''Inflammable Material'' is the debut album by the

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

punk band

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the D ...

, released in 1979. Most of the album's tracks are about the "Troubles" and the grim reality of life in Northern Ireland with the songs containing themes of teenage boredom, sectarian violence, RUC (police) oppression, etc., urging people to "grab it and change it, it's yours" in what became their signature song "Alternative Ulster". The song "Rough Trade" is about the band's view of the music business as being dishonest, but they have since claimed it is not about their record label which happens to have the same name.

Reception

On its initial release, Paul Morley of the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' declared that "even more so than '' Never Mind The Bollocks'' – which turned out to be comedy – much more so than

The Clash The Clash were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave music, new wave moveme ...

– which turned out to be quaint – as astonishing in its impact as

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, ''Inflammable Material'' is the classic punk rock record." Morley went on to note the album was a "crushing contemporary commentary, brutally inspired by blatant bitter rebellion and frustration" concluding that "There are parts of ''Inflammable Material'' that are not just exciting or stimulating but quite humbling. It is a remarkable document." Garry Bushell of '' Sounds'' also praised the album, declaring it "a magnificent slice of vintage punk played fast and frantic, and loaded with powerful lyrics and forceful hooks barked out with anger and conviction by the man with the permanent sore throat, vocalist/lead guitarist Jake Burns." Bushell concluded that "Stiffs to be one of the most impressive old style punk bands to have broken surface in recent times, and my worries are mostly for the future: will their music progress or stagnate?"

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jake Burns and Gordon Ogilvie; except where indicated #" Suspect Device" – 2:36 #"State of Emergency" (Jake Burns) – 2:29 #"Here We Are Nowhere" (Henry Cluney) – 1:00 #"Wasted Life" (Jake Burns) – 3:10 #"No More of That" (Henry Cluney) – 2:04 #"Barbed Wire Love" – 3:33 #"White Noise" – 1:57 #"Breakout" (Jake Burns) – 3:04 #"Law and Order" – 3:14 #"Rough Trade" – 2:41 #"Johnny Was" (

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

) – 8:12 # "Alternative Ulster" – 2:45 #"Closed Groove" – 4:25 The 2001

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...

CD reissue added the following tracks: The reissue includes the first part of an interview of Jake Burns by

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

(the second part is included in the reissue of '' Nobody's Heroes'').

Chart Position

This was the first album on an independent record label to enter the UK Top Twenty.Cranna, Ian (1979) "Rough Charm", ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'', EMAP National Publications Ltd, 4–17 October 1979, p. 6–7

Personnel

;Stiff Little Fingers *

Jake Burns John "Jake" Burns (born 21 February 1958) is a singer and guitarist, and is best known as the frontman of Stiff Little Fingers, although he has also recorded with Jake Burns and the Big Wheel, 3 Men + Black, and as a solo artist. Early life ...

– vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

Henry Cluney Henry Cluney (born 4 August 1957) is a guitarist and former member of the band Stiff Little Fingers. He remained with the group until lead singer Jake Burns disbanded them in 1983. He toured briefly with the band Dark Lady (band), Dark Lady supp ...

– guitar, vocals *

Ali McMordie Alistair Jardine "Ali" McMordie (born 31 March 1959 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a bass guitarist, best known as a founding member of Stiff Little Fingers, playing with the band from 1977 until they broke up in 1983, and joined them on the ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

, vocals *

Brian Faloon Brian Faloon is a musician born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He played drums for Highway Star, who were to become Stiff Little Fingers, having met two of the other band members at Belfast Boys' Model School. Faloon stayed with SLF long enough t ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

with: *Andy Kelly – bassoon on "Alternative Ulster" ;Technical *

Geoff Travis Geoff Travis (born 2 February 1952) is the founder of both Rough Trade Records and the Rough Trade chain of record shops. A former drama teacher and owner of a punk record shop, Travis founded the Rough Trade label in 1978. Biography Travis was ...

– producer *

Mayo Thompson Mayo Thompson (born February 26, 1944 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola. Background His formal education includes Garden of Arts Kin ...

– producer *Mike Kemp – engineer *Doug Bennett – producer *Ed Hollis – producer on "Alternative Ulster"

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control Stiff Little Fingers albums 1979 debut albums Albums produced by Mayo Thompson Rough Trade Records albums Celluloid Records albums Restless Records albums EMI Records albums Chrysalis Records albums Parlophone albums Works about The Troubles (Northern Ireland)