By my reckoning, the Subs were always one of the more criminally overlooked bands on this side of the puddle. Granted, they came up in the wake of the Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, and such, but in many ways their harder, more “street” take on the whole punk thing was a bit more influential on later punk rock—with little effort, one can hear the foundations upon which the blueprint for much of the oi and hardcore that followed was built. Their music was also apparently a bit sturdier than that of many of their contemporaries, as evidenced on this reissue of their first album. Although originally released in 1979, most of the tracks are relatively free of cobwebs ‘n’ dust, and can easily stand toe-to-toe to the output of most modern punk bands and slap them silly, as can the band itself, who are still active and still led by the incorrigible Charlie Harper, now in his ‘60s (talk about punk rock lifers!) and still able to tear it up with the best of ‘em. Trivia note: the band has spent the last three decades releasing their albums in alphabetical order, hence this one starts with “a.” Last I checked, they’re on the ass-end of letters right about now. Here’s hoping they start the alphabet over once they reach the end.
–jimmy (Captain Oi)