Various Artists
““The Worldwide Tribute to The Real Oi””
(I Scream Records / Triple Crown Records)
“TWTTTRO” contains some of today’s best hardcore bands paying a long overdue tribute to their Oi forefathers. Oi developed in the late 70s-early 80s in the UK, driven by a raw streetpunk sound. That same attitude is aptly captured here by Agnostic Front’s spot-on cover of Cock Sparrer’s “Take ‘Em All” and Dropkick Murphy’s “Hey Little Rich Boy” performed originally by Sham 69. The working class feel of many of these largely uncelebrated bands and their cockney accents created quite a stir in the early hardcore movement, making this a truly relevant compilation. Unfortunately, the subtly racist tones which occasionally permeated through the Doc Martin-crazed football fans pops up here as well. Both Madball’s rendition of “Violence in Our Minds” and Stampin’ Grounds’ “Where Have all the Bootboys Gone” conjure up more than fleeting references to skinheads. Despite the claims by many devotees of Oi music (a fair amount of them skinheads), I find it hard to believe that being a skinhead does not necessarily make one a Racist/Fascist. In a world as backwards as ours, is there really any need to promote hate for hate’s sake? Think.
