"If you consider yourself a disciple of '77 style British socio-political punk, then you simply cannot be without this. The holy trinity of punk rock (IMHO) goes like this: The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Ruts. They are that good. All 3 bands adeptly blend punk, rock, reggae, and pop to form a tremendously explosive and worthy musical artform. This 1-disc overview has thankfully continued to be in-print for some time now, allowing people to hear the greatness that was cut short by drug addiction. Not the most well-known punk band, but more deserved of punk notoriety than 3/4 of the bands that have gotten famous since '77. This is vital stuff."
Punk at its Best
punkviper | 03/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What a great album, if you were an avid fan of the Ruts like me, you probably already have this album, but if not, give this one a try. I guarantee if you liked Hanx by SLF and all the Clash stuff you will enjoy this album."
Early punk at its best .com
punkviper | 09/28/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"if you were in england or listening to the punk scene in the 70's then the Ruts were a hard act to miss. Most tracks here came from the The Knack album which oozed killer tracks such as Babylons Burning and Jah War. Sadly the lead singer(*.owens, it has been 20 years!) died and the Ruts were despatched to the safety pin heaven, but the mark was left. if you like Clash-ish music with a ruff edge then buy this greatest hits. you will not be disappointed."
A very good Garage-Rock Revival addition to my collection!
Patrick M. Kadas | Portland OR USA | 01/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been into Garage style music for more then five year. I continue to be amazed when I find new gems to add to my collection. This is a powerful group from Rotherhithe, England. They started out with their most acclaimed effort "The Crack" in 1979. They tapered off in quality after 1982. Luckily there are a few compilations to select from.
My 5 star picks for this CD is:
(Track)
(1) In A Rut - The Ruts - 1980 - "AMG pick. One of their BEST. GREAT punk vocals. Notable guitar HOOKS, drums." - Something That I Said (The Best Of The Ruts) (EMI Gold)-1995
(3) Babylon's Burning - The Ruts - 1979 - "AMG pick. Their BEST known. A very POWERFUL 'Obvious 'Clash' influences punk rocker." - Something That I Said (The Best Of The Ruts) (EMI Gold)-1995
(5) S.U.S. - The Ruts - 1979 - "One of their BEST. Guitar HOOKS. Notable drums. Very good lead, back-up vocals." - Something That I Said (The Best Of The Ruts) (EMI Gold)-1995
There are at least four 4-star songs to add to you collection."
Great punk rock album
affcloxiststonddoxoxo | ecuador | 11/04/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"its true this is a forgotten band still its great and a legend for those who have heard it. "babylons burning" is a great song
id like to recomend another great but forgotten band called "slaugher and the dogs" who i think are one of the best 20 punk rock bands as well as the ruts "buy this cd""