''Punks Not Dead'' is the first studio album by the Scottish punk rock band

The Exploited The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981,

Secret Records ''Secret Records limited '' is a British independent record label based in London founded in 1980. The label specialize in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes ...

Working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

and loyal to the first impulses of the 1970s

punk movement The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedo ...

, the album was a reaction to critics who believed the punk rock genre was dead, and went against popular trends such as new wave and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

.Hess Mickey. ''Is Hip Hop Dead?: The Past, Present, and Future of America's Most Wanted Music''.

Praeger Publishers Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

, 2007. pg 165. . It contains the double A side singles "Army Life/Fuck the Mods" and the later follow up "I Believe in Anarchy". "Army Life" details the experiences of Wattie Buchan when he was a 17-year-old

squaddie The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas ...

on a tour of duty in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

in the 1970s. ''Punks Not Dead'' peaked at no 20 on the UK charts in May of that year, gave the band a national following in the United Kingdom and it was the top selling 1981 independent UK release.Hess (2007), p. 165.

Legacy

Supported by a tour with the

Anti-Nowhere League Anti-Nowhere League are an English punk rock band, formed in 1979 by lead singer Animal (Nick Culmer), guitarist Magoo (Chris Exall), Bones (Tony Shaw) on drums and Chris Elvy on bass. Career Early days The band first played at the 1980 Cha ...

, the album had underground success and is regarded as one of the definitive

Oi! Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...

albums, and its popularity gave rise to a variety of punk rock bands including The Business. The Exploited's song "Punks Not Dead" has symbolic significance for the punk movement.

Track listing

;Side one # "Punks Not Dead" – 1:51 # "Mucky Pup" (

Puncture Puncture, punctured or puncturing may refer to: * a flat tyre in British English (US English "flat tire" or just "flat") * a penetrating wound caused by pointy objects as nails or needles * Lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap * Punctu ...

cover) – 1:42 # "Cop Cars" – 1:52 # "Free Flight" – 3:35 # "Army Life" – 2:37 # "Blown to Bits" – 2:40 # "Sex & Violence" – 5:11 ;Side two # " S.P.G." – 2:07 # "Royalty" – 2:07 # "Dole Q" – 1:51 # "Exploited Barmy Army" – 2:28 # "Ripper" – 2:03 # "Out of Control" – 2:52 # "Son of a Copper" – 2:39 # "I Believe in Anarchy" – 2:03

Captain Oi! re-release

The Captain Oi! re-release (2001) includes The Exploited's contribution to ''

Oi! The Album Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement w ...

'' compilation and the first four singles (minus "I Believe in Anarchy" from the "Exploited Barmy Army" single) and was mastered by Tim Turan. #"Daily News" (''Oi! The Album'' version) #"I Still Believe in Anarchy" (''Oi! The Album'' version) #"Army Life" (single version) #"Fuck the Mods" ("Army Life" single) #"Crashed Out" ("Army Life" single) #"Exploited Barmy Army" (single version) #"What You Gonna Do" ("Exploited Barmy Army" single) #"Dogs of War" ("Dogs of War" single) #"Blown to Bits (Live)" ("Dogs of War" single) #"Dead Cities" ("Dead Cities" single) #"Hitler's in the Charts Again" ("Dead Cities" single) #"Class War" ("Dead Cities" single) All songs written by The Exploited except "Mucky Pup" (by

Personnel

;The Exploited *

Wattie Buchan Walter David "Wattie" Buchan (born 24 July 1957) is a Scottish punk rock musician. He is the lead vocalist for the punk rock band Early life Buchan was born in Edinburgh on 24 July 1957. He served in the British Army as a soldier prior to jo ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

Big John Duncan John Duncan (born August 14, 1958), better known as Big John Duncan, is a musician and guitarist. He is best known as the guitarist for The Exploited during their classic lineup of 1979 – 1984.Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discogr ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, backing vocals *Gary McCormack -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, backing vocals *Glen "Dru Stix" Campbell - drums with: *Carole & Navi -

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

*Produced by Dave Leaper and The Exploited *Mark Brennan and Karyn Dunning - liner notes *Brian Burrow - sleeve remix *Neil Ross - engineer *Mastered by Porky *Scott Billett - photography

References

Sources

*Cogan, Brian, ''Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture'', Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 2006. pg 170–171. .
CreditsTracks, Info and CreditsReissue
{{Authority control 1981 debut albums The Exploited albums Captain Oi! Records albums Secret Records albums Working-class culture in the United Kingdom