Ruts DC Button Factory Dublin 2nd March 2019

 

So enough of this high praise for 'The Crack'. Let the music speak for itself. In 2019, the band toured the album, playing it in it's entirety, even dare I say it, the throwaway 'Human Punk', to mark the 40th anniversary of its release. Just... what a set!

Thanks to the original Dime uploader (Kagee).

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-S2oTZXLxQ7bFyEBn

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-ExSiW8wrJHFypTpp

Top 30 Punk Albums #11 The Crack - The Ruts

 

Not sure even where to start with his one. This is probably the case for most music lovers, but of all of the albums that I have amassed over the last 46 years there are perhaps half a dozen or so with which I feel a deeply personal connection. One of those is the 'The Crack', the debut album by The Ruts. It was released in the UK in September 1979, so I was only 10 and the reality was that I did not get to know who The Ruts were until many years later... after an awful lot of other music has passed under the bridge. The reason for the connection is all down to the fact that I spent four years from the late 1980's at Brunel University in Uxbridge. Now student life was not really my cup of tea, so much so that whilst my course mates were wearing their Inspiral Carpets 'Cool As Fuck' T-shirts, I was parading around in 10 hole DMs, red braces and a hand painted Ruts T-shirt (this was 23 years before Ruts DC reformed so there was no merch available... hence the DIY job). The shaved head was a necessity rather than a political statement, but the general look used to earn me some filthy looks from young Asians on Southall Broadway, how were they to know the connection that The Ruts had with RAR and Southall in particular.

Oddly enough an effort to clear our loft (abandoned for now due to heatwaves) brought down two laundry bags that are now sitting in the 'spare' room. These bags are stuffed with old T-shirts including that hand painted Ruts one circa. 1988 rather than 1978!

As mentioned I was never a studenty-type student, so I spent a lot of time outside of the university environment seeing punk gigs in the local area and in London. I was also seeing Gunta, who at that time was living in Ealing Common so I was also a regular 207 bus commuter. Seeing bands locally brought me in to the social sphere of a group of people from Uxbridge and Hayes. These people were intensely proud of the connection that the place where they grew up had such close associations with a band such as The Ruts, even though they had been out of existance in any form for many years at that point. 38 years on from my first arrival at the end of the Metropolitan Line, I am still in contact with those people and as such I retain a strong affection with this extreme of West London. It just so happens that The Ruts/Ruts DC are all rolled into that sentiment. One of those local bands was The Price with Leigh Heggarty on guitar.... I wonder what he's up to these days?

So what of the album then?

Well, like lots of bands popular in '78/'79, The Ruts played punk rock and a kind of punk/reggae fusion. The difference was that, with the possible exception of The Clash, The Ruts did it better than everyone else! Of the other bands following this path, the most notable (and successful) were The Police, a trio comprising a jazz bassist, a prog drummer and psychedelia influenced guitarist, who knowingly created their own style of reggae fusion... a 'Reggata De Blanc' for which they were frequently taken to task by reviewers (criticism that never harmed their bank balances). And The Members, well they came from Surrey!

Conversely, The Ruts were rather more in the thick of the action. Notable songs on the album are 'Babylon's Burning' and Jah War' songs influenced by the pervading race fuelled political tensions. These tensions boiled over on 23rd April (St George's Day of course) 1979 when the National Front staged a rally at Southall Town Hall. In the course of the day's troubles, teacher Blair Peach died at the hands of the notorious SPG (the 'Special Patrol Group' of the Metropolitan Police) and Misty In Roots's manager, Clarence Baker, was hospitalised with a fractured skull and brain injury after the police stormed the People Unite Community Centre in Southall (The Ruts' first single 'In A Rut' was released on the 'People Unite' label).

'The spark of fear is smoldering

With ignorance and hate'.

('Babylon's Burning' 1979)

'The winds were blowing and stirring up reaction

A storm broke out a militant action

Hot heads came in uniform

Thunder and lightning in a violent form'.

('Jah War' 1979)

Misty In Roots did not only provide The Ruts with lyrical inspiration, as a reggae band of some standing they nurtured the young punks playing many shared gigs and also sharing time in rehearsal rooms which leant The Ruts a more authentic grasp of how reggae should be played.

'The Crack' is a heady collection of songs that exude the atmosphere of political tension that was so prevalent in 1979. In addition to the aforementioned 'Babylon's Burning' and 'Jah War', songs like 'SUS' held a mirror up to society, highlighted well known policing issues and pre-empted the riots that exploded across many British inner-city areas some 18 months later. The Ruts were never an overtly political band, it was enough just to exist in that environment and write about it. It was never doom and gloom with the band though. 1979 was their breakthrough year and they enjoyed it to the full. Sadly, the bubble burst when heroin took Malcolm Owen in July 1980.

I have located reviews of the album from three of the four major UK music weeklies. Two are with me in that the reviewers loved the album. Only Tony Stewart of the New Musical Express dissented with repeated references to heavy metal shortcomings. Personally, I think that Phil Sutcliffe's summing up is a fair reflection of The Ruts at the time of 'The Crack'.

'They've got real front line experience and the judgement and imagination to use it powerfully'.

New Musical Express (6th October 1979)

Record Mirror (6th October 1979)

Sounds (29th September 1979)

Signed as they were to Virgin Records, The Ruts upon release of 'The Crack' enjoyed an extensive promotional campaign.

