I feel so stoked that the Cool-Tite homies have commissioned me to write a little ditty on what I believe to be one of the best punk rock records ever created – The mighty Cock Sparrer’s 1982 release, “Shock Troops!”
Just to clear the air here…I didn’t grow up in East London, I don’t watch football (soccer), and I’ve only been in a couple fights (lost most of them), but every time I put on Shock Troops, the 15 year old punk rock, snot nose kid that I carry around with me every day of my life starts speaking in a Cockney accent and looking for the nearest pint of suds to dump down my jugular. What draws me to artists or a band almost more than anything else is when there is a complete devotion to their craft – making their music a complete representation and offshoot of their cultural background, lifestyle, and way of thinking.
Thirty seconds into a Cock Sparrer record and you are immediately transported into the dirty East London working class neighborhood that, along other great bands of their genre such as Sham 69, Blitz, The Business, gave birth to Cock Sparrer.
Cock Sparrer actually predate punk rock itself. They started in 1972 as a pseudo “glam” band playing simple and powerful pub anthems. The music they created in the pubs morphed into what we now call punk, or Oi!. A lot of people tried to mold the band into something they weren’t and failed miserably at it. No one could seem to take the COCK SPARRER out of Cock Sparrer. They even signed a major label record with Decca Records and were briefly managed by Malcolm McLaren (The eccentric curator of the Sex Pistols.)
One of the things that attracts me so much to the band in today’s world is that they seem to possess all the qualities that most modern punk rock or alternative bands lack – completely un-pretentious, honest, loud, angry, and damn catchy tunes. And also representing and uniting the working poor of their time. No one in Cock Sparrer was ever trying to set a fashion trend or gave a shit about any conceded record reviewer liking their record. They were pretty vocal about their opinions on the music industry. While some bands at the time were trying to make hit records and become media darlings, Cock Sparrer sang lyrics like
“We worked our way up from east end pubs,
To gigs and back stage passes.
Ex-boxing champs, West end clubs,
Americans in dark glasses.
Driving ten grand cars, they drink in hotel bars,
They’re even making money in bed!
They wouldn’t be no loss, they aint worth a toss,
It’s about time they all dropped dead!”
In an era of music now where every band will sell their vital organs for a positive pitchfork review, lyrics like those are just so damn pleasing to the ear!!!
“Everybody’s talking about revolution,
Everybody’s talking about smash the state.
Sounds to me like the final solution –
Right wing, left wing, full of hate.
We don’t wanna fight!
Because you tell us to.
So watch your back when you attack us,
‘Coz we might just turn on you.
On “Shock Troops,” Cock Sparrer also addressed the white power skinhead movements such as The National Front and RAC (Rock Against Communism) polluting and exploiting the Oi! and punk rock music scene in the early 80’s as well as the working class community of the time. They took a vocal stance against such groups in songs such as “Watch Your Back.”
We don’t wanna be part of no new religion
We don’t need a boot and a switchblade knife
We don’t wanna be part of a political dream
We just wanna get on living our lives”
Even if you never got into punk or Oi!, I feel like anyone with half a brain can appreciate the simple catchiness of a Cock Sparrer tune.
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”Homie Posts” are guest features from some pals of Cool-Tite.
About this Homie:
When Connor isn’t touring with BØRNS (and The Dear Hunter previously), you can probably find this punk fishing a la Bill Stevenson in the early AM, slinging vinyl at Epitaph during the day, or drinking Hite over at his favorite Korean Dodger bar, Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip, at night.
Be sure to catch Connor in action with BØRNS on March 13th at The Troubadour, and March 14th at The Observatory OC!