I was dominant for hours.

I would have to say that without a doubt my favorite film moment in recent years is the brief cameo Howard Devoto makes in 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE as a janitor, commenting on the portrayal of him being made by another actor the film. It pretty much sums up what I love about him and the various music projects he's been involved with - postmodern smarty-pants of the highest order.

Not to retread territory that has been covered ad nauseum elsewhere, I won't mention that Devoto was an original member of The Buzzcocks but left before they really built up a head of steam. He formed Magazine and between 1978 and 1981 they released five albums, three of which are absolutely critical platters for any lover of smart alternative music. Devoto's intellectual lyrical stance prefigures bands like Radiohead-- think John Lydon's younger Proust-reading brother. Morressey is an avowed fan of Devoto, as is Peter Gabriel, Al Jourgensen (Ministry) and Peter Murphy (Bauhaus). Musically, the band mixes the textured sound of Bowie's HEROES with the hard edge of punk.

Besides Devoto, the band included Barry Adamson on bass and Dave Formula on keyboards - the three of them would be the only constant through the band's short career. The other "definitive" Magazine members are John McGeoch, the guitarist for the first three discs and John Doyle, drummer for all but the first album. But the defining characteristics of Magazine's sound was Devoto's voice and lyrics, Adamson's liquid funk bass lines and Formula's atmospheric keyboards.

REAL LIFE is their stunning 1978 debut recording. Produced by Virgin Record's "house producer" John Leckie, it's a virtually flawless debut. I can't think of another album from this era that sounded like this - smart lyrics, interesting and catchy melodies, the energy of punk but with very prominent keyboards, almost like the antithesis of punk: progressive rock. Every song on the disc is a classic but the four standouts - "Definitive Gaze", "Shot By Both Sides" and "The Light Pours Out Of Me" and "Parade" - are among the best of this era of punk/post-punk.

SECONDHAND DAYLIGHT (1979) is only slightly less brilliant than its predecessor. Legend has it that Peter Gabriel was approached to produce and he suggested Robert Fripp, though it ended up being Colin Thurston (who was an engineer on Bowie's HEROES, the first two Human League albums and produced Duran Duran's RIO). The songs continue to be uniquely textured and new drummer John Doyle adds a more interesting counterpoint to Adamson's bass playing, which tightens the band noticeably. The quiet menace of "Feed The Enemy", the bizarrely hooky "Rhythm of Cruelty" and the album closer, "Permafrost" are high points of the album . The latter is the darkest and most menacing relationship song I can think of (and I use the word relationship loosely, since it seems to be about a particularly sinister form of date-rape) but delivered in an hypnotic atmosphere generated largely by to Adamson's fretless bass lines.

After the grim pallor "Permafrost" casts over that album, ('cause once you've heard that song, it colors the rest of the album for the second and all following listens), the band puts out THE great pop album of the late punk era with THE CORRECT USE OF SOAP (1980). It's a chirpy but cynical collection of songs that leap off the disc and force your toes to tap along. The late great Martin Hannett (Joy Division, New Order, Psychedelic Furs) stellar production suits this collection of excellent songs making SOAP the band's masterpiece. The lyrics are still odd but much more focused and the band turns in truly amazing performances.

After SOAP, McGoech left the band to be in Souixie and the Banshees and Formula and Adamson become part of Visage (with Billy Currie and Midge Ure of Ultravox and Rusty Egan of Rich Kids). PLAY (1980), a live disc with Robin Simon (from Ultravox) on guitar isn't as good as other live material that exists but it's not a complete disaster either. More juggling in the guitar seat and 1981 saw Magazine's swan song, the unfortunately uneven MAGIC MURDER AND THE WEATHER. While the album is certainly their weakest effort musically, it is not without its moments, especially the catchy opener "About The Weather" and the loopy "Sweetheart Contract". Following this release Devoto called it quits and the rest of the band dissolved shortly thereafter.

Devoto released a solo disc in 1983, JERKY VERSIONS OF THE DREAM , which has more good moments than MAGIC and features Dave Formula throughout and Barry Adamson on one track. Five years later Luxuria appeared, being Devoto with multi-instrumentalist Noko. They released two CDs that occasionally threaten to weigh themselves down with their pretensions but both have some fantastic moments. After those albums Devoto apparently left music until he surprised everyone (or at least me) after the turn of the century by joining with Pete Shelley in a project called appropriately ShelleyDevoto and an album called BUZZKUNST . More electronica than guitar driven, it grows more interesting with repeated listens. Interestingly, of all the members of Magazine Barry Adamson went on to the most productive solo career in a direction no one could have predicted from his work in Magazine.

Post break up several useful compilations appeared collecting b-sides, single versions (which in many cases are radically different from the LP versions) and assorted live tracks from their career. RAYS AND HAIL: 1978-1981 is a good overview of the studio albums, focusing on the first three albums for all but one song. SCREE: RARITIES 1978-1981 nicely collects all the b-sides and single mixes; it is essential as a companion to their studio discs. WHERE THE POWER IS basically duplicates RAYS though there are some alternate versions. If you have all four studio albums and SCREE, RAYS and POWER are really unnecessary - although if you're searching for a good intro to the band either of these is good.

2009 saw the unexpected reunion of the band and a live recording of a Manchester show called Real Life And Thereafter. The bands all here (except for McGoech who died in 2004 -- Noko fills the guitar stool). They sound excellent and now there's talk of new material. We can only hope.