Arguably one of the most influential and iconic albums of the whole punk era, The Crack will also get a fully remastered vinyl reissue through Virgin/EMI.
The Ruts formed in Southall, West London in 1977, and pioneered the fusion of punk, reggae and dub, inspired and influenced by friends and neighbours MISTY IN ROOTS, on whose People Unite label, The Ruts' debut single 'In A Rut' was released at the start of '79.
The Crack, which was co-produced at Town House Studios by the band and Mick Glossop (Lurkers, Magazine, Penetration), was released in September '79, peaking in the UK Album Chart at 16 and yielding the hit singles 'Babylon's Burning' and 'Something That I Said'.Such an album pointed towards a glowing career for the band, one that was to be cruelly cut short by the death of frontman Malcolm Owen from a heroin overdose in July, aged only 26.
The remaining trio would soldier on for a few more years as Ruts DC, but it was not to be...
Following the death of guitarist Paul Fox from lung cancer in 2007, bassist John 'Segs' Jennings and drummer Dave Ruffy would eventually reunite, with guitarist Leigh Heggarty as The Ruts DC, releasing the album Music Must Destroy in 2016.
“It’s always been important to us to be a current and forward-thinking band, releasing and playing new material whilst being proud of our past,” states Segs today. “A milestone to many, The Crack is an important piece of work to us too. We now feel ready to celebrate where we came from.”
“Making The Crack was a real game changer for me,” continues Ruffy. “The Ruts were a band that were greater than the sum of their parts and wrote music inspired by everything we had ever heard. It’s a piece of work that I am immensely proud to have been a part of. Now forty years on we will be playing the album in its entirety, it’s quite a challenge as some of the songs have not been played since 1980! Our legacy is large, and we are and will continue working hard to make this a great show.”
With the album reissued on Friday 8 February, the band will be heading out on the road throughout the month, kicking off in Exeter on 11 February and including a show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on 28 February. Support on all dates comes from THE PROFESSIONALS. Full dates are...
11 Feb - Phoenix Exeter
12 Feb - Concorde 2 Brighton
13 Feb - O2 Ritz Manchester
15 Feb - 02 Institute 2 Birmingham
16 Feb - 02 Academy 2 Sheffield
17 Feb - The Junction Cambridge
18 Feb - 02 Academy Oxford
20 Feb - Waterfront Norwich
21 Feb - Riverside Newcastle
22 Feb - Garage Glasgow
23 Feb - Tunnels Aberdeen
24 Feb - Liquid Rooms Edinburgh
26 Feb - Rescue Rooms Nottingham
27 Feb - SWX Bristol
28 Feb - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London
2 Mar - Button Factory Dublin, IE
3 Mar - Limelight Belfast
Tickets available from gigsandtours.com or ticketmaster.co.uk.
Pre-order The Crack here.
The Ruts DC on Facebook