Buzz (Steps album)

Buzz
Studio album by Steps
Released	30 October 2000
Recorded	1999–2000
Genre	Pop dance
Length	55:55
Label	Jive
Producer	Jimmy Bralower Dane DeViller Jörgen Elofsson Andrew Frampton Andy Goldmark Ray Hedges Sean Hosein David Kreuger Josef Larossi Chris Porter Riprock 'n' Alex Andreas Romdhane Graham Stack Mark Topham Karl Twigg Pete Waterman
Steps chronology
Steptacular (1999) Buzz (2000) Gold: Greatest Hits (2001)
Singles from Buzz
"Stomp" Released: 16 October 2000 "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" Released: 1 January 2001 "Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry" Released: 28 May 2001 "Mars & Venus (We Fall in Love Again)" Released: 3 July 2001
Alternative cover
International cover

Buzz is the third studio album by British pop group Steps, released on 30 October 2000. It reached number four on the UK Albums Chart. The album saw the group starting to move away from the PWL sound to a more mature sound, working with producers from Sweden and songwriters such as Cyndi Lauper. This more mature sound was also echoed in the new material from Gold: Greatest Hits.

Each member of the group co-wrote a track on the album, consequently doing lead vocals on their respective track. The lead single from the album "Stomp", a funky upbeat song with lyrics about partying at the weekend and having a good time, features a sample from Chic's single "Everybody Dance" and topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's second number 1 hit after "Heartbeat"/"Tragedy".

The songs "Better the Devil You Know" and "Summer of Love", were included on the album after they were released earlier that year as part of double A-side singles with "Say You'll Be Mine" and "When I Said Goodbye" respectively. "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" was the second single to be released from the album and reached number 2 in the UK after copies of the single were released a week early in shops, damaging their chance at taking the number 1 spot; however, this led to the band holding a chart record for the highest chart jump when the track went from number 72 to number 2. "Here and Now" and "You'll Be Sorry" were the final songs released from Buzz and were both included on a double A-side CD single which reached number four in UK. The album was certified Platinum in UK and was released in Australia and US in 2001.

The album was reissued on vinyl for the first time ever in February 2024.^[1][2] It debuted at number 7 on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart.^[3]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
NME	[5]
Yahoo! Music UK	[6]

Buzz received favourable critical response from different music magazines and websites. Everyone noticed the group's departure from the "ABBA sound" into their own musical style. AllMusic stated "They do in fact have their own sound, and it has revealed itself here, crystal clear".^[7]

This album saw the group leaning toward a more mature and original sound influenced by electro and techno but still keeping the sound prominent to Steps' earlier work. This is seen as the album plays out through tracks such as "You'll Be Sorry", "Never Get Over You" "Happy Go Lucky" and "Buzzz". The art work and overall look for the album is prominent to the sound as their earlier albums had more colour and expression to resemble the enlightenment of the sound of their music. As their sound was more mature their appearances were more sophisticated and showed the progression of Steps into a new era that was carried on into the look of their next album, Gold: Greatest Hits.

In an interview with whereitsat.tv when Steps were asked if their Pete Waterman days where behind them, Lee responded with: "We've been under Pete Waterman's wing for a good two or three years and I think with the third album Buzz, we've had an experience and sort of self-expression and things, you know. We've had our chance, we've wrote, we've helped produce and we've got th[ose] songs on the album Buzz. Now that the greatest hits album is coming out, [we're] writing and helping produce for that as well and then there's an album after that. It's almost like leaving an era behind and moving onto something else, so you could see it as a new beginning in a way."

However, the album is said to be less successful than their first releases, only peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and achieving double Platinum status from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) – Step One was certified 8× Platinum and Steptacular was certified 4× Platinum. It is also considered to be their only album to not sell a million copies in the United Kingdom, before the group's Boxing Day split. To date, it has sold more than 680,000 units in UK, becoming their lowest-selling album while they were still together. The album also features solos from each member apart from Lee, though he is featured on the song he co-wrote, "Turn Around".

