What does it sound like?:
40 Years old today (3rd February)
In 1978, two bands from Northern Ireland produced their first singles and sent them to John Peel in the hope of getting Radio airplay.
One of them (The Undertones – Teenage Kicks) got played twice in a row and has passed into legend as John Peel’s favourite track of all time.
The other (Stiff Little Fingers – Suspect Device) was played every night for a week and Rough Trade (the only place in London to stock the single) was constantly running short of stock. Demand was so great, Geoff Travis approached the band so his label could re-release it and satisfy his customers.
A 50/50 Split Profit Deal was agreed with a handshake – no Contracts, no Lawyers, no future markets exploitation clause, just a straightforward Manufacturing and Distribution deal. Both had the desire to keep the arrangement simple – Stiff Little Fingers had already been disappointed by Island Records 6 months earlier (a tale told in the song “Rough Trade”, which is not about the label that released their records but about the label that signed them and then dropped them within a week, and signed The Jags instead)
“Alternative Ulster” was the next release on Rough Trade – the master tapes “obtained” from the Island Records sessions – and then a full album was suggested.
Neither the band or Rough Trade had ever done an album, but How Hard Can It Be?
Geoff Travis, Mayo Thompson and the band decamped to two terraced houses in Cambridge (aka Spaceward Studios) and recorded and mixed the album in 12 days.
Upon release it became the first independent album to make Top 20, and went on to sell 100,000 copies.
The album opens with an aural onslaught of the opening chords to “Suspect Device” and then in comes Jake Burns voice sounding like he’s been gargling glass.
And the energy and passion never drops across 12 tracks – most only just break 2 minutes, and the longest clocks in at 3 and a half minutes (due in no small part to the Doo-Wop vocal section in the middle of “Barbed Wire Love” (yes – a love song on a noisy, raggedy punk album).
Thematically it bounces between politics, police oppression, equality, empowerment, and general teenage boredom
And then there is the re-working of Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was”.
The Clash had punkified Reggae with “Police and Thieves” on their debut album – Stiff Little Fingers relocated Johnny to Belfast, added military drums, and strung the song out over 8 minutes (when played live, it is not unusual for the song to run for 11 or 12 minutes)
“Alternative Ulster” would/should be the perfect album closer.
Unfortunately one more track is added (“Closed Groove”) which (sadly) dents the overall perfection of this album.
What does it all *mean*?
4 decades on and it still sounds full of anger and hope for something better (“Grab it and change it, it’s yours”). And whilst the targets and causes may have changed, there is still relevance/resonance in their stance.
And without this album, Rough Trade would probably never have had the funds or confidence to build themselves into the market leading Indie label and give the world The Smiths
This is their definitive Punk statement. Punk as a thing, was pretty much over by 1979, and the band wanted to develop away from Punk thrash into a Post-Punk/Powerpop vein (perhaps a similar path trodden by Buzzcocks). Ufortunately whilst they had the tunes (and at this stage major label backing from Chrysalis), their original audience was not quite as prepared to move with them.
Yes there was relative success, but this was ever diminishing and they eventually split in 1982.
They reformed in 1987 and are still touring today. Their set list regularly includes 4 tracks from this album (“Suspect Device”, “Wasted Life”, “Johnny Was” and traditional set closer “Alternative Ulster”)
Goes well with…
The (un)holy trinity of Punk debut albums – Sex Pistols, Clash & The Damned.
They may not get the plaudits, re-appraisals or recognition of the Big 3, but this album is on a par with those accepted essential artefacts
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Anyone who believes in the power of Guitar and Drum
Rigid Digit says
Whenever the band play in Northern Ireland, this track is introduced as:
“Ladies and Gentleman. Please be upstanding for the National Anthem”
Alternative Ulster
Tiggerlion says
Superb review! I bet @Lodestone-of-Wrongness is drooling.
I think this comes a little late to associate it with The Sex Pistols etc. I’d link it with Another Music In A a Different Kitchen, Specials and Entertainment!. It’s a great album, though.
Nick L says
Absolutely agree Rigid, a great album and it’s terrific to read a review that more than does it justice!
dai says
Didn’t a music journalist write their lyrics or something?
Rigid Digit says
The listed co-writer of the tracks was Gordon Ogilvie (Sunday Express Journalist, and co-manager of the band).
It is true that the original lyric for Suspect Device was his (with some minor changes by Jake Burns to fit the music), but the rest are identified as co-writes (Fingers/Ogilvie).
