Customer Reviews

Guitar & Drums

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

 

 

Stiff Little Fingers' newest album is a great punk record. It is alot better than any of the newer punk bands out right now. Jake Burns still has a great voice after all these years. The guitar is as heavy as it ever was. And still the reggae influence is still strong. This album also has a tribute to the late Joe Strummer, whose former band The Clash was a strong influence on SLF. Favorites include Guitar & Drum, Strummerville (for Joe Strummer), Can't Get Away With That, Walkin' Dynamite, Be True to Yourself, Best of Fools, I Waited, Achilles' Heart, Who Died and Made You Elvis?, and Protect and Serve. Highly Highly Recommended.

Jake Burns is the only current, original member of SLF and he is still making some of the best music around. The first incarnation of SLF played feral punk rock which grew from "the troubles" in the six counties of Northern Ireland. As time passed, the original members left Jake for variuos reasons but he continued, undeterred.
While some SLF recordings are better than others, I admire Jake Burns for his integrity and his ability to write catchy, angry, and intelligent songs. He has never sold out to trends but has always honestly expressed his soul.
On this realease, we find Jake and his current band, including Bruce Foxton. playing rock music with a definate sharp edge. This is not "punk" ala 1977 Sex Pistols but it is definately harder than the pop(poop?) which calls itself punk these days. In addition, the lyrics are smart, leftist observations on the current state of the world. Not preachy or dogmatic but a call for human beings to be human.
The musicianship is superb with the trademark SLF catchy melodies and some flashy guitar. I recommend this disk for all old SLF fans like me and for those looking for what punk ought to be, played by the original masters who have grown up.

Stiff Little Fingers, the musical bridge between The Clash and The Vandals, are back, and they're still better than anyone else around. Utilizing their own guitar and drums, they show these new lame-o whippersnappers how to write REAL pop-punk. Okay, to be fair, some of the songs feel long and the choruses tend to be repetitive. But still - this is a great album of fresh material (they sound like bands half their age), and it's a ton of fun to listen to.

A California friend gave me this album a few years ago. I listened to it a couple of times and promptly forgot about it. Then one lazy Saturday afternoon I saw it, and thought, "Who are these guys?" I cranked it up to find a punk-rocking good time. They remind me a lot of Social Distortion, but without the growling vocals, and with a lot more variety to the songs. Definitely worth some new attention!

These punkers are still going strong with Guitar and Drum being one of their best albums in years. The second track, "Strummerville" very emotional tribute to the late Joe Strummer.

Guitar and Drum still rings of the rebellion they started with combines with the wisdom of age.

I went to see SLF last week at a local club, I gave serious consideration to leaving early! SLF was one of my Fav bands when I was younger! They were so intense, and conveyed a feeling of angst that was unfounded in other Bands. I thought if I left, I would be able to keep that feeling that I had before the show that they were somehow a truely great band and if I stayed I thought I would be disappointed!

I wasn't!!! After about the third song they were in full force and they put on one of my favortie shows! Very intense, and for a bunch of old men (My age, I don't feel old?), they were pretty damn good! They played quite a few songs off of this album, which prompted me to buy it for the ride home!

I am really glad I did buy it! Guitar and Drums is a good album, and with a little more care, it may have been a great album! They put a few "filler" songs that drone out the good songs!

All in all, this is worth having, especially if you're like me, and old skater who grew up on SLF! It won't be your Fav SLF album, but I guarantee you will try to get your friends to listen to it, as a favor to them!

Here is a prime example of a band who should've just called it quits after their first few albums. Well, actually, they did, but then of course, Mr. Burns has to go a get a few people who were never in the band and, instead of calling it something in the vein of The Jake Burns Experience, he slaps his old band's moniker on it. Classic cash in attempt. Perhaps over these past ten years of touring like mad (since he's apparently broke or something) "SLF" have gotten more serious about their music, they just don't sound like it, that's all. Skip this album and pick up Inflammable Material or Nobodys Heroes instead and don't get ripped off like I did. If you want good, current pop punk, get the Presidents of the United States of America's new album, which, unlike this chum, is still fresh and interesting.