Stiff Little Fingers Listen, Sad Eyed People/ That's When Your Blood Bumps, Two Guitars Clash (Chrysalis 12", X 13080, 1982)
I had a thing for SLF back in the late seventies, early eighties. Their refreshing approach was pop punk with huge energy, a social conscience (without the sneer), stabbing/riffing guitars, and bags of honesty.
At The Edge is a great example - teenage angst from an Oirish perspective. Jake Burns sells the song with some excellent vocals.
By 1982 the band had moved more onto the pop continuum with this EP (also known as £1.10 or Less). Listen has some great football chant style moments but it's not a hit single. Sad Eyed People is in the same vein (without the football chant style moments).
The band continue to perform to this day and all power to them and Jake Burns (the only constant member throughout their history)!
Hidden gems: Their punk thrash drunken rave up through Running Bear/White Christmas is raw, rough and very endearing. Yep - a couple of gems.
...Blood Bumps has a cool looping reggae style (which I'm a sucker for), but it's Two Guitars Clash, driven along by some great bass guitar and a fab chorus that gets my blood really bumping (and the reason I never sold off this single).
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