The 1980 Listening Post - Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Heroes

Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Heroes

#97

March 7 1980

Stiff Little Fingers

Nobody’s Heroes

Genre: Punk Wave

4.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Wait and See

At the Edge

Nobody’s Hero

I Don’t Like You

Tin Soldiers

So, here’s another moment when I lose all my punk credibility. 

I’ve never heard this record. I really loved “Now Then…” when it came up in this retrospective but, since I was always moving forward I never went back to their early stuff. And this was a band that I read about all the time. Their underground PR was terrific. And, I always assumed they were on Stiff Records. They were not. See? No cred.

Like 999 the future of Pop Punk is in this record. If Jake Burns had less gravel in his snarl and could sing a lick this is melodic punk. As it is it’s terrific and maybe, just maybe if he could actually sing just a freaking smidge better they might have jump started the Pop Punk revolution 14 years early. Then again, if Dickie from Mighty Mighty Bosstones could have a hit sounding like he, too, is gargling with razor blades, maybe it’s just a timing thing. 

He almost gets there on “Tin Soldiers” where he basically turns Stiff Little Fingers in The Jam with edge and I’m here for it.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/nobodys-heroes/697036927