Oi!, perhaps more than any other musical genre, has been unfairly tarnished. Originally a movement of unity that aimed to wrestle punk away from the trendy Oxbridge types, it somehow became associated with nefarious, right-wing ideologies, a connection it found hard to shake (despite many of the first wave bands being apolitical or left-leaning). However, as time passed and the dust settled, the scene has been reevaluated and a raft of stellar bands have been discovered by a new breed of spiky tops and perhaps the brightest gem in Oi!’s jewel encrusted crown were The Business. Formed in Lewisham in 1979, they produced some of the genres biggest anthems over a 37-year career, and now they get collected as The Oi! Anthology, a compilation of their biggest hits and rarest cuts, making this an essential purchase for the hardcore and casual fan alike.
Like many bands of their era, The Business first came to prominence via a compilation appearance (they’d be a mainstay of such collections throughout their history), and the first many heard from this bunch of ‘erberts was ‘Out In The Cold’ on A Sudden Surge Of Sound (Released by VU Records) and it set the tone for the rest of the band’s career. Hard, yet melodic, and with biting, insightful lyricism, it’s a rabble-rousing slab of boisterous punk that simply demands a thousand voices sing-along, and it’s easy to understand why their songs became terrace favourites. What follows are two rare demo cuts that are priceless in uncovering the band’s roots; they’re influenced by the harder end of mod (The Who) and proto-Oi! (Cock Sparrer), and while they lack the same punch as ‘Out In The Cold’, they’re potent nonetheless. From herein we get into serious anthems territory, with pretty much every track a stone cold classic. Three albums followed in the decade, tracks from which make up the remainder of the first disc, alongside rare singles ‘Get Out Of My House’ (originally released by Hustler), ‘Do A Runner’ and opening track from the Oi! Oi! That’s Yer Lot compilation, ‘Real Enemy’, all of which conspire to make this set an embarrassment of riches.
After a hiatus at the start of the 1990’s, The Business returned, and in some style, with the aptly-titled Keep The Faith album, and it felt as if they hadn’t missed a beat. Played with plenty of vim and vigour, it was raw enough to please their old fanbase, while punchy enough to crossover into the burgeoning hardcore scene (upon which they were a big influence). The “second half” of the band’s career pretty much followed the first with solid albums punctuated by compilation appearances, singles and collaborations, and it’s the latter that holds the most interest. A split LP with Boston bruisers The Dropkick Murphys was particularly fruitful (and fiery) while a cover of Iron Cross’ ‘Crucified’ found the band reimagining a song they originally inspired, whilst Status Quo’s ‘Mean Girl’ exposes some unexpected roots. Lyrically, the band veered down a cul-de-sac with many of these songs themed around football (the whole of the Hardcore Hooligan LP and ‘Terrace Lost It’s Soul’ from the Addicted To Oi! comp) and class unity (‘Divide & Rule’, ‘Never Take Us’), yet the music is varied enough to offset this detour down a one-way street.
The Business were one of the most beloved and long-lived of all the original Oi!/street punk bands, and if you want to know why, the answer’s right here in this lavish two-disc set.
- Oi! The Anthology is released via Cherry Red Records on 1st December 2023.
Track List:
Disc One:
- Out In The Cold
- Strangers
- Streets Where You Live
- Product
- Suburban Rebels
- Harry May
- National Insurance Blacklist (Be A Rebel And You’ll Always Be Wrong)
- Smash The Discos
- Loud, Proud + Punk
- Real Enemy
- Blind Justice
- Guttersnipe
- Sabotage The Hunt
- Drinking And Driving
- Get Out Of My House
- Spanish Jails
- Never Been Taken
- Saturdays Heroes
- Nothing Can Stop Us
- Frontline
- Do A Runner
- Welcome To The Real World
- Mouth An’ Trousers
- Ten Years
- Living In Daydreams
- Look At Him Now
Disc Two:
- Keep The Faith
- Holiday In Seattle
- Divide & Rule
- Breaking The Law
- Can’t Take Much More
- Death To Dance (Single Version)
- Spirit Of The Street
- The Truth, The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth
- One Common Voice
- Justice Not Politics
- One Thing Left To Say
- Southgate (Euro 96)
- Hardcore Hooligan
- Mob Mentality
- Going Strong
- Hang Up Your Boots
- Crucified
- Takers & Users
- Hate K.D.
- No Mercy For You
- Hell 2 Pay
- U Won’t Change Me
- Terrace Lost Its Soul
- England 5 Germany 1
- Mean Girl
- You Know My Name
