Quando uscì questo disco io non ero nato, non posso certo farmene una colpa, ma forse avrei potuto capire meglio come il fenomeno Ruts esplose e finì nel giro di pochi anni. Ora è semplice: solo una canzone denota il nome di questa band "Babylon's Burning", tutto il resto rimane in penombra. Forse snobbati da alcuni per il loro successo da Hit Parade, forse rimasti segnati come una sorta di Clash minori, i Ruts hanno avuto un successo da capogiro e la loro fama storica al giorno d'oggi non sempre viene ricordata. Diretti contro il razzismo, organizzarono diverse manifestazioni come "Rock Against Racism" restando particolarmente vicini alla classe operaia inglese. Parte del loro successo è dovuto dall'introduzione di brani reggae nelle loro scalette e da testi con tematiche forti, a volte incompresi, lame a doppio senso.
Dopo la sostanziosa vendita di singoli, i Ruts incidono il loro primo album: "The Crack". Completo e di spessore, maturo e privo di sciocchezze, disco da consacrare ricco di brani d'avanguardia. Anche se lontano dalle sonorità aspre e confusionali che caratterizzeranno il punk negli anni a venire, riesco a percepire un importante passo avanti verso l'impostazione musicale hardcore del futuro. Brani non eccessivamente lunghi, ricchi di sfaccettature e ben architettati. La parte chitarristica è variegata alternano riff movimentati con accordi atmosferici senza spezzare la continuità musicale, evidentemente influenzati dalle sonorità jamaicane, fanno un grande uso ritmiche in levare rendendo tutto molto più orecchiabile e dinamico. Un punto forte della parte strumentale è il basso di Jennings; riempie quei spazi vuoti con un tocco quasi funkeggiante, rendendo il suo strumento la vera e propria spina dorsale della musica dei Ruts. La voce di Owen invece riesce a colpirci dall'interno, semplice ma presente, con un tono caldo rauco, esprime il messaggio della band grazie una personale sensibilità ribelle. Dei brani sono interamente di musica Reggae, ma attenzione "Jah War" o "Give Youth a Change" non sono fantasie provocatorie, ma messaggi pacifisti e di speranza sentiti di cuore che non potevano essere più efficaci se non così. Per quanto riguarda la registrazione devo dire che è perfetta. Ogni componente è stato collocato nel suo giusto spazio, nessuno invade il territorio altrui, ogni strumento è messo nella perfetta posizione in modo tale da rendere l'ascolto un vero e proprio piacere.
Nell'insieme non riuscirei mai a dire quale traccia di questo album è la migliore, ogni brano ha un suo punto forte, ogni brano ha una sua contaminazione, ogni brano è una testimonianza dell'attività musicale dei Ruts. Mi sembra troppo limitativo dire che in questo lavoro solo "Babylon's Burning" sia degna di nota, vorrei segnalare ad esempio "Savage Circe", "You Are Just a..." o "S.U.S.", comunque sia ripeto che tutte le canzoni hanno un carisma unico.
Owen morirà di overdose dopo poco tempo dall'uscita di questo album, peccato, sarei stato veramente curioso di ascoltare cosa sarebbe successo in futuro, le inutili reunion non riuscirono a fare strada. Con la mancanza di Owen i Ruts erano come una mosca senza ali.
L'album è una pietra miliare, poche parole, lo consiglio a qualsiasi appassionato di musica.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
02 Babylon's Burning (02:35)
Babylon's burning
You're burning the street
You're burning your houses
With anxiety
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
You're burning the street
You're burning the ghetto
With anxiety
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning, baby
Can't you see?
Babylon's burning
With anxiety
You'll burn as your work
You'll burn at your play
smouldering
With ignorance and hate
And with anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning, baby
Can't you see?
Babylon's burning
With anxiety
Babylon's burning
Babylon's burning
03 Dope for Guns (02:11)
The newspaper headlines got it wrong
Thery're tryin' to tell us the dope is too strong
But it ain't dope they're turning you
They're selling dope for guns, that's the truth
Dope for guns, it ain't fun
They put you on your knees with ???
???
Dope for guns, dope for guns
No one suspected, but you had elected
Some foreign power, but it turned sauer
So shoot down the victim, you can't miss ‘em
It's a run on the ladder for a higher status
Dope for guns etc
Shoot down the victim, you can' miss them,
It's a run on the ladder for a higher status
Well no one suspected, but you elected
Some foreign power, but it turned sauer
Dope for guns etc
05 Something That I Said (03:55)
OK, kick them in the head
Just cause something that I said
You don't want to know the truth
Cause you're wild and full of you
Was it something that I said
Was it something that I said
Was it something in my head?
