The Strike - Shots Heard Round The World

Sometimes you get the urge to hear an LP you haven't heard in years. The feel jumps out of nowhere into your brain: I got to hear this again. Tonight had one such instance.

Shots Heard Round The World's the 2nd album from this Minneapolis band. If it weren't for seeing a review of the LP in Ride, the BMX magazine over 10 years ago, I may never have known about them. The review mentioned 1977 and leftist lyrics, plus the cover looked like a Soviet propaganda poster. I ordered the LP and proceeded to play the hell out of it in the ensuing days and years. When I got my first car, I made of tape with this LP on one side and the UK edition of the first Clash album on the other side. It got heavy play in that old Ford Tempo.

To this day, it's one of my all-time favorites. I'm in love with the slashing open chords, tight rhythms, and upbeat leftist/populist lyrics. While some bands were content to trash the system and scream about its injustices, The Strike sang about the positive instead. To them, it was the bright new days ahead, not the dark times of the present that were worth trumpeting. And trumpet they did.

"Shots Heard Round The World"