Sham 69 "Tell Us The Truth"

The first wave of British punk was overrun with smart kids from upper-class backgrounds playacting at being working-class yobs. Sham 69 was different; every bit as thick-headed and provincial as the band sounded, they took a perversely populist pride in it's lack of musical or intellectual sophistication, just like The Exploited and Anti-Nowhere League. Side one of Tell Us The Truth was recorded live, and it perfectly captured the Cockney vibe, complete with football chants and a spontaneous chorus of "Knees Up, Mother Brown." Frontman Jimmy Pursey's banter with the audience is impressive, and all the songs are brimmed with straight-ahead live energy. The studio side is a template for brash UK punk rock: snotty, in-your-face, fast and loud. Tell Us The Truth is now available on 1000 individually numbered copies on red vinyl.

1. We Got A Fight
2. Rip Off
3. Ulster
4. George Davis Is Innocent
5. They Don't Understand
6. Borstal Breakout
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. Whose Generation!