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| l-r: Jake Burns, 'Dolphin' Taylor, Henry Cluney, Ali McMordie |
release date: Sep. 24, 1982
format: vinyl / cd (2000 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Nick Tauber
label: Chrysalis / Captain Oi! - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK
Track highlights: 2. "Won't Be Told" - 3. "Love of the Common People" - 4. "The Price of Admission" - 6. "Stands to Reason" - 10. "Talkback" - *12. "Good for Nothing" - *16. "Two Guitars Clash"
*Bonus track on cd reissue
4th and for a time the final studio album by Stiff Little Fingers originally released on Chrysalis is made with producer Nick Tauber, who had previously produced for Thin Lizzy and Toyah. Shortly after releasing Go for It (Apr. 1981) drummer Jim Reilly left the band and was subsequently replaced by (Brian) 'Dolphin' Taylor (former Tom Robinson Band). The band's usual cover song is here "Love of the Common People", which works quite nicely in this punk rock version.
With this, it's clear that the band has embraced a lighter and more mainstream sound building on bolder traditional pop / rock melodic traditions with less focus on the punk rock roots.
The album failed to attract fans and was met by luke-warm reviews, and as a consequence, Jake Burns single-handedly decided to shelve the band as he found this was an artistic peak they wouldn't be able to pass anyway.
The best tracks are the most energetic ones and the cd reissue with an additional five bonus tracks does make it a better bargain as it also contains the fine non-album composition "Two Guitars Clash", but the overall impression is that Now Then.. is the band's least favourable studio release. At the time, the split seemed inevitable unless they could come up with a new direction after leaving punk rock behind. Soon after the split, the fine double All the Best compilation was released.
Jake Burns began working with former The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton - a collaboration project that ended in '86 after which Burn found together with some of the former band mates and Stiff Little Fingers then reformed in '87 - initially only for a reunion tour, but as it proved quite a successful decision they decided to revive the band, and it has been active ever since and adding another six studio albums to their discography.
