The Crack

Although they are best remembered as being members of the Oi! punk movement, the Crack were actually closer to the musical stylings of punk popsters 999 and mod rockers the Chords than any of their Oi! brethren (the Business, Cockney Rejects, etc.). On the musical scene since 1982, when they won a national televised battle of the bands, the Crack didn't release their debut album until 1989. Certainly worth the wait, guitarist/vocalist Steve Jones (NOT the Sex Pistols' guitarist of the same name) leads the band through ten melodic anthems driven by a wall of guitars and biting melodies.

At times, Jones sounds like 999's Nick Cash, then switches into a gutsier Pete Wylie on other tracks. Album opener "My World" starts the ball rolling in style, knocking down everything in its path. The fabulous "Don't You Ever Let Me Down," here in re-recorded form, doesn't equal the aural power of the original 1982 version but has a slightly new arrangement that adds a bit more heart and soul to it. Every one of the ten original tracks is nothing less than heart stopping, and they would have given Oasis a run for their money had the Crack been born ten years later.