Four Fingers To The World (Inflammable Material - Stiff Little Fingers)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Inflammable Material - Stiff Little Fingers
Date:	16/07/02 (193 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Raw Passion, The songs have meaning

Disadvantages: It may not suit all

I got talking to another writer on Tooyoo (ILB) recently and it seemed that we had the same taste in music. Thing is, you see, I am a child of the late 70’s and early 80’s in musical terms so forgive me if you find this a little dated. Of course it’s always difficult to re-capture the essence of an era but one can but try so here goes:

Stiff Little Fingers came together in the 70’s. Jake Burns-vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney-guitar, Gordon Blair-bass and Brian Faloon-drums, were in a cover band called Highway Star, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Blair was soon replaced by Ali McMordie. (Gordon Blair joined the Belfast group Rudi.) Early in the year they saw the Clash play in Belfast, and were inspired to cut their hair and rename themselves after the *Vibrators song.

In November of '77, Gordon Ogilvie, a local journalist, caught their live show and was impressed. He encouraged them to write their own songs about what they knew best--life in Belfast. Jake came back twelve days later with "Suspect Device" and "Wasted Life". These were the first of what became SLF's signature style.

So to 1979 and SLF’s first album release "Inflammable Material". All I can say is that this is one of the most influential records in my time and also one of my first. 13 tracks that reflected the political angst of the era, thrashed at breakneck speed hanging on a passionate voice in the shape of the ebullient Jake Burns (later to form Jake Burns and The Big Wheel), driving drum work and screaming guitars.

I always find it a little tedious just to list track by track and expect the reader to faithfully follow every word but then I’m no genius in this category so I’ll do my best in terms of format.

OK, the LP blasts into life in the form of "Suspect Device". Typical of the raw energy reflecting an entreaty to it’s listeners to consider what normal
day to day life meant in Ulster, the song is about the bitterness of life under seemingly military rule in Northern Ireland and the hatred for the British government. You can almost imagine the derelict land, walls daubed with anti-UK sentiment but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is in someway pro-IRA and Republican because later songs tell you that this isn’t the case as the Band put over a balanced view. "Suspect Device" along with "Wasted Life" were one of two songs released on the band's own Rigid digits label. An initial pressing of only 350 was enough to capture the interest of John Peel on Radio One who started to feature the band regularly.

Typical of the venomous, spleen shattering lyrics, "Suspect Device" soon found it's way into underground folklore and remains as popular with fans today. "Don’t believe them/Don’t Believe them/Question everything you’re told/Just take a look around you/At the bitterness and spite/Why can’t we take over and put it right?"

This powerful anthem sets a theme for the rest of the album with further similar reflections in the shape of "State of Emergency", "No More Of That" and "Barbed Wire Love".

The latter is something of a bitter reverie taking the listener on a realistic journey into what a typical love scenario might look like against a backdrop of political unrest and violence. There’s a satirical edge, which you might glean from "...I met you in No-Man’s Land/Across the wire we were holding hands/Hearts a-bubble in the rubble/It was love at bomb site." With a 50's style rock n'roll chorus featured in "Barbed Wire Love" a glimpse of how adaptable the group was to become became evident.

Of course, despite the instability, Irish folk had to still go about their every day lives and, as you’d expect maybe, the band reflected
on teen life with a cutting edge in lyrical and musical form. The heart of the band was essentially rock albeit they were categorised as punk spurning a thousand kick-the-cans at discos across the length and breadth of the land. All punk ever was really was the same as any previous rock music simply done louder and more raucous. The sentiments were no different to thousands before them although SLF took things to a different level.

So, every day life. Well, check out "Here We Are Nowhere", "Law and Order" and "Wasted Life". The first two detail the same scenario that any rebellious teenager would feel documenting the limited options open to many. "Friday night’s here/What’s the scene?/Nothing to do/Y’know what I mean?/Nothing on the telly/There is no late-night show/No show’s in town/There is no place to go/Here we are nowhere/Nowhere left to go". The desire to escape the mendacity of everyday life features in "Breakout" echoing a common desire to leave all the ills of the day behind and head for a better place.

"Wasted Life" takes things one stage further as the group rail against the seemingly abhorrent waste of life in the paramilitary adding balance to the anti-UK government cries in other songs. "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." This is emotive stuff sang with JB’s driving passion with an almost zealous fervour. Needless to say, sung live most of these tracks drive the crowd into a frenzy. Later in 1992, one Los Angeles journalist was to remark that an SLF audience reacted like "kernels react to a plugged-in popcorn maker". "Wasted Life" was a serious political statement at a time when the IRA was very active alon
g with other organisations like the UDF throwing the whole situation into a violent turmoil. As ever, it’s all the innocent people in the middle that got caught up and SLF decried this through a lot of their songs.

