RETALIATOR/BAKERS DOZEN-KICK DOWN THAT FUCKING WALL SPLIT E.P...BLIND BEGGAR RECORDS Right! I'd like to start this review with a quote from Mick Jones of the Clash from 1978 "Whoever said punk is dead is a cunt" I'd like to add to that and say "Whoever said British Streetpunk was dead is a BIGGER cunt!" This really is a top notch release by two of the UK s best Bands.Theres 9 tracks in all,5 from Bakers and 4 from Retaliator,which are spread out evenly on both sides.Rather than review the songs that way i've decided to do each band seperately. 3 out of the 4 Retaliator songs are not new to me as i had a cd copy of them ages ago,but for those of you who aint heard them yet,heres goes.The first song is Nothing but my rage which see's Retaliator at their usual angry self. Quite what young Ian is angry about, i don't know! But the general jist of the song is this -he goes out,gets pissed,wakes up and realises he's been robbed by some skanky hippy and goes forth to seek retribution!...sounds feasible to me! A thudding bass line then straight into a metallic riff which this band seem to pull off so well....much to my annoyance!! Bloik! Song 2 is Aggro,trouble & strife and is simply my favorite Retaliator song EVER! I must have played this song 100 times and never grow bored of it.What i like most about this song is that it's a lot different from the rest of Retaliators previous output.It's got a very upbeat,choppy sound and dare i say slightly poppy! (POPPY??? Good grief Steve! I think you've just kissed your ass goodbye to any more Retaliator freebies! Poppy my arse!) If you don't know what i'm on about then let me put it this way...Remember Condemned 84's No way in? Well compare that to the rest of C84's output at the time and you'll see what i mean..Its choppy and very danceable...O! for fucks sake! lets get on with the rest shall we!!?? Track 3 The end is nigh is new to my ears,and as i read the lyrics before i heard it ,i was fearing the worse! God knows what the boys have been drinking these days,but this is lyrically depressing stuff from the outset.Then when you hear the song it all comes together,and comes together brilliantly! Like the previous track this also has a upbeat sound to it(a change of direction prehaps?) with a great chorus that actually makes you look forward to death!! Final track is We don't live forever which apart from Aggro is one of the best Retaliator songs i've heard. A twangy guitar intro then straight into a nice beefy riff and verse.Check out the chorus! Work you to the bone (hammer on your stone) A tribute to the working class (well stick it up your arse!) I aint gonna be ya dog ( i aint your fucking slave!) Just wanna live my life,a skinhead to the grave!..How fucking cool is that? Musically,this is a slower paced song,but Ian sings the versus at such a relentless pace it seems twice as fast! Brilliant stuff! So there you have it,4 brand new Retaliator tunes to keep you stomping...the only downer being is that may well be the last release from them in a while!(Damn you Baysey!) Right onto Bakers Dozen.This band has been around a while now,but it's only in the last year or so that they've released any material,and to be honest,they aint put a foot wrong yet have they? A killer single,then a serial killer of an album, but are these 5 songs up to scratch? Well what do you reckon? It's bakers Dozen for fucks sake! Their first track isNight of retribution a fast and furious number that wouldn't be to out of place on the Exploiteds Troops of tommorrow lp,an excellent start! Track 2 see's Bakers pushing their brand of streetpunk to the utter limit! The song in question is Just say Daimler and is raucos and PUNKY AS FUCK! Thank god they slow the pace down by track 3 as i was gettng out of breathe! This song Change the law is my favorite of all the Bakers songs on offer here.The lyrics are spot on and musically still hits the spot even though its a hellova lot slower than then rest.Track 4 is a bit of a let down after the first 3 outings,but that said,it's still a good number,it just dosen't hit as hard as i'd like.The band finish up with the excellent Raise the Belgrano,which is a patriotic,two finger salute to those whingeing Argie wankers..A superb ending to a superb record! So there you have it! 9 nine top songs from 2 of Britiains most promising bands.and i urge you to part with your hard earned cash and get a copy of this NOW! In closing,i'd like to add this.......Our foreign counterparts may rule the roost when it comes down to gig attendances,labels,distribution and organisation,but when it comes down to top streetpunk tunes..British oi! is still the best! All that's to be said now is..where's the competition?..............(Rated *****)