Review:

on 2011-11-24 CharlesMartel Said:

The Members were one of a handful of punk bands who managed to break through, albeit briefly, to the mainstream in the late seventies. Appearances on Top of the Pops followed on from "The Sound of the Suburbs" entry into the UK singles charts. That feat is well justified for this was a good tune and ideally suited for release as a single. This was punk for the middle classes and as such was almost acceptable to the mainstream in a way that the Sex Pistols were never going to be.

Not that there is anything novel about it. There are plenty of songs about the dubious joys of living in suburbia. Family life is portrayed as a routine, interrupted only by the intrusion of outside noise such as aircraft flying overhead or sirens blaring from the local secure mental institute. Internal noise - the kid in his bedroom playing his punk rock electric guitar - hardly merits a distraction. But in spite of the fact that this is old ground, this is a well reworked take on the concept, right the way through to the screaming for change and a desire to escape the confines of suburban life at the end. It therefore remains an essential component of any personal collection of British pop from 1979.
Rating: 8/10