Stiff Little Fingers releases a punk classic: Inflammable Material

Stiff Little Fingers - Rockpalast 1980 (youtube.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – Rockpalast 1980

Introduction

In 1979 the Irish Stiff Little Fingers released the punk classic Inflammable Material. This the story behind the album and the band.

To understand the anger and frustration, which is clearly audible on the Inflammable Material album, the Northern Irish conflict The Troubles has to be addressed. See the sub article The Troubles, civil war in Northern Ireland.

Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device & Alternative Ulster (discogs.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – Suspect Device & Alternative Ulster

Stiff Little Fingers

Initially started out as a rock cover band, Stiff Little Fingers was formed in 1977. Contrary to much of the British punk bans coming from England, Stiff Little Fingers’ home base was Belfast, Northern Ireland. That base would prove to have an enormous influence on the music and lyrics by Stiff Little Fingers. After witnessing The Clash live, singer and composer Jake Burns started to write about his own life and experiences. As he grew up during The Troubles, the conflict was an integral part of his lyrics.

On February 4, 1978, the band entered the studio for the first time to record their first single. In order to release it, the band and their management founded record company called Rigid Digits. The first single of the new label was Stiff Little Fingers’ debut single Suspect Device, released on March 17, 1978. BBC radio DJ John Peel picked up the song and played it on repeat. The first pressing, 500 copies, was sold out in April. The single sold over 12,000 copies, not bad for an independently released debut single. Maybe even more importantly, it yielded the band a contract with record company Rough Trade.

On October 17, 1978, the band’s second single was released: Alternative Ulster, a song about boredom and The Troubles:

Take a look where you’re livin’
You got the Army on the street
And the RUC dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you wanna live?
Is this where you wanna be?
Is this the only life we’re gonna have?
What we need
Is an alternative Ulster

© 1978 Stiff Little Fingers

Following the Alternative Ulster release, Stiff Little Fingers went out on tour and worked on their debut album, which was planned for a 1979 release.

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (bol.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material

Inflammable Material

On February 2, 1979, Inflammable Material, Stiff Little Fingers’s debut album, was released. The album had been recorded from November 1 to 18, 1978, at Cambridge, “very quickly, as if we were playing a live gig”, according to singer Jake Burns. Suspect Device was re-recorded for the album and therefore differs from the original single release.

Inflammable Material was almost instantaneously dubbed a “classic punk record”, particularly by the English press. It was a big success, it was the first independently released album to enter the top 20 of the album charts. It would eventually sell over 100,000 copies, big numbers for a debut punk album.

The album’s subjects address standard punk issues like boredom and a lack of a future. What made Stiff Little Fingers stand out were the additional subject matters, like social (in)equality and (police)violence. The rage, frustration and grief, particularly caused by The Troubles, were incorporated into the lyrics and literally cried out. Nowadays it may seem a bit tame, but at the time it was startling. The emotion and sincerity made the debut album an exciting and honest experience, which still holds up to this day.

The band refrained from taking sides in The Troubles, as evidenced in Wasted Life.

I won’t be a soldier
I won’t take no orders from no-one
Stuff their fucking armies
Killing isn’t my idea of fun

© 1978/1979 Stiff Little Fingers

The band faced some criticism in Northern Ireland as well, particularly coming from rivals The Undertones. Stiff Little Fingers’ single Alternative Ulster was released on the very same day The Undertones debuted with their single Teenage Kicks. Stiff Little Fingers was accused of cashing in on the misery of The Troubles and being sensation-seeking, while The Undertones were accused of sidelining the conflict, while they were in the position of reaching a broader audience. There was a musical difference as well, Stiff Little Fingers was tough punk, as opposed to the softer sound by The Undertones.

Stiff Little Fingers - Live 1978 (pinterest.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – Live 1978

Review

Upon hearing Inflammable Material for the first time, I was deeply impressed. The minimalist sound and the singing, which could make anyone hoarse just by listening to it, were extremely exciting. The only cover, Johnny Was, written by Bob Marley, underwent some minimal lyrical changes to fit the Northern Irish narrative, provided with a military drum intro and heavier playing. The 8 minute result works like a charm.

There’s not a single argument to not call Inflammable Material a punk classic. Indeed, it’s one of the best 1970s punk albums stemming from the British isles. Everything hits home, except for the very last song. A pity the band placed it on the album, but it luckily is easily skippable.

Stiff Little Fingers - 1978 (britishpunx.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – 1978

Songs

All songs written by Jake Burns and Gordon Ogilvie, unless stated otherwise.

  • Suspect Device
  • State of Emergency (Jake Burns)
  • Here We Are Nowhere (Henry Cluney)
  • Wasted Life (Jake Burns)
  • No More of That (Henry Cluney)
  • Barbed Wire Love
  • White Noise
  • Breakout (Jake Burns)
  • Law and Order
  • Rough Trade
  • Johnny Was (Bob Marley)
  • Alternative Ulster
  • Closed Groove

Musicians

  • Jake Burns – vocals, guitar
  • Henry Cluney – guitar, vocals
  • Ali McMordie – bass, vocals
  • Brian Faloon – drums

With help from

  • Andy Kelly – bassoon on Alternative Ulster
Stiff Little Fingers - 1980s albums (spotify.com)

Stiff Little Fingers – 1980s albums

After Inflammable Material

The band moved to London, resulting in the end of the first line-up of Stiff Little Fingers. Following the albums Nobody’s Heroes (1980), Hanx (live, 1980), Go For It (1981) and Now Then… (1982) the band dissolved. Jake Burns in 1983: “Our last LP Now Then… was to my mind the best album we have made. But it is also unfortunately the best I think we will ever make. So I have decided to call it a day.”

In 1987 the band reconvened for some shows, which were quite successful. The band released the albums Flags And Emblems (1991), Get A Life (1994), Tinderbox (1997), Hope Street (1999), Guitar and Drum (2003) and No Going Back (2014). The band exists to this day, Jake Burns is the only one who was part of all the Stiff Little Fingers line-ups.

In closing

What’s your opinion on Stiff Little Fingers and their exciting debut album? Let me know!

Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Stiff Little Fingers releases a punk classic: Inflammable Material. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.

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