10 Perfect Compilation Albums In Rock Music History

10. Singles Going Steady - Buzzcocks

There was always a sunnier side to punk music than most of us realized. While the genesis of the genre had people like Johnny Rotten singing about nihilism and Joe Strummer telling us to rally against the injustices of the world, you also had the Ramones giving us a more cartoon take on what the punk lifestyle was like. And right across the pond, we had The Buzzcocks turning in traditional pop songs with a punk flair.

No real full length album could do them justice though, with Singles Going Steady being one of the most consistent records in their entire discography. Combining most of their best songs that were released as singles, this is a good snapshot into the style of writing that the Buzzcocks were known for, not being afraid to sing about relationships on What Do I Get? or Ever Fallen In Love?.

Granted, this is still a punk album, and that bitter streak does rear its head a lot of the time, like the kiss off song for a nymphomaniac on Orgasm Addict and the kind of snide nature of a song like Oh Sh*t!. If the Ramones gave us more straight ahead punk rock songs, this is the kind of style that wouldn't feel that out of place blasting out over the radio every now and again. We are a long ways from bands like Green Day, but pop punk may have reared its head almost 20 years earlier with this one album.