Inflammable Material

Inflammable Material is the debut album by the Northern Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers, 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.

This article is about the musical album. For information about materials that will burn, see Flammability.

Inflammable Material
Studio album by
Stiff Little Fingers
ReleasedFebruary 2, 1979
RecordedNovember 1, 1978 - November 13, 1978 at Spaceward Studios, Cambridge. (Apart from "Alternative Ulster" recorded Island Studios, London May 1978.)
GenrePunk rock
Length41:08
LabelRough Trade
ProducerGeoff Travis, Mayo Thompson, Doug Bennett, Ed Hollis (B4)
Stiff Little Fingers chronology
Inflammable Material
(1979)		 Nobody's Heroes
(1980)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
Q[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Sounds[6]

On its initial release, Paul Morley of the NME declared that "even more so than Never Mind The Bollocks – which turned out to be comedy – much more so than The Clash – which turned out to be quaint – as astonishing in its impact as The Ramones, Inflammable Material is the classic punk rock record."[7] 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."[7] 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."[6] 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?"[6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jake Burns and Gordon Ogilvie; except where indicated

  1. "Suspect Device" – 2:36
  2. "State of Emergency" (Jake Burns) – 2:29
  3. "Here We Are Nowhere" (Henry Cluney) – 1:00
  4. "Wasted Life" (Jake Burns) – 3:10
  5. "No More of That" (Henry Cluney) – 2:04
  6. "Barbed Wire Love" – 3:33
  7. "White Noise" – 1:57
  8. "Breakout" (Jake Burns) – 3:04
  9. "Law and Order" – 3:14
  10. "Rough Trade" – 2:41
  11. "Johnny Was" (Bob Marley) – 8:12
  12. "Alternative Ulster" – 2:45
  13. "Closed Groove" – 4:25

The 2001 EMI CD reissue added the following tracks:

  1. "Suspect Device" (single version)
  2. "78 RPM" – 2:38
  3. "Jake Burns Interview Pt. 1" - 17:41

The reissue includes the first part of an interview of Jake Burns by Alan Parker (the second part is included in the reissue of Nobody's Heroes).

Chart Position
Chart (1979) Peak
position
United Kingdom
14

This was the first album on an independent record label to enter the UK Top Twenty.[8]

Personnel
Stiff Little Fingers

with:

  • Andy Kelly – bassoon on "Alternative Ulster"
Technical
  • Geoff Travis – producer
  • Mayo Thompson – producer
  • Mike Kemp – engineer
  • Doug Bennett – producer
  • Ed Hollis – producer on "Alternative Ulster"

References
  1. Jurek, Thom. "Inflammable Material – Stiff Little Fingers". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. Sinclair, Tom (11 April 2005). "EW reviews the latest album reissues". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  3. "Stiff Little Fingers: Inflammable Material". Q. No. 185. December 2001. p. 165.
  4. Fields, Gaylord (2 June 2005). "Stiff Little Fingers: Inflammable Material". Rolling Stone. No. 975. p. 79.
  5. Swenson, John (1983). "Stiff Little Fingers". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (2nd ed.). Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 491. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
  6. Bushell 1979.
  7. Morley 1979.
  8. Cranna, Ian (1979) "Rough Charm", Smash Hits, EMAP National Publications Ltd, 4–17 October 1979, p. 6–7

Sources
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