Tell Us the Truth

Tell Us the Truth is the debut album by English punk rock band Sham 69, released in 1978. The first side of the album was recorded live in concert, while the other was recorded in the studio. Tell Us the Truth includes one of Sham 69's biggest hits, "Borstal Breakout", on the live side of the album. The album peaked at number 25 on the UK Albums Chart.

"Swear to Tell the Truth" redirects here. Not to be confused with To Tell the Truth (disambiguation) or Tell the Truth (disambiguation).

Tell Us the Truth
Studio album by
Sham 69
ReleasedFebruary 1978
VenueMarquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, London; The Vortex, 203 Wardour Street, London
Studio
GenrePunk rock
Length34:52
Label
Producer
Sham 69 chronology
Tell Us the Truth
(1978)		 That's Life
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB[2]

Tell Us the Truth and the band's second album That's Life were re-released in 1989 as a double LP.

Track listing

All songs written by Jimmy Pursey and Dave Parsons

Live side
  1. "We Got a Fight"
  2. "Rip Off"
  3. "Ulster"
  4. "George Davis Is Innocent"
  5. "They Don’t Understand"
  6. "Borstal Breakout"
    Studio side
  7. "Family Life"
  8. "Hey Little Rich Boy"
  9. "I’m a Man, I’m a Boy"
  10. "What About the Lonely?"
  11. "Tell Us the Truth"
  12. "It’s Never Too Late"
  13. "Who's Generation!"
    Captain Oi! bonus tracks
  14. "What Have We Got" (live)
  15. "I Don't Wanna" produced by John Cale
  16. "Red London" produced by John Cale
  17. "Ulster" (single version) produced by John Cale
  18. "Borstal Breakout" (single version)
  19. "George Davis Is Innocent" (demo) produced by Howard Thompson and Sham 69; engineered by Steve Lillywhite
  20. "They Don't Understand" (demo) produced by Howard Thompson and Sham 69; engineered by Steve Lillywhite
  21. "Borstal Breakout" (demo) produced by Howard Thompson and Sham 69; engineered by Steve Lillywhite
  • Tracks 15-17 released as "I Don't Wanna" single on Step Forward
  • "Borstal Breakout" released as Polydor Records debut single, January 1978

Personnel

Sham 69

  • Jimmy Pursey – vocals, production, liner notes
  • Dave Parsons – guitars, liner notes
  • Dave "Kermit" Tregunna – bass guitar
  • Mark "Dodie" Cain – drums

with:

  • Albie "Slider" Maskell - bass guitar on tracks 15-17 and 19-21

Technical

  • Peter Wilson – production
  • Brian Burrows – remixing
  • Steve Hammonds – project coordinator
  • Jo Mirowski – art direction, design
  • Alwyn Clayden – package design
  • Martyn Goddard – photography
  • Barry Plummer – photography

Charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[3] 25

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog Notes
UK 1978 Polydor Records LP 2383 491
US 1978 Sire Records LP SRK 6060
UK 1996 Dojo Records CD DOJO CD 256 Features one bonus track ("What Have We Got (live)")
US 1996 Dojo Records CD DOJO 3000-2 Features one bonus track ("What Have We Got (live)")
UK 2000 Castle Music CD CMRCD 020 Features two bonus tracks ("What Have We Got" and "Borstal Breakout (single version)")
UK 2005 Captain Oi! CD AHOY DPX 611 Features eight bonus tracks

References
  1. Deming, Mark. "Tell Us the Truth – Sham 69". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
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