Track listing

Buzz – UK edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Better the Devil You Know"	Mike Stock Matt Aitken Pete Waterman	Mark Topham Karl Twigg Waterman	3:49
2.	"Stomp"	Topham Twigg Rita Campbell Nile Rodgers Bernard Edwards	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:22
3.	"Summer of Love"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:52
4.	"It's the Way You Make Me Feel"	Jörgen Elofsson	Elofsson David Kreuger	3:17
5.	"You'll Be Sorry"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	4:06
6.	"Learn to Love Again"	Ian Watkins Andrew Frampton	Frampton	3:27
7.	"Never Get Over You"	Lisa Scott-Lee Ray "Madman" Hedges Nigel Butler	Hedges	3:55
8.	"Hand on Your Heart"	Claire Richards Andrew Frampton	Frampton	4:03
9.	"Happy Go Lucky"	Andy Goldmark Brad Daymond Alex Greggs	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:33
10.	"Buzzz"	Goldmark Mark Mueller	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:21
11.	"Here and Now"	Andreas Carlsson Ali Thomson	Andreas "QUIZ" Romdhane Josef Larossi	3:45
12.	"Paradise Lost"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	4:35
13.	"Turn Around"	Lee Latchford Evans Michael Garvin Oskar Paul	Graham Stack	3:24
14.	"Wouldn't Hurt So Bad"	Goldmark Mueller	Goldmark Jimmy Bralower	3:34
15.	"If You Believe"	Faye Tozer Cyndi Lauper Jan Pulsford Jasper Irn	Chris Porter	3:52
Total length:				55:55

Buzz – International edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Stomp"	Topham Twigg Campbell	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:22
2.	"It's the Way You Make Me Feel"	Elofsson	Elofsson Kreuger	3:17
3.	"Buzzz"	Goldmark Mueller	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:21
4.	"Here and Now"	Carlsson Thomson	Romdhane Larossi	3:45
5.	"Happy Go Lucky"	Goldmark Daymond Greggs	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:33
6.	"Summer of Love"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:52
7.	"Better the Devil You Know"	Stock Aitken Waterman	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:49
8.	"You'll Be Sorry"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	4:06
9.	"Learn to Love Again"	Watkins Frampton	Frampton	3:27
10.	"Never Get Over You"	Scott-Lee Hedges Butler	Hedges	3:55
11.	"Hand on Your Heart"	Richards Frampton	Frampton	4:03
12.	"Paradise Lost"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	4:35
13.	"Turn Around"	Evans Garvin Paul	Stack	3:24
14.	"If You Believe"	Tozer Lauper Pulsford Irn	Porter	3:52
Total length:				52:21

Buzz – International edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Wouldn't Hurt So Bad"	Goldmark Mueller	Goldmark Bralower	3:34
16.	"Human Touch"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	4:00
Total length:				59:55

Buzz – Japanese edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
17.	"Stomp" (W.I.P. remix)	Topham Twigg Campbell Rodgers Edwards	Topham Twigg Waterman W.I.P. (remix)	6:08
18.	"5, 6, 7, 8" (instrumental)	Barry Upton Steve Crosby	Topham Twigg Waterman	2:54
Total length:				68:57

Buzz – US edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Buzzz"	Goldmark Mueller	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:21
2.	"It's the Way You Make Me Feel"	Elofsson	Elofsson David Kreuger	3:17
3.	"Happy Go Lucky"	Goldmark Daymond Greggs	Goldmark Riprock 'n' Alex	3:33
4.	"Mars & Venus (We Fall in Love Again)"	Dane DeViller Sean Hosein Elofsson Goldmark	DeViller Hosein	3:50
5.	"Stomp"	Topham Twigg Campbell	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:22
6.	"Here and Now"	Carlsson Thomson	Romdhane Larossi	3:45
7.	"Summer of Love"	Topham Twigg	Topham Twigg Waterman	3:52
8.	"Never Get Over You"	Scott-Lee Hedges Butler	Hedges	3:55
9.	"Wouldn't Hurt So Bad"	Goldmark Mueller	Goldmark Bralower	3:34
10.	"Learn to Love Again"	Watkins Frampton	Frampton	3:27
11.	"Hand on Your Heart"	Richards Frampton	Frampton	4:03
Total length:				40:00

Note

• "Mars & Venus (We Fall in Love Again)" is only available on the US edition of Buzz and has been left unavailable in the UK, although a remixed form appeared on The Last Dance.

