So here it is, my favourite album from the whole punk side step. The release came in ’79, right at the very end of the first wave, but oh what a statement it made. To me this was what punk was all about, being angry and having something to say – and The Ruts had plenty to say. They were very politically tinged, and that reflected the time. S.U.S was written about the Southall riots and the laws that were introduced around them, and how the SPG that enforced them. A lot of the tracks have a reggae feel to them, and this mixed with the punk angst, works great.
The album opens with the best 2.30 of the whole punk movement. Babylon’s Burning is angry and to the point – with a riff and groove to die for. Even when I play this today I get goosebumps. It Was Cold is the big epic track on the album, and shows that punk was more than just two chords strummed fast. The dynamics of the guitar, the reggae funk undertone, and Owen’s vocal are sublime.
Unfortunately, just over a year later Malcolm Owen would die due to a heroin overdose, and the band would fold in ’83. It’s such a shame. To me, they were way better than The Clash as they were real. Grab yourself a slice of the best punk band – you won’t regret it.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
