In A Rut

Great song, I think, although tinged with the sadness that always accompanies early rock'n'roll deaths, particularly in view of the lyrics. I remember the day Malcolm Owen (the singer) died of an overdose and John Peel announced it on the radio. JP said he felt partly responsible, exposing people to the pressures of the rock industry they couldn't control; if he hadn't played the Ruts on the radio, MO would still be alive - so he felt. Of course, JP was being very unfair on himself.

Paul Fox, the guitarist, died last year of cancer. With this song and Babylon's Burning, the Ruts carved themselves a small place in music history.

I've chosen a list of songs for my self-proclaimed 'Nostalgia Week', and it's going to have to be two a day - no other way to do it. So another one coming later.