You ain't got no friends no more
Cause you kick them to the floor
Time will tel and you will see
That it's down to U know me
Was it something etc
OK, now you're on your own
You're selfrighteous loosing all
So get off your pedistole
Before you ain't got no friends no more
Was it something etc
07 It Was Cold (06:49)
It was cold in the night
I was with you sometime ago
But you were laughing to hide your crying
In shocked and taste, we walked away
You said be careful, some lights were shining
They came much closer, we started hiding
And in the silence I heard you breathing
But far away, someone was screaming
No time for crying, we started running
We kept on running until the daylight
And it was cold, the smog was heavy
Casualty tide, no one was ready
It was cold in the night
I was with you some time ago
You said now no in desperado
The world we knew in desolation
08 Savage Circle (03:06)
Life's a savage circle
Some people dedicated to ruin my life
Life's a savage circle
OK baby said you're allright
You think you know me well
Well you can go to hell
Your thick gives me a frown
Well baby it's getting me down
Life's a savage circle
Some people dedicated to ruin my life
Life's a savage circle
OK baby said you're allright
You're well and look it out
Until do you doubt
You lot are just like you
I hope I'm getting through
Life's a savage circle
Some people dedicated to ruin my life
Life's a savage circle
OK baby said you're allright
You think you know me well
Well you can go to hell
Your thick gives me a frown
Well baby it's getting me down
Life's a savage circle
Some people dedicated to ruin my life
Life's a savage circle
OK baby said you're allright
You're well and look it out
Until do you doubt
You lot are just like you
I hope I'm getting through
I think you know, it's getting me down
It's getting me down,
Down down, Down
09 Jah War (06:55)
The air was thick with a smell of oppression
The militants joined with angry position
Redemption type with a strain of repression
Young blood boiling hot with agression
Jah war fighting fighting
Jah war, too close frightening
The winds were blowing and stirring up reaction
A storm broke out a militant action
Hot heads came in uniform
Thunder and lightning in a violent form
Jah war fighting fighting
Jah war, too close frightening
Solo
Jah war fighting fighting
Jah war, too close frightening
The air etc
Jah war fighting fighting
Jah war, too close frightening
Fighting fighting Jah war
Too close frightening jah War
Fighting fighting Jah war
Too close frightening jah War
Clarence Baker
No trouble maker
Said the truncheon came down
Knocked him to the ground
Said the blood on the streets that day
The blood and the madness
Said the blood on the streets that day
....Hey
Fighting fighting Jah war
Fighting fighting Jah war
Fighting fighting Jah war
Fighting fighting Jah war
10 Criminal Mind (01:33)
That criminal mind is really unkind
It's just for kicks, it's a habit that STICKS
You do what you wanna
I do what I wanna do
Ido it for the kicks
And it's a habit that STICKS
They'll put you back down and people push me ‘round
Well just for kicks, it's a habit that STICKS
You do what you wanna
I do what I wanna do
I do it for kicks
And it's a habit that STICKS 3x
Well the things that are possible once you dare
I've sussed the cake and it's on the take
You do what you wanna
I do what I wanna do
I do it for kicks
And it's a habit that STICKS 3x
11 Backbiter (03:02)
Don’t grow my insight you talk about fiction
The words you say are gushing by you talk about friction
I don’t wanna hear about the troubles that you found
Don’t wanna know the way that you’ve been messed around
Backbiter you’re a loser
Backbiter you’re a user
Backbiter you’re a loser
Backbiter you’re a user
You stitch up your friends you think you’ve got it sown iup
But that was a true lie, we know that you suck
I don’t wanna know about what happened to your life
Don’t wanna know the reasons why you’re still alive
Backbiter you’re a loser
Backbiter you’re a user
Backbiter you’re a loser
Backbiter you’re a user
12 Out of Order (01:50)
You better calm down, said you better cool down
You're burning white hot, you're over the top
You're out for some action, some vital attracktion
You're one of the boys, you bury your toys
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You better calm down, said you better cool down
You're burning white hot, you're over the top
Your life is in danger, you're still just a stranger
You're one of the boys, you bury your toys
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
solo
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You better calm down, said you better cool down
You're burning white hot, you're over the top
You're out for some action, some vital attracktion
You're one of the boys, you bury your toys
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
You're out of order
You're standing on the border
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