Album · Stiff Little Fingers
Inflammable Material by Stiff Little Fingers
Inflammable Material is an album by Stiff Little Fingers, released in 1979. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 23 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Alternative Ulster”, on 10 lists with a best position of #6.
Inflammable Material, Stiff Little Fingers' debut, came out on Rough Trade in 1979, and it sounds like Belfast at the height of the Troubles set alight and turned up loud. Jake Burns barks like his throat is lined with gravel, Henry Cluney, Ali McMordie on bass and Jim Reilly slam away behind him, and the songs refuse to look away: deprivation, sectarian violence, police brutality, the grim daily grind of a city split down the middle. "Suspect Device", which they had first put out themselves on their own Rigid Digits label, and "Alternative Ulster" are the rallying cries, and "Johnny Was" and "Wasted Life" keep up the pressure.
It made history of a different kind too: it was the first album on an independent label to crack the UK Top 20, and the flood of indie labels and indie bands that followed owes it a debt.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Inflammable Material on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alternative Ulster | 10 | #6 | – | 1978–2026 | |
| 2 | Suspect Device | 7 | #4 | – | 1978–2003 | |
| 3 | Johnny Was' | 4 | #15 | – | 1979–1982 | |
| 4 | Wasted Life | 2 | #18 | – | 1979–1980 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.