The Contortions – Buy

Buy, the 1979 debut from The Contortions, stands as a bold manifesto of the No Wave movement—an audacious fusion of jazz, funk, punk, and free-form experimentation. From its opening moments, the album throws the listener into a whirlwind: skronking sax lines, slashing guitars, jagged rhythms that refuse melodic conventions, all held together by an irresistible, frenetic energy. Yet despite—or perhaps because of—its raw intensity, the grooves remain tight, infectious, and unforgettable. It's a record that both challenges and compels, delivering chaos with such precision and conviction that the listener is drawn in, mesmerized by the controlled ferocity.

What marks Buy as truly exceptional is how it transcends mere provocation—this is music with personality, drive, and singular vision. James Chance’s confrontational vocals and saxophone stand as much as performance art as they do musical expression, while the rhythm section and guitars provide a muscular backbone to the sonic assault. The result is something more than a record—it’s an experience, one that feels perpetually fresh and forward-thinking, even decades later. Buy doesn’t just represent a moment in time: it continues to resonate as one of the most thrilling, inventive, and defiantly original debuts of its era.

Reviews

"Through the anger and aggression Chance made a solid record that had a sound like nothing before or since." – All About Jazz

"Buy is still a great disc that sounds as original and cutting edge as when it was released." – All About Jazz

"The Contortions’ Buy may very well be the quintessential late-‘70s album. A distillation of the era’s most emblematic genres, it [...] still sounds ahead of its time." – Spectrum Culture

"It is the originality of Buy [...] that makes this record a compelling find for fans of progressive free and avant-garde jazz." – Swan Fungus

"A seminal release from the no-wave period in New York, Buy provides a jazz funk manifesto for the punk generation." – Far Out Magazine