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my loveliest vinyl, part 39
Stiff Little Fingers – Suspect Device 7″ (Rough Trade RT 006, 1981)

Oh yes, this is one of the best bands ever. For me anyway, since i saw them in Hamburg on my 16th birthday (boy, am i old). I guess everybody by now knows about their history and the struggles of punk in Northern Ireland. As such i waste no time and just make it firm that this is most likely one of the best and most influential punk seven inches.

The verdict:

1977 – actually 1978 for the initial issue, indeed punk as punk could be
published by a cool lable – 1978 by Rigit Digit DIY, re-issue 1981 by Rough Trade.
found in a cool shop – Membran (the Rough Trade one for sure)!
catching sound – any dispute? Go fuck yourself!
the lyrics – focusing on the B side this is the best ever reflection on the Northern Ireland situation back then, what a waste it was!

And that takes us straight into “Wasted Life”:
```
I could be a soldier
Go out there and fight to save this land
Be a people's soldier
Paramilitary gun in hand
I won't be no soldier
I won't take no orders from no-one
Stuff their fucking armies
Killing isn't my idea of fun

(Chorus)
They wanna waste my life
They wanna waste my time
They wanna waste my life
And they've stolen it away

I could be a hero
Live and die for their 'important' cause
A united nation
Or an independant state with laws
And rules and regulations
That merely cause disturbances and wars
That is what I've got now
All thanks to the freedom-seeking hordes

(Chorus)

I'm not gonna be taken in
They said if I don't join them I just can't win
I've heard that story many times before
And every time I threw it out the door

Still they come up to me
With a different name but same old face
I can see the connection
With another time and different place
They ain't blonde haired or blue eyed
But they think that they're the master race
They're nothing but blind facists
Brought up to hate and given lives to waste

(Chorus:repeat)

(c) 1978 Fingers
```
And without further ado be blown away many times:

Live on the Rough Trade tour 1979

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUcN-6hOdk

Live Belfast 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10EAYxodV9E

Live unknown, i’d say mid 80s – a rather dull one with odd guitar work…the reason they folded initially i’d say and proof that great bands can also screw up! Good to see that Jake Burns did a turn around and is still going strong!
2013/12/18
my loveliest vinyl, part 2

The Pack – King of Kings (Rough Trade, 1979)

Now this is a great one, from way back! I only realized what gem it is when i re-discovered this upon hitting the follow up of The Pack, Theatre of Hate and their cool singles “Rebel without a brain” and “Do you believe in the Westworld?” (watch out for young John Peel!) …

But back to The Pack. This 7″ has it all:

1977 – almost ticked, this is 1979
published by a cool lable – ticked, Rough Trade back then when i started to listen to Punk was one of the key sources and a name to look up to
found in a cool shop – ticked, found back then “Konneckschen” or better “Unterm Durchschnitt”
catching sound – ticked, esp. the start-up/signature riff
not too bad words – more than ticked, one of the best lyrics ever
great cover – tick tick tick, this package is timeless (hence shown in full here)!

Singer/Songwriter Kirk Brandon went all the way from fame to bankruptcy and recently also into ill health. Damn, he was a great great singer and did write a couple of catchy tunes i’d love to see covered by some bands today! Volunteers anywhere?

Enjoy young Kirk here:

2011/08/15

Tag: rough trade

my loveliest vinyl, part 39

my loveliest vinyl, part 2