Customer Reviews

Go for It

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Go For It" might very well be punk's best keep secret. Much like the Clash's "London Calling" and Bad Brain's "I Against I," the rich album explodes out of the restrictions of the genre with a melting pot of diverse influences and songwriting. The band's goal was to make a pure singles album with every song designed to stand on its own with a unique voice, and for the most part they somehow pull it off convincingly. A common theme of taking risks and well "going for it" does seem to emerge throughout a wide variety of lyrical topics that seem to cover everything under the sun. Seriouisly, name a topic and the main songwriting team of Burns/Ogilvie probably presents it in a fresh, straightforward, and intelligent way on this album; sex, love, alienation, domestic violence, working class angst, random violence, rocking out, and even the problem with young marriages of convience.

The aggression of punk is either controlled or not present at all though every song is dripping with very urgent passion in both playing and Burn's wonderful singing voice that ranges from soft and pleasant to hoarse and emotional. Like the musicianship, the production is very accomplished and of unusual high quality for the genre and era. The popular opening cover of "Roots, Radicals..." surpisingly leans more towards the up-tempo righteous rage of Punk than Ska, while moody Dub dominates slow ballads like the melancholy "The Only One" and the soaring powerhouse "Safe as Houses." "Just Fade Away" and "Kicking up Racket" are upbeat pop guitar jubliations,and Cluney's romantic rockabilly number "Gate 49" might be the most sincere and understated of the common "life on the road" rock songs. The title track is a marching instrumental that you've probably heard before without realizing it while a horn section emphasizes the bittersweet longing of "Silver Linging" even better than the easy releatabe down to the earth lyrics. But simply praising the exciting diversity of the songwriting is to ignore what makes this album really work, its the uncommon way the band honestly takes the songs to heart without making them too weighty that really sets them apart form their peers. Preaching without really preaching if you will. It should also be noted that even with the occassional dark or angry corner, the album is almost always easy on the ears, beyond catchy, and very hopeful; it's also a ton of fun with incredible pop highs always on the horizon. I would go so far as to say this might very well be the best album to emerge from the punk scene in the 80s, it is really that great and underlooked.

This album is really awesome. Not quite as amazing as Nobody's Heroes but just as good as Inflammable Material. Unlike most albums, this one gets better as it goes along, with the weaker songs (though none are bad) towards the beginning and the great songs past the half-way mark.

I also like that Jake Burns voice is smoother and clearer on this album. I actually find his smooth voice to be more powerful than his raspy one.

The bonus tracks are nice and the the interview with Jake Burns at the end is long and informative.

When Paul Morley wrote the review of this album in the UK music paper New Musical Express he described SLF as 'the greatest rock group in the world'. Ironically, this album turned many of the early fans away because it shows the group beginning to move away from their traditional punk format. What's more there is only one reference to Belfast and that is in the last song. This album doesn't have the same energy as Inflammable Material but it has considerably more variety- superb punk-reggae songs like 'Safe as Houses' co-exist with motown influenced ditties like 'Silver Lining'. The song-writing here is superb. The lyrics are what you'd expect of this group- mainly political and social comment. The group's musicianship had evolved considerably since the first album. A must for SLF fans or even for those just intrigued by who were this group which had such influence on (early) Sinead O'Connor, (early) U2, Ash, Green Day and the Dropkick Murphys.

Stunning...Superb. Imaginative...Intense. Bombastic...
Beautiful. Caustic...Caressing. THE most important punk
band from the U.K. ever, evolved into, simply put, a great
rock n' roll band. A full-on treatment of scream along/sing
along anthems, sung by both Burns and Cluney. Starting with
a corrosive cover (and AMAZING live staple) of "Roots, Radicals,
Rockers, Reggae" and finishing with the harrowing "Piccadilly
Circus" (if you listen closely you can hear the switchblade

slash), with some Motown, some Stray Cats, and some dubby
reggae all mixed together into a perfect amalgam.
Disc centerpiece-"Safe as Houses"- a plaintive, poignant ditty
about Irish life...marrying the girl next door...and moving/
staying on the same block as "Mum and Dad". THE best song
Jake Burns has ever written-pure passion and power. And...
as a bonus you get a live take of The Specials "Doesn't Make
it Allright", which the Fingers downright destroy. (when
heard, you get that "icecube sliding down yer spine" feeling)
I may a bit biased (I've seen them live over twenty times)
and I've never EVER been disappointed, but this is one disc
you'll treasure like your firstborn. This is ALL THE BEST,
ALL THE REST, so, like, just "GO FOR IT"!

