of work created with Áƒ¼ber-synth producer Stephen Hague called “Heaven and the Sea”? And that it spawned his one and only charting single in America, the tense and desolate “On Your Own”? And did you know that this CD is extremely hard to find and goes for big bucks when you can find it?

Of course you did. You’re so smart.

“On Your Own” peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart in 1986.

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About the Author

John C. Hughes

John C. Hughes began his Lost in the ’80s blog in 2005 and is now proud to be a member of the Popdose family, where he’s introduced LIT80s’s companions, the obviously named Lost in the ’70s and Lost in the ’90s, alongside the slightly more originally named Why You Should Like…

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