my review of Sham 69 Peel session "One of the very greatest British punk bands and for many the link between punk and oi. Singer Jimmy Pursey is the archetypal working class kid on the street. Their early music seemed to simplify punk to an even more basic state. Some likened it to sing-a-long songs or crowd chants at a football match, so you can see the progression to oi. They had a huge following called Sham Army and Sham 69 recorded some of the most powerful punk ever, being perhaps the most popular band at the time, scoring seven straight top 50 hits on the British charts. Strangely enough, three of their greatest songs failed to chart--Ulster, Borstal Breakout and Unite and Win. Borstal Breakout/ Hey Little Rich Boy (1/6/'78) was their second record. They Don't Understand and Rip Off turned up on their classic first LP Tell Us the Truth (2/17/'78) What 'Av We Got was originally a one sided 7" recorded live at the Marquee and given away free at shows in late '77 as a thank you to the Sham Army kids. On the record in response to What 'Av We Got, the chorus sings "Fuck all." Here the response is "John Peel" Cute eh? (No cursing allowed on the BBC.) They were scheduled to come to America in 1978 but immigration refused Pursey a visa due to his criminal record for causing a disturbance and resisting arrest in Sept. 1977 when Sham played on the roof of the Vortex, a club famous for booking punk bands. I first saw Sham 69 at Hurrah's here in New York City in late 1979, a show I will never forget. Sham was smoking hot that night and Pursey was as charismatic a front man as you could ever hope to see. The crowd was going completely ape shit the whole show. And at the end of the night my young punk mind was totally blown."

Ogro LP have killer tracks. Love their sound! Going to punk fest in next week...probably ending to buy recs and tapes from bands.

Ever been to a punk show and try and talk to someone? Yeah...that is what I hear in this video.