Another excruciatingly boring release from this overrated band. Their attack is a slow-motion one, and I can hardly stay awake till its conclusion. The wimpy pop sound on this 45 makes it even worse than their usual offerings.
Definitely not as gritty and hardcore as ANTI-PASTI’s first album, Caution in the Wind opts for a greater emphasis on melody in the mid-to-fast-tempo compositions. This “classical punk” sound adds a new dimension of distinctiveness to the songwriting (especially in standout tracks like “Get Out Now” and “Mr. Mystery”), even if it does occasionally wimpify some of ANTI-PASTI’s best songs. Entertaining, but not particularly energizing.
This group’s first EP had a certain charm that they have now replaced with a leaden sound like that of label-mates ANTI-PASTI. The result is pretty nondescript.
No to be confused with the South African punk band of the same name, but will be confused with just about every other recent UK punk band. Know what I mean?
Standard Britpunk mining a heavy metal vein. This kind of thing has been done so often and so much better elsewhere that a record like this really has a hard time maintaining interest. Fast, loud, and tedious.
The third 7″ from one of my favorite Oi bands. Though their amazingly gruff vocals and speedy tempo again lift them above the usual fare, none of these tracks is as irresistibly catchy as “Violent Society.”
Another great-sounding Oi record from SPECIAL DUTIES, but regrettably they’ve exhibited completely reactionary values on this one. “Bullshit Crass” is an anti-CRASS diatribe which might be funny if these clowns did even 1/100th as much as CRASS to generate intelligence and help other bands. And what can you say about goons who consider CRASS—the ultimate anarchist group—to be “Reds”? Embarrassingly stupid.
Ditto for this long-player. SPECIAL DUTIES have everything—ripping guitars, amphetamine speed, sandpaper vocals, catchy choruses—except the all-important brains. This time they rail against the “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,” asserting with jingoistic passion that they don’t want to die for a weak England! (Fellas, you were born about a century too late.) If the imbecility quotient wasn’t so high, this would be one of my current faves. As it is, I can’t recommend it.
The title song shows lots of promise on this, their third 7″. Pretty s-punky stuff, but the B-side cuts are pretty unexciting.
Standard ’80s Britpunk. Some of these songs stand out by virtue of their higher speed and/or catchy choruses (especially the title cut and “Dead End Depression”) but most lack any distinguishing features. The 12″ contains three more tracks than the 7” version.
