The French et Encore du Pain: The Complete 1995 Paris Live - Buzzcocks

Since the Buzzcocks returned to active duty in 1989, no small number of fans and loyalists have grumbled a bit about the quality of the studio work from the latter-day version of the punk-pop pioneers, but one seldom hears anyone speaking ill of their live shows, and this release will show you why. Originally released in 1996, French was recorded during a Buzzcocks gig in Paris in the spring of 1995, and it captured the band in typically superb form, roaring through a 20-song set of new tunes and old favorites with equal measures of skill and passion; the sweaty fire of the show certainly communicated on tape, and it was a tremendous testament of the band's continued strengths. However, as is so often the case with live albums, there was more where that came from, and the 1999 release Paris: Encore du Pain featured ten more songs from the same concert (including several audience favorites such as "I Don't Know What to Do With My Life," "Orgasm Addict" and "Ever Fallen in Love?"). French et Encore du Pain: The Complete 1995 Paris Live is a double-disc set that finally, logically, makes the two releases available in one package, with French containing the show's main set and the second CD featuring the ten tunes from their three encores, and the band sounds just as fired up on the final cut, "Fast Cars," as they do on the show opener "I Don't Mind." Nearly three decades on, the Buzzcocks continue as a band for two reasons -- they obviously love to play, and they happen to be very good at it, and French et Encore du Pain: The Complete 1995 Paris Live is a treat for fans that should also surprise those wondering if these long-in-the-tooth punks still have anything to offer. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide