The Crack
The Crack is The Ruts first album, released in 1979 and containing the UK hit singles: "Babylon's Burning" (Number seven on the UK chart in June 1979) and "Something That I Said" (No. 29 in September 1979). The white-reggae "Jah War", which was written in the aftermath of the Southall unrest and the over-use of force by the Metropolitan Police Service's Special Patrol Group in 1979, was also released as a single but didn't make the UK chart.
The cover picture by artist John H Howard shows the members of the group (from left to right: Malcolm Owen, Paul Fox, Dave Ruffy and Segs - who is perusing a copy of Exchange & Mart) seated on a large sofa, around them are some of their contemporaries such as Rat Scabies and Captain Sensible of The Damned (top right corner), Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 (bottom right), while Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are standing behind Malcolm, John Peel appears to be doing something to a schoolgirl (in uniform) with a bar of chocolate on the left hand side, Jimi Hendrix looks on from the right, the wives and girlfriends of the band members appear in various poses, as does the band's roadie Mannah (seen from the back) who assisted in writing the song "S.U.S" which deals with the vagrancy act, widely used by London's Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1970s. The astronomer Patrick Moore looks on somewhat disapprovingly from the left. The album sleeve contains a dedication to Jimmy O'Neal, one of the organizers of the Deeply Vale Free Festival, where the band had their beginnings.
The Crack (magazine)
The Crack magazine is a free culture and listings magazine. The magazine was started in 2009. Published monthly in print and online, it covers entertainment and culture for the North East region of England. It provides comprehensive listings and previews on music, art, film, theatre, dance, comedy, gay-interest concerns and clubs, as well as articles relating to local fashion and local issues.
The Crack is available in the foyers of public spaces such as pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops and also in those of cultural venues such as galleries, libraries and cinemas.
Its office is in Woods Pottery, Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne.
References
'The Crack' is featured as a movie character in the following productions:
Restless Heart (1995)
Actors: Fred Armstrong (actor), Sam Hancock (actor), Christopher Jon Martin (actor), Mason Taylor Moore (actor), Lauren Mosca (actress), Taine Ann Riggio (producer), Brian Coughlin (writer), Nicholas DiBella (writer), Paul Root (writer), Brian Langsbard (composer), Nicholas DiBella (director), Nicholas DiBella (editor), Aaron Berman (miscellaneous crew), Kathy Kristich (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: ,The Crack
ALBUMS
- Making the Effort released: 1980
The Crack
ALBUMS
- The Best of the Crack released: 1999
- All Cracked Up: The Demos and Rarities released: 1997
- In Search of The Crack released: 1989
The Best of the Crack
Released 1999- Don't You Ever Let Me Down
- Going Out
- I Caught You Out
- I Can't Take It
- That's the Way
- Hard Road
- Where Are the Glory Boys
- My World
- Don't Just Sit There
- Take Me Away
- Everybody's Dreaming
- I'll Be There
- Nag Nag Nag
- Don't Stop Me
- Take It or Leave It
- I Need Ya
- Mister Mister
- Bring It Back Home (The Unofficial World Cup '98 Anthem)
- My World (live)
All Cracked Up: The Demos and Rarities
Released 1997- Don't You Ever Let Me Down
- I Can't Take It
- Going Out
- The Troops Have Landed
- All or Nothing
- I Caught You Out
- We've Got a Right to Know
- Take Me Away (original version)
- Nag Nag Nag (original version)
- That's the Way
- Wait Till the Day Arrives
- The Battle Song
- My World (original version)
- Hard Road (original version)
- Where Are the Glory Boys? (original version)
- Don't Just Sit Here (original version)
- Everybody's Dreaming (Second version)
- Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
- One of the Boys
- Listen to Me
The Crack
[gillie]
yo they found me .. cut me ground me
made me powder .. say I'm expected across seas in an hour
i was born in columbia they shippin me out
package tight so them dogs aint sniffin me out
[spade]
but me I aint changed I'm a household name
considered common but play a major part in the game
people keep me in cabinage, drawers and shells
and say I do magic turn four into twelve
[gillie]
I'm transported cross borders on planes and boats
I dont know my name yet but there calln me coke
I'm usually around the waist and in the line in the coats
so they can sneak me past customs and the guards dont bust 'em
[spade]
and I heard about that cat called coke and I dont trust 'em
cuz all the other dudes I know be scared to touch 'em
they say he from columbia .. they want us to meet
they must know how I react when I'm under the heat
[chorus x2]
I'm the coke .. you know you cant move wit out me
so wut .. I'm da cut you gone loose wit out me
but I'ma drug dealers dream
but I'm da one dat make the drug dealer mo' cream
nigga .. lets make a team
[gillie]
they got me in .. they passin me out, city to suburbs
state to state .. they put me on china plates
chop me up .. make me look like shake then call me weight
and now they wanna introduce me to this kid bake
[spade]
o0o you da cat coke that I heard about
from word of mouth, put us in the pot stirred us out
I gotta admit .. man I like this guy
they cooked us up into a pie allowed us to dry
when together we frew from 20 to 25
[gillie]
this kid bake is live ..
now we headin to the hood
to dem niggas on da corners dat be up to no good
this one cat .. he picked me up in a benz
he brought me, bake and like 11 of my friends
we headed to the kitchen .. shit we at it again
[spade]
and it was magic again
I mean we jus got larger
I got stronger .. coke strength got smaller
put us in the hands of these niggas dey call ballas
and hustlers .. and fiends on the streets they all lustas
[chorus x2]
[spade]
me and dope is like brothas
[gillie )
da fiends they all loved us
[spade]
and da ghettos and the guttas
[gillie]
da east coast to the southas
[spade]
to the people dat ran this land
[gillie]
mayors and govenors
[spade]
congressmen .. cant believe the people we knew
[gillie]
and da hustlas they ran from the people in blue
[spade]
u know the name, the kid bake refridgerated near you
[gillie]
but for the love of us you see wut people will do
they kill brothas .. aunts, uncles, neices and mothas
aint shit you can tell us
[spade]
they feel for us
[gillie]
and we manipulate minds
[spade]
and they kill for us
[gillie]
and all my thugs on the block
[spade]
they whole steal for us
[gillie]
it might seem like a dream
but its real for us