If I had to make a list of my favorite ten albums from the first wave of punk (let's say 1976-78), this would be the sleeper item at #10. That's kind of amazing since there was not a huge scene in Australia at that time--soon Birthday Party and a lot of other great music would teach us the true greatness to be seen down under, but in 1977 this record was all we knew in the US.
I really liked them, and bought this before it ever came out in the US, along with all the 45s and EPs they put out back then. They weren't the Clash, but there was something that transcended generic punk. They seemed to be having a great time! And they had some kind of background in old R&B music, and would do covers like "Messin with the Kid" which wasn't on the radar of most of the British punk bands at that point.
Anyway, they took huge chances with their next two albums, allowing horns and guitars to mix in the glorious "Know Your Product" that pissed off the punk purists...why were there "punk purists" anyway? Bad sign. And so their third album travelled even farther away, being some sort of a blue-eyed soul outing that kicked away their old audience and started a whole new following.
The lesson was, 1977 was never meant to last forever. But they sure were right at the middle of that year.
Beautiful pristine vinyl, and just the slightest wear to the sleeve. I guess I took good care of this stuff...
First UK pressing, see Variant 3 on Discogs database.