Stiff Little Fingers were the real deal of Irish music in the late 1970's. Not for the faint of heart, Stiff Little Fingers brings everything they have right at you. Like it or bug(sic) off. They had this warm-up act with some singer named Bono, but who cared? SLF was going to be on! "Go for it!" is a bit more accessibile to the masses than the earliest SLF albums, but it doesn't pull it's punches. It delivers white Irish reggae, before the Clash/UB40/anyone who could say 'mon' influence permeated the isles. The songs have bite. "Just Fade Away" is a nasty turn on the "Not Fade Away" theme as old as rock and roll and the bar scene. There is no room here for Ally McBeal's cutsie-pie break-up dumpster. By the same token, the next cut on Go For It is a little escapist ditty, Gate49. But SLF hadn't turned soft. They close with "a song about a man who got beaten nearly to death, just because he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time - Picadilly Circus" It may be urban legend, but one of the SLF (I think Jim Reilly) drummers lost a brother to "the troubles" in Ulster, and was the topic of their song Wasted Life. You can't wrtie stuff like this anymore because it is jammed with emotion... and no small part is anger. It's Agitprop, it's punk, it's 70's, and it's not in the least bit subtle. The record industry of the 1990's would ask if they could possibly dub in a horn section. No? Maybe we can convince Alanis to sing backup. Bah! It's raw. If you miss that in Rock and Roll, buy this.

PROTECTED CD WONT PLAY PROPERLY ON COMPUTER. Great cd but not for you if you want to rip it.

Just felt I had to chuck my two pennyworth in.

I like the Fingers, they were a great band, the first two albums I loved. Hanx was a good live album (although I preferred the Ramones - It's Alive and the Subs - Crash Course). This though is far from SLF at their best - having read the reviews below, it's apparent that Roots is the most favoured song on the album.

Personally, I don't get it - listen to the early SLF, it was proper angst and protest, getting at the establishment - JB could write that stuff by the bucket load and good it was too, he didn't fare as well with relationships, it was confusing at times - new manish one minute, old laddish the next, Sham did social commentary far far better.

The stand out track is Piccadily Circus, Racket and Fade Away are next in line, the rest are just decent or bubbling under. Sadly though, this was them at their suposed peak - yes they're still going but mostly playing to St Patricks day audiences or those of an Irish bent, all that tricolour waving doesn't do it for me.

A reviewer mentions below that they're about the only band still going from the first wave - well not quite, their last studio album of new material was released in 2001, since then they've just gig'd. Compare them to the UK Subs who formed before and have just released their 23rd album and gig constantly. The appetite for going to see bands who have reformed continues to grow, you can see plenty of the 70's/80's punk bands on the bandwagon these days - for most sadly, 30 years on it's not a pretty sight.

Buy this by all means but don't expect the brilliance of the first two albums.

As for Fingers though, I do believe though that in their day, they were just awesome.

While this album is not Stiff Little Finger's best, it is very good and worth purchasing. Stiff Little Fingers hit their peak at the exact wrong time. They were in constant shadow by The Clash and never recieved their well deserved praise. I would highly recommend anything by this band especially Inflammable Material and Nobody's Heroes.

These folks definitely aren't Clash clones, to which they have sometimes been referred. Doubt if the Clash could do the instrumental they have in this album. This one goes well with a good te-kill-ya. i'm partial to the Cuervo Tradicional myself. salud.

Ireland's Stiff Little Fingers were always unfairly burdened with the tag "the Irish Clash," but while Strummer, Jones & Co. started to dissolve in a shambles, beginning after the release of "London Calling" really, SLF continued to fly the punk flag proud and high. Although actually only their third best album, "Go For It" is essential in that it contains their greatest song "Roots Radicals Rockers & Reggae" which, for some reason, never seems to turn up on any compilations of the band. SLF is still together today, almost 25 years after its first album and, except for The Damned, what other members of the Class of '77 can make that claim? Your punk collection is incomplete without something by this band.