Sham 69

This is a catchy, fun, sing-a-long type of punk band. I love 'em. They sound like The Ramones if the Ramones were an oi streetpunk band. I have 'If The Kids Are United They Will Never Be Divided' painted on my jacket. Wooo!

This CD is great. Sham 69 is one of the greatest punk bands. If you like stuff like Sex Pistols or Clash than Sham 69 is great. Get this stuff. You'll love it

Well here i am writing this extremely stupid review uh huh yea thats right slobbs has done it again. Well yea Sham how about those guys, just a bunch of losers who can play some wicked punk chords. This cd is pretty awesome but yanno i'm just doin this to see if i can get the 50 bucks....no doubt about it. So yesterday i was walkin down the street when it hit me....if the kids are united will they never be divided?..well i dunno i just wrote that to take up space but yea think about it cause i'm to lazy to even try, all i wanna do is eat my planters peanuts and watch the discovery channel for a few hours. well yea DOH!....that homer ha ha ha heh he kills me.

I was a 15 year old kid (who was born a metalhead but was just getting into hardcore punk and Oi/street punk) and had read about this supposedly classic punk group that nearly solely started the Oi! movement (unintentionally) called SHAM 69. So off to the a record store I went and bought the only SHAM 69 album they had in stock: "That's Life" from 1978. Since that day (nearly 15 years ago now) this record (and SHAM 69 in general) has existed in my mind within this near-god-like world of unsung rock (yes, SHAM 69 were just as much a band of hooligan pub-rockers as they were mohawk adorned UK punkers, if you don't believe me listen to SHAM 69's "That's Life" and EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS-"Life On The Line" back to back, and keep in mind that "Life On The Line" was from 1977 and "That's Life" from 1978) bands. THE WHO's "Tommy" is constantly adored by the rock press as this amazing "rock opera" and as a veritable untouchable plateau of creative brilliance. While the WHO do deserve credit for attempting an ambitious theme driven "opera"-like album, "Tommy" has some real flaws and is often given far too much love from the rock press. After all it only took a little over 10 years for a band called SHAM 69 and their LP "That's Life" to make "Tommy" sound like an over-long, disorganized mess with half a story. SHAM 69 managed to create a coherent story, with continuity, while using half as much vinyl as "Tommy"! SHAM 69's "That's Life" is the TRUE punk/rock (slash intended) "opera"! The album brilliantly follows a day or two in the life of a typical working class British lad and subsequently reflects the life of every 18-20 year kid discovering the cold realities of mundane adult life. From his parents bitching, to his boss firing him for being late (for the hundreth time), to fun at the pub and winning at the track, to loose chicks and breaking the law, this is the life of ANY WORKING CLASS LAD!!! But on a simple album level, the factor that really pushes "That's Life" into that realm occupied by only the select few, is the fact that the SONGS ARE SO DAMN COMPELLING!!! These tunes just make you wanna get up, quit your job, call your friends, go to the bars, get buzzed, raise hell, and most importantly, be 19 again. Quite simply: TO LIVE and not just from 9 to 5! There have literally (and I can't believe I'm going to admit this in print) been times these songs have brought me to tears...They are just so authentic and it's the life story every punk, outcast, or just ordinary bloke (with a decent brain), has lived and can identify with. So you can certainly buy "That's Life" because you want to hear the greatest working class "punk opera" ever OR you can pick it up because you wanna hear the greatest collection of street punk/pub-rock/drinking tunes ever produced. Either way, you're picking up a damn rockin' album with an emotional impact that will never lose its appeal and never be surpassed...Jimmy you ruled. And if you DO end up buying "That's Life" and falling in love with it (which is a guaranteed side-effect of "That's Life" syndrome), go buy the other classic SHAM 69 albums ("Tell Us The Truth", "Adventures of Hersham Boys", and "The Game") as well as totally killer trio of EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS albums: "Teenage Depression", "Life On The Line", and "Thriller". Hell, while your at at it, be sure to grab up CHELSEA's "Chelsea", "Alternative Hits", and "Evacuate" albums as well! This especially makes sense now that all the SHAM 69, EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS, and CHELSEA albums are affordably available in awesome sounding remastered CD form with much care taken by labels who understand the need to preserve the integrity of vinyl's audio warmth when mastering to CD, with massive liner notes and pictures, and great layouts! Man were the late-70's British rock and punk scenes great!!!!! Give me SHAM 69, EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS, and CHELSEA and I'm set for a my deserted island......That's life!

I first heard this 25 years ago and have listened to it countless times since then. A great story about a loser and the song when he wins at the track (Win or Lose) is terrific. Jimmy Pursey pretty much has a crappy voice and it works perfectly with this band, especially on this CD. A polished voice just wouldn't work with this story. His lyrics are wonderful and he pours everthing into each song, but it sounds genuine, not like that pretentious emo garbage of today. I love the line "... running for the bus in my flash blue suit..." as he describes his trip to work just before he gets sacked. This is probably the first punk rock "opera", 27 years ahead of Green Day's solid "American Idiot". This has buzzsaw guitars, simplistic, catchy riffs, everything you'd want from an opera about the British lower middle class. This is an underrated gem.

Just more great stuff from sham69. These guys can do no wrong! EVERY time I play this one I end up bouncing around my living room!

The 4 stars in this album don't come from the albums immense popularity, because while it hit #25 in the UK on it's release in '78 it's not THAT popular. They also don't come from the albums breakthrough sound and arrangments...because there's nothing "new" here. The guitars are loud, the vocals are screaminingly hoarse (and VERY british), and the attitude is pure and true. This is punk [period]. And the proof lies within the albums first six tracks which were recorded live and capture and rarely seem image of punk past.

First off... ignore the review below , that idiot reviewing the "X" Files instead of Sham's "A" files. But with only Jimmy Pursey and Dave Parsons of the original lineup , the band returns with a pretty good album. I didn't know if it was going to be any good , but it still has the same Sham sound that can be found on Tell Us The Truth , and That's Life. They may be old , but they're still punk.

I love any thing from the x-files. I am a recently new fan and love it! great job on the movie!

This is the complete Sham 69 collection. All the CDs collected together in a single box set. Main drawback with that is you literally get a box with the CDs not in a jewel case but in paper covers which of course can get eaisly ripped or damaged.

The CDs themselves are great. Just what Sham were all about raw, simple punk played with conviction. All the classic Sham tracks are here and production quality is fine. Yeh we all know they kind of lost their way in the end but for those first few albums they brought out.....classics!

Well worth buying and well worth the 5 stars.

Why do they have the song "Poor Cow" on here? That is by far the WORST Sham 69 song. If they had replaced that with Ulster Boys, I would give this 4 stars.

Sham 69 is the best band that OI music ever put out. Kings and Queens is one of Shams better LP's. Kids Are United, Borstal Breakout and Hurry Up Harry are classic Sham. But if you're not a fan yet, definately start out with "Thats Life". That C.D. will be sure to convert you.