In truth, as Jake’s songwriting confidence increased, Gordon’s contributions were either ideas or words/phrases – eventually (and as now on later issues of albums) the name Ogilvie gradually disappeared from their work.
dai says
Thanks for clarification. Seen them live twice, 1981 and 2016. Much the same both times, very good.
fentonsteve says
Useless background info: Spaceward Studios at the time was in the basements of two adjacent terraced houses in Cambridge (studio was in number 34 Clarendon Street and control room in number 19 Victoria Street). It was 16-track, which was quite leading-edge at the time. Next door was the studio of Luck and Flaw, of Spitting Image fame. The Clarendon Arms is still on the corner opposite #19, a stone’s throw from the bus station.
Spaceward moved out of town in 1981, to the old primary school in Stretham near Ely, and went 24-track.
Kid Dynamite says
They often pop up at the kind of festivals I go to, and it’s always an hour or so well spent.
A long way back when I was assistant manager of the HMV in Portsmouth, the street was closed down for a couple of hours due to a bomb scare. When we finally reopened and shoppers started coming back through the doors my choice of music to restart the day was Suspect Device played very loudly.
Bogart says
Remember the review of the album in NME ( or was it Sounds…more like NME I think) claiming that it was the greatest punk record ever made. After such (possible) hyperbole the actual music would have to go some to live up to the claim. A friend gave me a copy on cassette, it was played constantly for 6 months. Any list of great debut albums that doesn’t include IM is incomplete.
And thankfully the band didn’t try do a IM2 but moved on with their second and subsequent albums, less punk more powerpop/rocky-poppy sort of sound and each of them up to Now..Then were all darn good.
Haven’t got the albums from 1991 – 2003 so can’t comment …although they are being re-issued in a box so may just wait until the price drops and grab them.
The 2014 No Going Back return album is bloody good, well worth a listen or/and a purchase.
Bogart says
The first 5 SLF albums can be bought from Amazon as a box set for £10.99 …… bargain
duco01 says
Saw SLF just the once. Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, March 1980.
They were great, of course.
I liked the fact that they called their live album “Hanx”, because that was how they pronounced “Thanks”. Good stuff!
Oh – and cheers for the review, Rigid. Nice one.
Junglejim says
Nice review, RD.
God, I loved that album, one of those that was almost actually worn out through constant playing.
I saw them support TRB ( at the Lyceum, maybe) & they were blistering – as good an example of a support band blowing the headliners offstage as you’ll ever see.
Pretty sure I saw them again in Brockwell Park at an ANL do, where there was all kinds of argy bargy & they were great again.
Their sound was really hard, at the time about as hardcore as it got, before the emergence of Crass & the crusty/Oi brigade – & you got the lyrics on the inner sleeve – proof they did have something to say.
Not a duff track as I recall, but I’ll always have a soft spot for ‘ Barbed Wire Love’ & its knowingly corny lyrics ‘ you set my armalite’ etc.
duco01 says
“Not a duff track as I recall”
Erm … what about “Closed Groove”? Most assuredly duff!
Junglejim says
Ah yes, that only goes to show you have a better memory than I do, duke!
Having said that, ‘punks do weird’ is kind of cute, in the way that every garage band has a chronic song in their set that it takes a huge amount of time/ persuasion before they realise it & never play again!
Malc says
I didn’t get Inflammable Material or Nobody’s Heroes for years, simply because I’d bought Hanx! which served as a best-of for both and I loved it. Basically I hadn’t noticed it was a live album – it was the first one I found with ‘At The Edge’ on it and I was off to the counter without further ado. Good times.
Barry Blue says
First band I ever saw live (1979, Dunelm House in Durham), and usually I’d be seeing them next month in Brighton, at Concorde 2, except they’re not playing here this year. May have to go up London. In recent years I’ve seen them in Nottingham, Isle of Wight, and yeah, Brighton.
I fucking love SLF. My only concern is that Jake is carrying a heck of a lot of timber these days, and I fear for his health.
Oh, and from 30 seconds in, this is a treat…
Rigid Digit says
Usually manage at least one gig a year.
In recent years they’ve been stopping off in Reading (ideal for me).
This year the nearest is Kentish Town – and I can’t make it (birthdays, anniversaries – the usual inconsiderate stuff).
Hopefully a tour later in the year (there usually is)