Album: Inflammable Material
Suspect Device
Suspect Device (live)
Stiff Little Fingers was born from "The Troubles," the ongoing political, religious, and social debate in Northern Ireland. But whereas the primary conflict was ideological -- unionist Protestants and nationalist Catholics arguing over the constitutional status of the state -- Stiff Little Fingers were more concerned about the plight of the average person. They claimed, and rightly so in my opinion, that neither side held the moral high ground, primarily because the working class was being fucked by the often violent terms with which the debate itself was being waged."Inflammable material is planted in my head / A suspect device that's left 2000 dead." Thus begins "Suspect Device," perhaps my single favorite punk song. Compared with the facile, quasi-anarchic rebellion of The Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers offer a sophisticated political argument, a social commentary worthy of George Steiner himself.
(As an aside, as a grad student in Musicology, I often introduced Steiner's Bluebeard's Castle to the undergrads in my lab seminars as a way of approaching seemingly impenetrable post-WWII music. There is something about Steiner's approach to Adorno's oft-cited assertion "It is barbaric to write poetry after Auschwitz" that I find both terrifying and all too real. If you ever have a free couple of days, I strongly recommend reading it.)
"They take away our freedom / In the name of liberty." Truer now than ever. Backed by the Jake Burns' spitting vocals, the driving guitar and drums, and a surprisingly supple bass line, "Suspect Device" is a profound response to the dogma of its time.
Nice post David. I got into these guys via 30 Great Punk Albums. I don't know if you remember when I sent that to you, but that basically got me into most of the earlier punk music. Do you feel it is accurate?
ReplyDeleteYeah I like the list for the most part. What would I change... Well some of the groups aren't really punk. The Sonics, for example, as much as I love them, don't really belong. Yeah they're precursors to punk, and without them the punk movement would be poorer, but they can't really be characterized as punk. In fact, the same can be said for the first five or six selections on that list. Also, I would move Minutemen, Black Flag, and Minor Threat into the top 10.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your impression of the list?
We both read this list from different standpoints. I read this list as a way to find new albums and learn about punk and, in fact, it was what exposed me to most of the earlier punk, along with your suggestions. So, I found the list really informative, but I do agree with you on The Sonics. They are just garage rock, or "proto-punk" as they were labelled later.
ReplyDeleteIt also exposed albums that I've listened to dozens of times: The Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady, Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables and Circle Jerks - Group Sex. I think the list is amazing, personally, but you have already listened to all this stuff before it was written, which is why our opinions may differ.
Also, the fact that you heard a lot of this music when it had just been released changes your view of it completely I think. Or at least, quite a bit. :P