HOMOSAPIEN

Description

Domino is proud to present the reissue of Pete Shelley's solo album following his departure from the Buzzcocks. In January 1981, the Buzzcocks entered the studio with legendary producer Martin Rushent. It quickly became apparent, according to the band's guitarist Steve Diggle, that "Rushent... didn't want to produce a rock album and Pete didn't want to make one either." What resulted was a period of great creativity for Pete, who, alongside Rushent, developed a new model for electronic pop music, integrating the synthesizers and drum machines the producer had recently acquired. A model that would later achieve immense commercial success with another Rushent production: Dare by The Human League. Shelley combined his incisive songwriting with powerful electronic rhythms and catchy synthesizers, creating records at the crossroads of radio-friendly rock and London's burgeoning club scene. These albums sound as fresh today as they did upon release, but unfortunately, the album's innovative aspect was somewhat overshadowed: on one hand, by the titanic influence of his former band, and on the other, by the meteoric commercial success of The Human League. The situation was not helped by the BBC's ban of the single Homosapien from its airwaves for homophobic reasons (though this did not prevent the track from becoming a "true LGBT electro anthem" in the gay clubs of the time). We are thrilled to bring these essential pieces of pop history back into the spotlight. None of these albums have been reissued on vinyl in their original form since their release. We have carefully worked to restore the artwork and have included new liner notes written by Clinton Heylin. Each album comes with a bonus disc gathering the various dub versions and dance remixes that Shelley and Rushent had created for the clubs.