Sham 69 - That's Life
Leave Me Alone
Who Gives A Damn
Everybody's Eight Everybody's Wrong
That's Life
Win Or Lose
Hurry Up Harry
Evil Way
Reggae Pick Up Part 1
Sunday Morning Nightmare
Reggae Pick Up Part 2
Angels With Dirty Faces
Is This Me Or Is This You
 
'That's Life' (Polydor POLD 5010)**** 'Sounds' October 28th 1978

1ST BLOKE: "Oi, 'arry, you 'eard fe new Sham LP, then?"

'ARRY: "Nah, me bleedin' dole money 'ain't come fro yet, 'as it? 1'm skint, ain't 1? Anyway, I 'eard it was a bit dodgy, like. You know, some sort o Poncey concept, or summink. Bleedin' doin' fe `Whistle Test' next, you wait..."

1ST BLOKE: "Leave it aht. Ve album's magic. onest, 'undred times better than fe first..." `ARRY: "Don't give me that-they ran aht of good songs ahter fe first one, and, anyway, fe live side was worth fe price o the LP on its own..."

1ST BLOKE: "Bollox. `That's Life' has magic songs all dahn fe line. Take `Leave Me Alone', fe first track on side one. F*** me, you won't find anyfing that powerful on fe first one. Jim's voice don't 'arf come over strong. Or fe title track, which I reckon is one of fe best fings fe band's ever done. It nearly knocked me old dear's head off when I played it fe ovver night."

'ARRY: "Yeah, but somebody tole me ere's a couple o Soddin' slow songs on it someplace..."

1ST BLOKE:  "You ain't 'alf fick 'arry. Slow songs? Look, Side one 'as two songs called `Who Gives A Damn' and 'Everybody's Right, Everybody's Wrong'. Sure, a piss'ead like you would call 'em slow, like, but they still got all the old Sham energy an' that, sunshine. Jim know's what 'es doin', you know. 'Es not fick like you are..."

'ARRY: You shut you're bleedin' face, mate, an' fell me vis. What abaht all vem stupid bits of talkin' between fe tracks? Eli? Bleedin' daft I call that, mate. Bleedin' daft . . ."

1ST BLOKE: "Wot a load of old cobblers

you fork, sunshine. Them's wat gives fe record a bleedin' live feel, ain't they? Gord blimey, it was a stroke o genius puttin' those bits on fe album I reckon. Stroke o genius it was."

1ST BLOKE. "Alrighl, maybe it DOES work, but, fell me fis, 'ow fair jou fink it is puttin' free tracks on fe album, FREE minjou, that have been aht before in one form or another? Tell me 'vat..."

'ARRY. "You got me vere. Yeah, vat's a stinker, vat one. No doubt abaht it. I dunno. 1 would 'ave fought vey would 'ave come up wiv enuf new songs, y'know? A real let dahn,vat.'

1ST BLOKE: "Pleased as pie to see we agree on summit old son. Now, wot abaht you and me goin' dahn the boozer?

'ARRY "I fought you'd never gel rahnd to if. C'mon, it's your rahnd.

DAVE McCULLOUGH
Kennyhel 77 says.... Sham 69’s second album continues from where their first one left off. But this time, no live side, and this one is a concept album. Concept album? Isn’t that for long hair prog rockers? Based on a day spent in a young working class kid life. We get to explore all the boredom and nowhere-ness that kids had to endure. Where as the 'Tell Us The Truth' had Sham finding their way, this one has them more defined. Much more yobbish in approach lyrically, it makes perfect sense that Sham 69 would pick up the following that they became famous for. Again the playing is top notch, and Sham 69 show that they are no one trick pony and have the ability to write a good pop song. Incorporating acoustic guitars, and keyboards make for a much fuller sound.

As a concept album, this works for me. It has such a pace to it. It for some reason reminds me of Quadrophenia for some reason….Hmmmmm. This album charted at #27 and could be viewed as a success but truth be told, only half to three quarters of the songs make the mark. I know that both 'Reggae Pick Part. 1 and 2' are for atmosphere but they are tedious to listen to. With that said, songs like 'Hurry Up Harry,' 'Angels With Dirty Faces' are the strongest on the album. Maybe that is why they were singles. Probably two of Sham’s most popular songs I’d guess. For the record this album, became the soundtrack to aggro at many Sham gigs and would lead to their demise, and subsequent comebacks. Overall more polished than their first effort and more influential to the whole fledging Oi scene that would develop a few years later with Sham’s patented terrace chants. Just listen to 'Hurry Up Harry' or 'Angels With Dirty Faces', and you’ll understand.

July 2008

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