Stiff Little Fingers

I know Stiff Little Fingers are well known, and get a fair bit of praise, but yet i still feel like the band is often overlooked. I'll be honest here, not only do i consider their first LP "Inflammable Materials" to be one of the best records EVER but i think this band is just as important as the Clash as far as late 70's punk bands go AND i think they're way fuckin' better than the Sex Pistols. Yeah i said it, and yeah i'm going to stand behind all of those statements. When i first started listening to punk i somehow got my hands on a copy of "Inflammable Materials", i still own that copy, and i remember my jaw hitting the floor when the record started off with "Suspect Device". The guitar was so raw & gritty, the lyrics were filled with rage and spat out with conviction, it was exactly what the teenage me wanted out of music. My only complaint with this record, then and now, is the record closing song "Closed Groove". It's not that the song is horrible, i actually kinda dig it now, but it just seems like such a silly way to end such an angry and amazing record! Especially with "Alternative Ulster" being right before it, why wouldn't you just end with that? I mean, that shouldn't have been buried that deep into the record anyways, but if you aren't going to put it on side 1 then why not just close out the record with it?
Anyhow, about a week ago my friend Jeff got some records from a friend of his to sell. |Out of the pile i got a few, most notably Stiff Little Fingers "Alternative Ulter" 7". This single came before the "Inflammable Materials" LP and not only is this a different, and more raw version of "Alternative Ulster" but it also features the otherwise unreleased B-side "78 RPM". Like i said the A side is rawer, and just explodes of the turntable. "78 RPM" is a great song, and i don't understand why it never got put onto a full length. It's a great jangly song with Jake Burns just spitting out the lyrics . Fuck, this is such a classic 7" single!!