Guns Of Revolution

The Red Rockers were a punk band originally from New Orleans who took their name from the Dils song of the same name. Inspired by groups like the Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and the Dils, they started off as the Rat Finks doing cover tunes of aforementioned groups, then changed their name and released the "Guns of Revolution" single before moving to San Francisco. There they hooked up with 415 Records and put out the Condition Red LP in 1981. Despite popular claims, this was not produced by Jello Biafra, something which has been constantly perpetrated on rare punk lists for years. He does, however, sing backing vocals on their punk-country cover of "Folsom Prison Blues." That said, the sound quality is excellent, and their raunchy but melodic sound is heard in full force on this CD reissue. Red Rockers are much more lyrically tolerable when they tackle subjects closer to the actual mean streets, such as the anti-drugs, "Peer Pressure", or the album's poppiest moment, the generically anthemic "Teenage Underground". After this LP, their original drummer left and was replaced by former Stiff Little Fingers drummer Jim Reilly, when they were signed to CBS, for whom they recorded two subsequent LPs, "Good As Gold" and "Schizophrenic Circus", neither of which come close to capturing the raw energy on this album. They did score a minor radio hit with the single "China," but much of the original youthful angst was gone and the slick major label production moved them into the realms of New Wave. Give this one a chance if you want hear how they were in the early days.

Ripped from the 1999 reissue CD to MP3

Red Rockers; Condition Red

1.      Guns Of Revolution

2.      Teenage Underground

3.      Peer Pressure

4.      Can You Hear?

5.      Grow Up

6.      Know What I Think

7.      Dead Heroes

8.      Folsom Prison Blues

9.      Condition Red

10.   Hold On

11.   White Law

12.   Live Or Die

13.   Nothing To Lose

14.   Desperate Times

15.   Voice Of America

16.   Missing In Action

17.   Shakin’ All Over

18.   Let’s Rock