The Distractions - Nobody's Perfect

Nobody's Perfect is the brilliant 1980 debut studio album by Manchester new wave and punk-pop outfit The Distractions, released via Island Records. Emerging from the fertile Manchester music scene alongside peers like Joy Division and Buzzcocks, the band carved out a unique sonic niche that blended the energetic velocity of punk with the bittersweet, melodic sensibilities of 1960s girl-group pop. Despite earning immense critical praise upon release from the music press—and featuring striking cover art designed by the iconic Factory Records graphic artist Peter Saville—the album suffered from poor commercial sales and a lack of label backing. This lack of commercial traction tragically led to the original lineup fracturing by 1981, leaving this record behind as a definitive "lost classic" of the post-punk era.

Sonically, the album is a masterclass in driving, melodic guitar pop that serves as a direct bridge between the Buzzcocks' romantic punk-pop and the future jangle-pop sound of The Smiths. Driven by the interlocking guitars of Steve Perrin and Adrian Wright, alongside the distinctively yearning, melancholic vocals of frontman Mike Finney, tracks like "Waiting for Lorraine," "Something for the Weekend," and "Boys Cry" pulse with infectious hooks and clever lyricism. While it remained hard to find for decades, a massive 40th-anniversary expanded reissue in 2020 completely revitalised the album's legacy. Nobody's Perfect stands today as an essential, beautifully crafted document of early 1980s British independent music.

You’re Not Going Out (Re-Upped)

A touch of soul in the short black night of punk. A glimmer of shining light in the Factory at dawn. Emerging into post-punk Manchester, the unlikely Distractions became the best dance in town, adding songs and a touch of the old to a disparate mess of a local scene. They became the perfect counter-balance to the introversion of Joy Division, the stubborn aloofness of The Fall. A most un-Mancunian ensemble, then again... maybe not. Although not one to overtly praise those he would find in his support spots, Mark E Smith warmed to the sexual frisson of their infectious simplicity. This was home grown bunch that had been quietly emerging since 1975, I have been latterly informed. But best of all, they arrived at the Band on the Wall in 1978, fully armed with an album's worth of nuggets. Pure classic gold that had yet to be discovered. Within a year, they would emerge as the most promising band in Manchester. Initially with the raw and modest You're are Not Going Out Dressed Like That EP on Tony Davidson's TJM Records, (Which included the bare bones of 'It Doesn't Bother Me', set to resurface in polished form as the band's first single for Island Records).

Time Goes By

Although they formed in 1975, it took three years for The Distractions to shuffle nervously into position. While Buzzcocks jostled into the rush of chart success and Joy Division attained unprecedented cult status, The Distractions' sweet flow of songs gained them a dedicated local following. While less talented acts successfully courted the music press and, in years to come, would gain ludicrous appraisals in lofty journals and tomes, The Distraction would drift quietly into the shadows.

The band's biog might appear typical. After releasing one raw and glorious 12” EP (“You Are Not Going Out Dressed Like That” on Tony Davidson's TJM label) and arguably the most perfect single in Factory's chequered history (“Time Goes By So Slow”), they decamped for fame and fortune via a serious record deal with Island.

“Time Goes By So Slow” displayed a different side to 'skinny tie' pop than say "Girl of My Dreams" by Bram Tchaikovsky. This has more of a melancholic style, but not really the same kind as Joy Division, which was more desperate and emotionally damaged. A more wistful melancholia, as in seeing an established relationship slipping away on rain washed streets, as well as other forms of loss.

In regular Factory Records style “Time Goes By So Slow” came with the usual understated-yet-elegant sleeve, with both the spacious production (by Brandon Leon) and the music matching the same approach. Side 1 is a break-up song, the kind Greg Kihn said 'they don't write anymore' except with a bit more intelligence and sophistication. Basically a deep longing for a love that was lost and thinking of what could have been. "Oh I wonder why you had to go, the way you had to go; time goes by so slow..." Side 2’s "Pillow Fight", is a bit more 50's-ish, particularly due to the guitar and keyboards with that bright power-pop style of melodic panache.

Still, "Time Goes By So Slow" is the Distractions at their most memorable so far, although I need to find their debut album which I haven't heard to this day...