Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge

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a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Ancient storage jars, believed to be from ancient Babylonia, are displayed during an exhibition at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, February 3, 2015. Reuters Albeit in non-specific terms, vocalist Malcolm Owen’s zeitgeist-capturing lyrics (“The spark of fear is smoldering with ignorance and hate”) also chimed with the simmering inner-city tension that gripped Britain in 1979: a year when issues such as escalating unemployment and the rise of the far-right-inclined National Front were hitting the headlines.

EXCLUSIVE – Unseen Pics Of The Ruts in North Wales". Link2wales.co.uk. 28 August 2018 . Retrieved 21 April 2019. On 21 June, the group made their appearance on the BBC's Top of the Pops when the single slipped into the Top 40. A nervous-looking Dave Lee Travis introduced the song with the old-school producers allegedly in a panic behind the scenes fearing it might actually inspire riots. A stylised flame, using primitive computer graphics, appeared at the bottom of the screen. The clean-cut Owen, dressed in a yellow shirt and faded blue jeans, gave a great performance, helping the single move onto the cusp of the Top 20. Another appearance saw the single crash into the Top 10. As the song began its ascent of the charts, Malcolm Owen gave an interview to NME in which he described his experiences of heroin. A year later, while trying to clean up, he tragically died from an accidental overdose and punk forever lost its lead vocalist. The music grabs you by the throat and never lets up. Everything about the song captures not only the smouldering hatred and anger spilling out onto the streets but also the unadulterated fear that accompanies anarchism. It is "with anxiety" that "Babylon's burning." The vocal by Malcolm Owen, which surely must rank as the best-ever punk vocal, is uncompromising and threatening. Unlike the more contemplative reggae of Jah War, Babylon's Burning is direct and explosive, like the events it describes. In 1987, BBC label Strange Fruit collected together the group's three Radio One sessions for The Peel Session Album: The Ruts. Live albums soon followed, including BBC Radio One in Concert (Windsong) recorded at London's Paris Theatre on 7 July 1979, The Ruts Live (Dojo) and Live and Loud! (Link). [1] 1990s and later [ edit ] As a teenager I had the wonderful job of being contracted to burn the stubble in farmers' fields after the grain had been cut. This cleansed the land ready for replanting. But as we all know, fire can be incredibly destructive. I can recall hundreds of us watching in horror as the grand old building that was my children's school, Morgan Academy, was almost burned to the ground. This June in the UK we have been horrified as we witnessed the terrible death of at least 80 people in the flames of the Grenfell Tower in London.Who mourns the fall of Babylon? It is the kings of the earth and the merchants who lament. John is using Ezekiel's prophecy against Tyre by stressing the merchants and the traders (Ezekiel 26 and 27). Paul Fox obituary". The Times. 27 October 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008 . Retrieved 20 August 2022. Why is Babylon being destroyed? Because she has become a dwelling place for demons; because she has caused the nations of the earth to commit adultery with her; because the merchants of the earth have grown rich with her excessive luxuries; and because the blood of the prophets and of God's holy people was shed within her – the slaughtered of the earth. In other words Babylon was a place of violence, injustice, inequality and oppression. Rome's brothels were filled with sex slaves; infanticide and abortion were common and thousands were killed for entertainment in the blood-filled amphitheatres.

It is not just that Rome is corrupt – it is that she has taught others to do the same. The foundation of modern morality seems to be that we are free to do whatever we want as long as it does not harm others. The trouble is that when we do evil, it does inevitably involve and harm others, not least by teaching them to do the same thing. Babylon (the Roman empire then at the height of its power) seemed to be all-conquering and the Church seemed pathetically weak. The last Apostle, the elderly John, was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. Jesus had not returned. Rome seemed to have conquered all. Christ and his people seemed defeated. But the angel tells a different story. He announces 'Babylon has fallen!' He cites Isaiah 21:9: Like another Ruts single Jah War, it was inspired by the Southall Riots of late April 1979 when teacher and anti-fascist protestor Blair Peach was clubbed by police and later died of his injuries. Foreshadowing some aspects of Hillsborough tragedy 10 years later, the tabloid press immediately and unequivocally exonerated the police for its role in the incident. Not surprisingly, the Southall Riots became a symbol of police brutality and corruption for campaigners. No one was ever convicted of his murder but an internal investigation, only released 30 years later, concluded that a member of the Special Patrol Group, which had arrived with an arsenal of unauthorised weapons including crowbars and sledgehammers, had hit the activist with a lead-weighted cosh or a police radio. Post Office telephone engineer Jennings met record shop manager Ruffy in 1976 and became interested in punk after discussing the latter's Ramones' T-shirt. Meanwhile, Owen's interest in punk was piqued when he saw the Sex Pistols playing live. At the time, Fox was playing with Ruffy in a funk band, Hit and Run, which included J. D. Nicholas (who went on to join The Commodores in the U.S.) and sixteen-year-old saxophone player Gary Barnacle, who later played on several Ruts songs. Hit and Run were a covers band who released one single, a version of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' 1965 hit " Wooly Bully". The Ruts' initial history is described in an audio interview with Jennings, conducted by Alan Parker, which appears on the album Bustin' Out. On 16 July 2007, the band reformed for the first time in 27 years, and played a benefit gig for Fox, following his diagnosis as having lung cancer. Henry Rollins stood in for Owen. They were supported by Tom Robinson, the Damned, Misty in Roots, UK Subs, Splodge ( Splodgenessabounds), John Otway; and the Peafish House Band. Fox died on 21 October of the same year, at the age of 56. [8] [9]Two retrospective live albums appeared in 2006. Get Out of It!! featured eighteen songs including a sexually-themed early number by the band, "Gotta Little Number" (also titled "Stepping Bondage") from a London Marquee show on 19 July 1979 (these recordings have also surfaced as Marquee 1979 and Ruts 1979 – Marquee Club). Live at Deeply Vale, featured thirteen songs from a July 1978 performance recorded at the free Deeply Vale festival that was held annually near Bury, Greater Manchester.