The Icicle Works Aston University 4th December 1987

I cannot recall now how I became aware of The Icicle Works, a Liverpool band fronted for many years by Ian McNabb. 'Love Is A Wonderful Colour' had been a hit in 1983 so I suppose it was that. Later in 1987 they released the album 'If You Want To Defeat Your Enemy Sing his Song', a cumbersome album title perhaps, but a great album. They were on the bill of the Reading Festival the same year and they were one of the bands that I made a point of watching.

This is a recording, albeit incomplete of the band playing at Aston University an the year of the 'Enemy' album release. Thanks to the original Dime uploader.

30 years down the line and I saw Ian McNabb again when he played in a friend's living room for his 50th birthday. After his set, I said hi at which point he mentioned The Stranglers shirt I was wearing and the fact that he was a fan. I mentioned that I'd seen The Icicle Works on the Friday of the Reading Festival ahead of The Stranglers playing on the Sunday. Clearly this lead on to the occasion on which his path crossed with The Stranglers leading to something of an audition for a potential replacement for Hugh. He confirmed that something along those lines did occur.... but unfortunately, it being a party close to Christmas, 24 hours later any detail that he did impart on this event was erased from my memory!!

Ian McNabb didn't land the job as we all know, and to be honest, I don't think that he, or any other established, known musician would have been the right move for The Stranglers.

The Icicle Works are playing again with Ian and Chris Layhe (the original bass player).

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-fYT2JSJYRhXqr0D3

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-vhCDEcXEttHKR1Df

 

Victoria Theatre Halifax 11th November 1997

 

Here's another one, courtesy of yesican. Cheers, appreciate it as always! On tour with 'Written In Red'. 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-VVbBNYXLGS0cf79V

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-YzHkUeDrqWQeXNZR

Elastica Liberty Lunch SXSW Festival Austin Texas 17th March 1995

 

Earlier this week I posted the following on Facebook.

"I noticed recently that I was seeing quite a few Elastica posts turning up on my Facebook feed. Couldn't be a reformation I thought, although a return after 30 years would be in keeping with the sense of urgency in the band. No, the increased traffic would appear to be linked to the upcoming deluxe reissue of the first album, 31 years on. This must have been one of the last vinyl albums that I bought back in March 1995 (before resuming two or three years ago) with the catalogue insert (after the 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' album). Such a great album, even if a tad derivative of other bands' material in parts!

I was also reminded of the fact that at around the time of the release of 'Connection', Gunta decided that she wanted more than anything to be in Elastica! She is still waiting for the call..."

The reissue is something to look forward to and I may even go for the T shirt too!

As a reminder of just how good they were back when the music press deemed Elastica to be the coolest band that Cool Britannia had to offer, here is a great 'first album recording' from Austin, Texas. Undisputedly, many of their songs did not attempt to hide the inspiration behind their composition.... 'Waking Up' (The Stranglers), 'Line Up' (Wire), 'Vaseline' (Blondie), 'S.O.F.T.' (Adam & The Ants)..., they had so much good material. As I remember, in the legal dispute with The Stranglers over similarities between 'Waking Up' and 'No More Heroes' it was the publishers who went after the money whilst the band remained in the background, even publicly stating something along the lines that 'mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery'.

For me, whilst Brit Pop offered something great in comparison with the utterly disposable music that was filling the charts at the time, it was in itself rather contrived. The media set up rivalry between Mancunian swaggerers, Oasis, and mockney scamps, Blur, was a blatant attempt to recreate the Beatles Stones face offs from the 1960's, the previous occasion when a British 'music scene' had garnered the interest of America, being the best known example of biz interference. 

Aside from record company self-interest, Brit Pop did for a very short period appear to be a mirror held up to reflect a positive version of Britain. Of all the bands lumped into the scene, for me it was Elastica and that first eponymous album that represented Brit Pop's finest moment, this ultimate 'girl band' (in the same way that The Slits even with Budgie can't escape the label!) had the most verve and attitude of them all (more so than Oasis!).

Thanks to the original Dime uploader, markp.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-NoLaEXDODKdMcG0L

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-Z9iwAUL7jgk1EuQ2

Hugh Cornwell Interview (Record Mirror 7th September 1985)

Apologies if this is a hard read, it is manageable if you click on the image to enlarge, but the font is still small and the contrast (white on light blue) is not the easiest. See how you get on. 

The 'Aural Sculpture' tour is done and dusted as Hugh turns his attention to the promotion of his new single 'One In A Million'. With talk of his appearances on stage and screen along with talk of his extracurricular ventures into making music for film, it is clear that it this stage Cornwell was seeking something beyond the realms of his current quartet and more importantly something vastly different to what he was able to do within the confines of The Stranglers structure.

With some understanding of tensions that existed within the band at this time coupled with Hugh's efforts to branch out and experience other aspects of the creative industries, I have always been a little surprised that the split did not come in 1985 rather than in 1990... discuss.

Alexandra Palace London 11th August 1990

 

A mere 36 years ago The Stranglers played Alexandra Palace in North London. A gig that I missed as on the night I was in Whitehaven in Cumbria at my brother-in-laws wedding. I have said it on these pages before that having heard the gig I don't have any real regrets about missing this one (despite its significance). It was a lack lustre gig... perhaps due to the cavernous and soleless nature of the venue (an iconic building but a crap one for gigs) or it could have been the knowledge of what Hugh was to do within a couple of hours that perhaps unconsciously affected the band on the night. Whatever, it wasn't the swan song that Hugh deserved.

Here's a link to the full gig posted back in 2016.

Ally Pally 1990