Another chapter in my punk education. I still love how all this good
stuff is completely new to me, especially when it was originally released
two years after I was born. Anti-anthem "One Chord Wonders" starts off
the album with a growl, boldly challenging punk's detractors, and if
"Bored Teenagers" isn't a precursor to Pulp's "Common People" I don't
know what is. "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" seems to encapsulate the feeling of
angst and displacement of an entire generation, and with a catchy
chorus. I would have liked to have seen them live.
I wonder what we'll play for you tonight
Something heavy or something light
Something to set your soul alight
I wonder how we'll answer when you say
"We don't like you—go away,
come back when you've learnt to play"
—"One Chord Wonders"
We're talking into corners
Finding ways to fill the vacuum
And though our mouths are dry
We talk in hope to hit on something new
Tied to the railway tracks
It's one way to revive but no way to relax
—"Bored Teenagers"
I'm lying in a hospital
I'm pinned against the bed
A stethoscope upon my heart
A hand against my head
They're peeling off the bandages
I'm wincing in the light
The nurse is looking anxious
And she's quivering in fright
—"Gary Gilmore's Eyes"
| 
Heidi J. De Vries
