The loss of Ruts frontman Malcolm Owen to a heroin overdose on July 14th, 1980, was to punk rock what the loss of Kurt Cobain was to grunge, and this The Ruts debut album, released in 1979, is every bit as important as “Nevermind” to the history of rock music. Henry Rollins has given praise in his spoken word show, and did a remarkably great job as The Ruts frontman in July 2007 at a London benefit show for guitarist Paul Fox, who passed away three months later from lung cancer, but, sadly, outside punk circles the band remain virtually unknown – particularly in the US – when, by rights, the likes of “Babylon’s Burning”, “Something That I Said“, and the reggae infused “Jah War” should be household names.
40 years after its initial release by Virgin Records, The Ruts debut album “The Crack” gets a deserved 3 Disc Expanded Edition which further cements its reputation as one of the greatest Punk Rock albums of all time. Disc 1 is the original 12 track album, the re-master overseen by surviving members Segs Jennings and Dave Ruffy.
The second disc features the band’s first four singles – “In A Rut” , “Babylon’s Burning” , “Something That I Said” and “Jah War” – plus 11 previously unreleased studio monitor mixes from the original album sessions showing rawer, work in progress versions of the album’s studio tracks.
The final disc is a previously unreleased live show from The Netherlands in January 1980 featuring the original band at their most electric and exciting, vocalist Malcolm Owen in particular on fine form. The detailed booklet contains sleeve notes by Record Collector’s Rich Davenport plus lots of memorabilia from the era.
The Fat Angel Sings 