Sample credits

• "Stomp" contains a modified orchestral riff of the composition "Everybody Dance", written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, performed by Chic.

Personnel

• Lisa Scott-Lee – vocals, background vocals
• Faye Tozer – vocals, background vocals
• Lee Latchford-Evans – vocals, background vocals
• Ian 'H' Watkins – vocals, background vocals
• Claire Richards – vocals, background vocals
• Patrik Andrén – keyboards
• Greg Bone – guitar
• Jimmy Bralower – arranger, producer, engineer, drum programming
• Nigel Butler – arranger
• Andy Caine – vocals (background)
• Rita Campbell – vocals (background)
• Mary Carewe – vocals (background)
• Andreas Carlsson – vocals (background)
• Chris DeStefano – bass, keyboards, engineer, drum programming
• Dave Deviller – guitar, programming, producer
• Tim Donovan – engineer
• Lance Ellington – vocals (background)
• Cyndi Lauper – vocals (background)
• Jörgen Elofsson – producer
• Mark Emmitt – mixing
• Andrew Frampton – arranger, producer
• Daniel Frampton – engineer, mixing
• Andy Goldmark – bass, arranger, keyboards, producer, drum programming
• Chaz Harper – mastering
• Simon Hill – drum programming
• Sean Hosein – programming, producer
• Nick Ingman – string arrangements, string conductor
• Henrik Janson – string conductor
• Ulf Jansson – string conductor
• David Krueger – producer
• Josef Larossi – arranger, producer, mixing, instrumentation
• Bernard Loor – mixing
• Gustave Lund – percussion
• Ernie McCone – bass
• Esbjörn Öhrwall – guitar
• Paula Oliveira – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
• Jeanette Olsson – vocals (background)
• Steve Price – engineer, mixing
• Mark "Ridders" Risdale – engineer
• Andreas "Quiz" Romdhane – arranger, producer, mixing, instrumentation
• Shane Stoneback – mixing assistant
• Mark Topham – bass, producer
• Karl Twigg – keyboards, producer
• T-Bone Wolk – guitar
• Hakan Wollgard – string engineer
• Richard Woodcraft – assistant engineer
• Gavyn Wright – violin

Charts and certifications

Chart performance and certifications for Buzz

Chart (2000)	Peak position	Certification (sales thresholds)
Australian Albums Chart (ARIA)[8]	112
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[9]	11
Irish Albums Chart[10]	23
Japanese Albums Chart[11]	53
UK Albums Chart[12]	4	2× Platinum[13]

Chart (2024)	Peak position
UK Vinyl Albums[14]	7

Release history

Release history and formats for Buzz

Country	Release date	Format	Label	Catalogue
United Kingdom[15]	30 October 2000	Standard edition (CD)	Jive / EBUL	920117-2
		Standard edition (cassette)		920117-4
Australia[15]	16 July 2001	Standard edition (CD + bonus tracks)	Zomba	920128-2
United States[15]	24 July 2001	Standard edition (CD)		01241-41752-2
Worldwide	23 February 2024	Vinyl

References

1. Smith, Carl (13 December 2023). "Steps to release Step One, Steptacular and Buzz albums on vinyl". Official Charts. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
2. Gotto, Connor (14 December 2023). "Steps announce long-awaited vinyl reissue series for classic albums". Retro Pop Magazine. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
3. "Steps - Buzz Chart History". Official Charts. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
4. AllMusic review
5. NME review
6. Yahoo! Music UK review
7. "All music critical reaction to Buzz" allmusic.com Retrieved 7 March 2010
8. "ARIA chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022". ARIA. Retrieved 2 December 2023 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
9. "Belgian Charts - Steps". ultratop.be Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
10. "Irish Charts > Steps". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
11. http://www.oricon.co.jp/. Retrieved 15 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
12. "The Official Charts Company > Steps". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
13. "BPI Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
14. "Official Vinyl Albums Chart on 1/3/2024 1 March 2024 - 7 March 2024". Official Charts. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
15. "Buzz release dates, editions, and information on official site" gensteps.co.uk Retrieved 7 March 2010