The sound quality is rough and the band is certainly raw, but there's so much excitement bleeding out of this disc that it's difficult to fault it for any of the failings that would normally condemn a recording of this nature. When the Ruts appeared at the 1978 Deeply Vale Festival they were still largely unheard outside of London (and a very small part of that as well). But, having traveled up to the festival with friends
Misty in Roots, the quartet put on a fiery show that already blisters with all the manic magic that the Ruts would soon be taking nationwide, and a repertoire that would remain more or less intact until their debut LP was recorded. Then as now, "Babylon's Burning" and the dramatic dub stylings of "Jah Wars" illustrate the band at its incendiary best; several of the other songs do fall a little too close to rentapunk basics to endure protracted listens. But slam the disc into the player and pump up the volume, and you will understand why the Ruts remain so highly regarded today, no matter how short-lived they turned out to be. ~ Dave Thompson