Customer Reviews

Endangered Species

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The authoritative Endangered species album brings new energy to The U.K. SUBS as well as new members. Alvin Gibbs (Guitar) and Steve Roberts (drums) joined the SUBS just before this album. Alvin Gibbs the creator of one of the most powerful riffs on the entire album "Living Dead" which is a statement to pull yourself together and start carrying bout' the world around us. Gibbs is also involved in the slow driven guitar dominated "Countdown" which is written together with the oldest punk still alive Charlie Harper, and is yet another political statement. In fact theres is an typical all over political attitude to this album. Its a punk album with punk attudes. You don't get lost here. The main number Endangered species is charming punkrock, get out of my way, warning to us all, "we can blow ourselves to pieces". Other splendid songs on this album are U.K. SUBS classic such as the bulk Fear of girls and the solid rocker Lie down and die with its high potent ending and I robot.

Endangered species is altogether a really high-quality punk rock album although 3 song separates themselves from the others by not being punk rock but more in the kind of gothic new rock. The 3 songs Sensitive boys, -8 x 5 and Ice age are all well worth listening `til partly because there good songs partly because these song could have been the way U.K. SUBS could have gone but never did.

For me this is one of the best U.K. SUBS albums ever both because of the songs as well for the production done by guitarist Nicky Garratt.

P>After the disappointing "Diminished Responsibility" album, which suffered from a muddy production by apparently AWOL Gary Glitter producer Mike Leander which Garratt tried to rescue without much success, the Subs put out arguably their best ever album with `82's "Endangered Species," which featured a slick, clear, full production courtesy of Garrett and musically bordered on metal years before the punk-metal crossover officially took place. Indeed, the likes of the title track, "Living Dead," "Countdown," and the awesome "Lie Down and Die" could be full-on metal songs but for Harper's snotty Cockney punk vocals.

These sessions also produced "Plan of Action," which sadly didn't make it onto the album (though it is on the CD reissue) but was the B-side of the "Countdown" single and is perhaps my favorite ever Subs song, another absolutely blinding up-tempo rocker. The Subs deserve a lot of credit for effectively presaging the punk-metal crossover trend by several years with "Endangered Species."

This album also included "Down On The Farm," which would be covered years later by Guns `n' Roses on their "The Spaghetti Incident" album and happily provide a source of supplemental royalties income for songwriters Harper, Gibbs, and Garrett in perpetuity (or at least as long as people keep buying Guns `n' Roses albums). There were a few experimental post-punk numbers on "Endangered Species" as well, like "Sensitive Boys," "Ice Age," and "Flesh Wound," which don't really work but show that there was more to the Subs than just bashing out three chords.<

Vive les Subs!

This is a pretty good starter if you're only new to the Subs. Plan Of Action is a great track as also is the title track. There's some tracks which meander along a little aimlessly, but overall this is a fine specimen of the Subs and a worthy addition to anyone into this genre.