Search - Stiff Little Fingers :: All the Best

An excellent survey of the band's material

skak1 | 03/14/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stiff Little Fingers are quite simply the best. They started out as a Belfast-based heavy metal band, with the naf name Highway Star, but the discovery of the Clash immediately changed their political direction. Having discovered punk, they then stole a new name from a song by the Vibrators. Marc Bolan and Elvis Costello were the group's other big inspirations. SLF's mixture of punk, white reggae and heavy rock has influenced a wide range of other artists. Believe it or not but it was the album 'Inflammable Material' that persuaded Manu Chao to get into music. Sinead O'Connor named her son after lead singer Jake Burns and invited bassist Ali McMordie to participate on her first (and only good) album. U2 were big fans as were Oasis. Green Day, Ash, Offspring and the Dropkick Murphys all drew inspiration here. Moby is now managed by Ali McMordie. It was after hearing the SLF version of 'Common People' that Paul Young decided to cover that song. The song 'Listen' recently became a huge hit for Argentinian boys' band Takke 77. The group always had more credibility than commercial success. Only one of their singles, At the Edge, made the UK top 20, although three of their albums did ('Inflammable Material', 'Nobody's heroes' and 'Hanx'). This was political rock at its best- the protest songs are much more powerful than anything Bob Dylan ever did. Whilst most artists producing political material are distanced from the subject of their songs, this group actually lived in a war zone. They ignored the death threats and wrote songs denouncing Northern Ireland's paramilitary terrorist groupings describing them as 'blind fascists brought up to hate and given lives to waste'. Other left-wing anthems followed denouncing racism, calling for better treatment of women and more equality. The group encouraged people to think for themselves although never seemed aware of the irony of its fan-base needing to be told this. SLF is still going today (now with former -Jam bassist Bruce Foxton)... Even to this day they are amongst the best live bands in the world. The title of this particular album is a little misleading. This is not a 'best of' compilation in the sense of presenting all their best material (otherwise 'Johnny Was','Barbed Wire Love', 'Roots, radicals, rockers and reggae' and 'Fly the Flag' would all be on here). Rather it is the bringing together of all the singles and b-sides released in the band's earliest incarnation (1978-82). Some of these aren't very good ('Good for nothing', 'Touch and Go', etc) but the collection provides a clear sign-post to the development of the band in the period. Overall this is a collection of the highest quality. It would be difficult to find better songs about the situation in Northern Ireland than 'Suspect Device' or 'Wasted Life'. Hard to imagine more powerful recordings about teenage rebellion than 'Gotta Getaway' or 'At the Edge'. First class music and some of the best lyrics ever. But be warned this has a rough edge and if you like Phil Collins you are not likely to like this."

Absolutely, positively, unequivocally great punk rock

punkviper | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 11/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SLF were always burdened with that "Irish Clash" moniker, which I suppose hurt more than helped, but there was a reason for it: they knew how to write a tune & knew that there were injustices around them worth addressing. This 2-disc affair is a worthy overview of their best years, that shows how they started out a brash and rowdy punk band, gradually injected more melody and diversity into their sound, and eventually mellowed out into a straight power-pop band. So no matter which facet of SLF you like, it's all here.It's got the single version of Suspect Device (less angry, but better,) the superb rebel anthem 78 RPM (unavailable on any album,) the best tracks from Nobody's Heroes (their second and best record, equivalent to the Clash's London Calling,) some fun live stuff, a helping of other rarities and non-album tracks (including Listen, a great latter-day track,) and even a handful of tracks from the long-out-of-print (though very recently back in print) 4th album Now Then.If you've ever had any inclination at all towards old-school British punk, you simply cannot be without this rock-solid, spectacular compilation. And don't be surprised if you become a huge Stiff Little Fingers fan because of it (Jake Burns and Co. are still making music today.)"

Highly overlooked album

punkviper | 02/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To put it simply, Stiff Little Fingers is perhaps the most underated rock n roll band ever. Jake Burns and Co. took a political stand much like the Clash did, but never got the mass acclaim for it.
Personally as I listen to the Fingers more and more, their messages of rebellion come off a bit more heartfelt then the Clash's, which were burdened heavily by the fact that they worked for a major label record company.
Stiff Little Fingers traveled into much of the same sonic landscape as the Clash, but were a little bit better at restraint (alas no Sandinista album here).
As for the messages on the album, the politics haven't really aged too badly. After Sep. 11, Suspect Device has a new ring to it as does Tin Soldiers.
The latter-day SLF stuff on this disk is breathtaking. Listen, Stands to Reason and Talkback are perhaps some of the best rock songs ever recorded.
Now that I think about, SLF is the band U2 wishes it was."