BABYLON'S BURNING..................................THE RUTS................

THE RUTS were,without a doubt the best,and most overlooked punk band to come from the late 70's explosion.They were more street than SHAM 69,more reggae/dubwise than THE CLASH,more pop than THE JAM,and easily the most talented of all the first wave punk bands.If singer Malcolm Owen hadn't died of a heroin overdose in 1980,THE RUTS would have surely surpassed THE CLASH as the premiere punk band to break through to a wider U.S. audience.This c.d. combines the two proper RUTS releases,THE CRACK(1st l.p.),and GRIN AND BEAR IT (collection of singles,and rare tracks,released posthumously after OWEN'S death).This is an absolute must have for any fan of true British punk,and for any fan of quality music that is played with real soul and passion. Christopher Skelly