Description
Stiff Little Fingers – BBC Radio 1 – Compact Disc
A taut, explosive Belfast-based punk band, Stiff Little Fingers (named after a Vibrators song) had the dubious distinction of being referred to as ‘The Irish Clash.’ What must have seemed like a compliment at the time did little to help their career, only because it made comparisons between the two bands inevitable.
Granted, there were many similarities: both bands debuted playing revved-up late-’70s punk rock, were politically inclined, featured pissed-off lead singers, had a love for reggae, and possessed a near-palpable sense of isolation and desperation. But as we all know, the Clash offered complexity, panache, and a consistently breathtaking body of work.
Stiff Little Fingers, on the other hand, were simply a very good punk rock band. With sandpaper throated frontman Jake Burns leading the way, Stiff Little Fingers did release an auspicious, debut album, Inflammable Material, that featured the band’s two best songs, ‘Alternative Ulster’ and ‘Suspect Device.’ Both were passionate, ferocious songs dealing with the harsh, deadly realities of growing up in the middle of two decades of Northern Ireland’s violence.
These songs thrust Stiff Little Fingers into the limelight and got them loads of enthusiastic press, which led to a contract with the decidedly anti-punk Chrysalis label in 1980.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic sealed
BBC Records
UK Import
Track Listing
1. Roots, Radicals, Rockers & Raggae
2. Just Fade Away
3. Safe As Houses
4. Gate 49
5. Hits & Misses
6. Only One, The
7. Silver Lining
8. Piccadilly Circus
