Pure Mania

About

When this album came out in 1977, the average age of The Vibrators was around 28, which, according to their U.K. punk rock brethren, made them too old. But listening now, it’s hard to imagine this band being dismissed by other punks for any reason other than envy. The rat-a-tat rockers alone (“She’s Bringing You Down,” “Wrecked on You,” “No Heart,” “Petrol,” “Bad Time”) have enough spit-polish and guts to lift them above most of their English contemporaries. What’s more, the band incorporates killer bits of rock history without sounding punk turncoat. There’s sped-up pub rock (“London Girls”), unwashed glam with appropriate Brit accents (“Keep It Clean”), and dirtball R&B (“Stiff Little Fingers,” whose title inspired the name for the popular Irish punk band). There’s even a badass ballad (“Baby, Baby”) that’s pure British Invasion but would’ve fit swimmingly on The Ramones’ <i>Road to Ruin</i> or <i>End of the Century</i> albums. Even with the occasional silly come-on (“He drives a black Cadillac/Whips and furs in the back”), <i>Pure Mania</i> is among the greatest punk albums of all time.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →