Captain Oi Vinilo y CD

Review: Just like Ronseal does exactly what it says on the tin, The Original 4 Skins serves up a compilation of every known studio recording from the original line up of homegrown oi! punk legends The 4 Skins. Boasting a whopping 19 tracks including an alternative version of 'A.C.A.B.' originally intended to be included on the Oi! The Album compilation, as well contributions to other quintessential Oi! collections Strength Thru Oi! and Carry On Oi!, this gatefold pressing is limited to 1000 copies and arrives complete with lyrics, press clippings from the era plus previously unpublished photos of the band. An essential grab for any Doc Marten sporting skinhead with more Fred Perrys in their closet than your mother has handbags.

Review: Originally formed in 1977 in Belfast at the height of The Troubles, Stiff Little Fingers should require little to no introduction for any self-proclaimed punk aficionado, with the band credited as the first punk outfit to ever record and release output in Northern Ireland. The aptly titled The Singles 1978-1983 offers a double CD compilation collating all of their A and B-sides issued during their initial tenure, including the hit singles 'Straw Dogs', 'At The Edge', 'Nobody's Hero', and the haunting 'Bits Of Kids', as well as a bevvy of deeper, overlooked cuts. Complete with a booklet containing detailed liner notes on each single plus illustrations of all relevant sleeves, the collection serves as both a crash course for beginners and a triumphant nostalgia trip for lifer-listeners.

Review: The very next year after the original Oi! The Album compilation was released in 1980 saw the second instalment Strength Thru Oi! dropped onto the heads of the masses, and more than four decades on, it looks like folk might need another reminder. A topic of controversy upon initial release due to the use of an image of Nicky Crane, a British Movement activist who was serving a four-year sentence for racist violence at the time, on the cover art, original pressings are like gold dust these days as the release was withdrawn from publication by Decca Records. Now that the smoke has cleared, we can all wet shave our scalps, lace up our steel-toes, grab our dirtiest combat jacket and punch the ever loving shit out of the air to anthems from the seminal likes of The 4 Skins, Cock Sparrer, The Toy Dolls and The Last Resort (to name but a small handful), with little in the ways of reprimand.