At the same time as SLF were doing their thang, other very prominent punk bands were making statements too at a time when Thatcherism was in its early throws. The clash sang about "White Riot" which was mistaken for a racist song in some quarters. It was actually a very strong anti-racist piece and SLF did their bit with "White Noise". The lyrics are very graphic including the ignominious and harmful comments often made to afro-Caribbean, Indian and Irish people. It is an invective rant as you’d expect but the guitar intro and furious pace carry you along on the crest of a statement that still needs making today. The lyrics are simply too strong for this opinion but you would see what I mean if you ever get to listen to them.

Many bands get a raw deal in their early days and "Rough Trade" was something of a tirade against the problems the group had. As ever, candid lyrics made for an impassioned set "Record boss said we would be a smash/Yeah, go straight to Number One/He talked of hits and tours and lots of cash/And all the time it wasn’t on/And I believed every word he said/Yeah I swallowed ever line/I believed every word he said/And I didn’t find out in time..." The chorus sums the feeling up "...We were betrayed, betrayed, betrayed, betrayed, betrayed by rough trade lies." There is a sense of irony in that the record company is called Rough Trade Records although the point could be taken that the music industry is a rough one where bands with potential are often signed up where their cut is relatively unfair but they are desperate to sign up to get their first break.

The one blip on the album is in the form of "Closed Groove". This is a somew
hat repetitive set with an answering machine style, which I found mildly annoying. The song really doesn’t go anywhere despite it’s good intentions with references to racism and the like so I won’t add any more.

"Johnny Was" is a homage to the irrepressible Bob Marley. It’s a lengthy track and there is a brilliant live version on "Hanx". Lot’s of emotion as a story of deception and double-crossing is recounted with the death of Johnny. SLF pay a great tribute with a wonderful drum intro, backed up by some inspired Cluney guitar back up. This is a simply magnificent song and represents the pinnacle, despite it being a cover, of the LP. If any confirmation was needed, this rendition put the band into the "have considerable talent" bracket.

Last but not least is a track that I have played endlessly over the years. In the late 70’s I was no different to a lot of teenagers. Events at the time left me angry and bitter. A great way to satiate this is through catharcism and one of the most cathartic tracks ever penned has to be "Alternative Ulster". This song is truly awesome. The guitar riff at the start subtly sets the scene for what’s to follow as the Fingers blast their message and guarantee their place in musical history with the epitome of those times: "Nothing for us in Belfast/The pound’s so old it’s a pity/OK, so there’s a Trident in Bangor/Then walk back to the City..." The song had come about after the band had been asked to pen a tune for a local fanzine in order to generate a giveaway flexi-disc for the front cover. The fanzine was called "Alternative Ulster" and although plans for the disc fell through, the song became the first to be published by Rough Trade in 1978. Energy, emotion, raw passion and just fantastic appeal, surely this is the song that made the band’s name and it will always have a special place in my
heart.

So there you have it, one of the first LPs I can remember buying and one of the best. It stands the test of time as I still play it today although the political backdrop it was written against has moved on thankfully. Jake Burns always claims that the songs were intended to be upbeat and optimistic but I'm not sure that he ever achieved that with the inaugural release of Inflammable Material. It's worth pointing out that those days of terror haven’t passed just yet and we have a long way to go before racism is completely eradicated but music does help. There are those that think music makes no impression on politics but they would be wrong. Ideas are all powerful (they start whole religions you know?) and beware ground swells of opinion at your peril. SLF sang about things that mattered and did it extremely well. By prepared to be blown away.

Inflammable Material is available on Amazon.co.uk for £8.99. This review is based on the original vinyl version.

Thanks for reading or should that be Hanx?

Marandina

Track Listing:
Suspect Device
State of Emergency
Wasted Life
No More of That
Barbed Wire Love
White Noise
Breakout
Here We are Nowhere
Law and Order
Rough Trade
Johnny Was
Alternative Ulster
Closed Groove



*"If it wasn't for your stiff little fingers
nobody would know you were dead."

So go the lyrics to "Stiff Little Fingers" by the Vibrators, released in '77 as the b-side to their "London Girls" single.

Hope this was OK, ILB?




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