Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 340 - Stiff Little Fingers

All The Best - Stiff Little Fingers

Chrysalis Records

Released 4th February 1983

UK Chart #19

 Tracklist for Original Vinyl Version

 

A1 Suspect Device    
A2  Wasted Life    
A3 Alternative Ulster    
A4 78 RPM    
A5 Gotta Gettaway    
A6  Bloody Sunday    
A7  Straw Dogs    
A8 You Can't Say Crap On The Radio

   
B1 At The Edge    
B2 Running Bear (Live)    
B3 White Christmas (Live)    
B4 Nobody's Hero    
B5 Tin Soldiers    
B6  Back To Front    
B7 Mr Fire Coal Man 

   
C1 Just Fade Away    
C2 Go For It    
C3 Doesn't Make It All Right (Live)    
C4 Silver Lining    
C5 Safe As Houses    
C6 Sad-Eyed People    
C7 Two Guitars Clash  

  
D1 Listen    
D2 That's When Your Blood Bumps    
D3 Good For Nothing    
D4 Talkback    
D5 Stands To Reason    
D6 Bits Of Kids    
D7 Touch And Go    
D8 The Price Of Admission

Notes on Singles & EPs

(Links here are for live, TV or alternative versions)

"Suspect Device" (B-side: "Wasted Life"), 4 February 1978 (Re-released: 17 March 1979)

Released on Rigid Digits label

"Alternative Ulster" (B-side: "78 RPM"), 17 October 1978

Released on Rough Trade/Rigid Digits

 

"Gotta Gettaway" (B-side: "Bloody Sunday"), 8 May 1979

Released on Rough Trade/Rigid Digits

 The Chrysalis Years

"Straw Dogs" (B-side: "You Can't Say Crap on the Radio"), 21 September 1979 (UK No. 44)

"At the Edge" (B-side: "Running Bear (live)" and "White Christmas (live)"), 9 February 1980, (UK No. 15)

The opening line of At The Edge turns up in When We Were Young from their excellent No Going Back (2014) album.

"Nobody's Hero"/"Tin Soldiers" (Double A-side), 16 May 1980, (UK No. 36)

 The 3rd September 1979 Peel Session is worth having a listen to as it contained three songs that would be issued as singles (Nobodys Hero, At The Edge and Straw Dogs)

"Back to Front"/"Mr. Coal Fire Man" (Double A-side), 18 July 1980, (UK No. 49)

"Just Fade Away" (B-side: "Go For It" and "Doesn't Make It Alright (live)"), 20 March 1981, (UK No. 47)

"Silver Lining" (B-side: "Safe as Houses"), 5 May 1981, (UK No. 68)

"Talkback" (B-side: "Good For Nothing"), 1 April 1982

"Bits of Kids" (B-side: "Stands to Reason"), 23 August 1982, (UK No. 73)

 £1.10 Or Less ("Listen"/"That's When Your Blood Bumps"/"Sad-Eyed People"/"Two Guitars Clash"), 6 January 1982, (UK No. 33)

"Price of Admission" (B-side: "Touch and Go"), 4 February 1983

The single was released on the same day as All The Best and was the final single from the band until their return in 1987.

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After spotlighting a couple of compilations from Welsh bands over the weekend it seems fitting to turn our attention to Northern Ireland and one of the best bands to hail from Belfast - Stiff Little Fingers.

All The Best is one of my favourite compilations and it gathers in one place all of the singles from 1978's independent classic Suspect Device on Rigid Digits right the way through to their years at Chrysalis Records and the eventual break up in 1983 with The Price of Admission.

You tend to forget what a great singles band SLF were and so when you get the chance to hear them one after the after on this album it's an absolutely delightful listening experience.

It's hard to pin down what my absolute favourite is - it kind of wavers between Straw Dogs, Gotta Getaway and Silver Lining. But pretty much all of them were good singles.

Many of the songs represented on All The Best are still played live by the band today that features only Jake Burns and Ali McMoride from the original line-up of 1977. Ian McCallum plays guitar for the current line-up and has done so since 1993. Steve Grantley is on the drums and has been since 1996.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!