UK Subs
Endangered Species

Imagine a punk band with a wobbly line-up, led by a frontman not quite forty, who finds himself in a period of reflux for punk rock and has already recorded his sixth album, and that this record even contains crossover attempts with dark, pseudo-heavy sounds.
What can be inferred from such a picture? All the worst, naturally.
But no, because this was the description of the UK Subs in 1982, at the time of the release of "Endangered Species."

The indomitable Charlie Harper - born in 1944 - had been in various R&B formations since the mid-'60s when, in 1976, struck by punk, he decided to form a punk band in the purest "do it yourself" spirit, and programmatically called it "The Subversives" (The Subversives).
The UK Subs never had an easy time, also because of the somewhat unaccommodating nature of Charlie and his henchmen; suffice it to say that the first record was recorded in 1977 (at the notorious Roxy Club, I believe) but was released only in 1980, after two studio albums. The line-up was always another sore point of the UK Subs, for artistic reasons and otherwise (it is told of arrests at airports for drunkenly commandeering baggage carts to race around the tarmacs).

In their early years, the UK Subs garnered the favor of the scarce audience of "rock deviants," only to constantly fall out of favor with the kids, supplanted by a plethora of bands born from the rise of the "hardcore" phenomenon, a phenomenon that would then self-suffocate also due to the high production of worthless groups, but that's another story.
Meanwhile, still in early 1980, their fame was such that in their first Italian tour, the poster had the Ramones supporting the UK Subs. In reality, the Ramones already enjoyed a certain popularity (the 45 "Baby I Love You" was among the records of the jukebox at the bohemian bar near my home), and the organizers’ choice was not entirely spot-on, but again, that's another story.

Well, after a thunderous debut with two gems such as "Another Kind of Blues" and "Brand New Age", and a good live album (besides the debut one, which, as already mentioned, was only released in '80), after already having lost on the way the excellent rhythm section composed of Paul Slack and Pete Davies, the UK Subs first release "Diminished Responsibility," a controversial album but driven by the big single "Party in Paris," and then in 1982 this "Endangered Species", which gave further impetus to the change already undertaken with the previous album.
And indeed it is about endangered species, because the UK Subs, caught in a vice that offered no alternatives but between a hackneyed hardcore on one side and the polymerization of sound on the other (the term is not coincidental), choose a third way, very personal and with outcomes far from predictable.

"Endangered Species" is a piece that emphasizes sounds and arrangements clearly rooted in Hard Rock / Heavy Metal, yet always keeping the steering wheel firmly on its rock-blues origins.
Start off on the right foot, first turning up the volume to unheard-of levels, then drop the needle on the title track and enjoy without guilt the short, wearying guitar solos; notice how everything always remains "in key," unlike the sterile hardcore that would soon follow and the useless and redundant heavy metal, from Metallica onwards. Rejoice at the drums that "beat even" without hesitation and the three chords, which, like the phoenix, always rise from their ashes. No ill-fated attempts to create new things where there's nothing to create, but that does not make the record sound repetitive and monotonous, quite the contrary: Alongside the pure energy of the title track, "Living Dead", "Fear of Girls", there still is room for blues, complete with harmonica ("Ambition"), Charlie Harper's undying old love.
A moment of pause, just enough time to flip the vinyl over and discover the decadent, dark, and claustrophobic side of the UK Subs’ "new course", whose forerunners had already manifested in the second LP - remember "You Can't Take It Anymore"?.
Here the scenarios remain bleak, in a crescendo that culminates with the splendid "I Robot", which I dare to define as dark-punk-blues, and the ominous "Flesh Wound", which could have easily ennobled more than one of the many run-of-the-mill albums of the dark-wave wave, which shortly thereafter would crash down on the already dated "New Rock."

Make no mistake, the record is definitely above average, but inside this LP we won't find classics of the caliber of "Warhead", nor dazzling sequences like "Emotional Blackmail", or anthems worthy of "Teenage", Rockers, C.I.D...
No, "Endangered Species" is not a masterpiece, but a record that could have pointed out valid alternatives for the future of punk, which unfortunately remained practically unique.
From that moment on, the UK Subs produced only a few works of note (the explosive single with "Police State", the quirky "Another Typical City.."), while Charlie Harper would give his best with a side project called "Urban Dogs," which produced at least one noteworthy first album.

Epilogue: The UK Subs never disbanded, and if you happen to attend one of their performances, enter early and take a look behind the merchandise table selling patches, t-shirts, and records: you might see an elderly gentleman with spiked blonde hair and a prominent belly: At that point, approach him and try to greet him with a "Hi, Charlie, how are you?". At worst, you'll have had a beer with an indestructible rocker.