For those not in the know, The Adicts are a British punk band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. One of the most popular punk rock bands in the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts during that decade.

The Adicts originated as Afterbirth & the Pinz in late 1975. They soon changed their name to the Adicts and became known for their distinctive Clockwork Orange "droog" image.

"droog" is a word derived from fictional Nadsat language, meaning "Friend" (a combination of Russian and English) which along with their urgent, uptempo music and lighthearted lyrics, helped set them apart from other punk bands. Their music has catchy melodies and lyrics, and often features extra instruments and sound clips, such as carousel music in "How Sad", violin played by Derick Cook in "Joker in the Pack", and gongs and keyboard percussion by Anthony Boyd in "Chinese Takeaway".

The musicians wear all-white clothing with black boots and black bowler hats. The singer, Keith "Monkey" Warren, wears joker makeup, wildly patterned suits (such as checkerboard or polka dot), flared trousers, colorful dress shirts, bowler hat and gloves.

Indeed, the band's visual look is complemented by their stage shows, involving items such as streamers, confetti, playing cards, beach balls, joker hats, toy instruments, bubbles and glitter!

Releasing on October 5th, 2018 via Cherry Red Records (UK), The Adicts - The Albums 1982-87 is a whopping 69 track, 5CD clam shell box-set housing all the recordings by Pop Punk legends The Adicts (between the aforementioned 1982 and 1987).

Disc 1: Sound Of Music
1. "How Sad"
2. "4321"
3. "Chinese Takeaway"
4. "Johnny Was a Soldier"
5. "Disco"
6. "Eyes in the Back of Your Head"
7. "Joker in the Pack"
8. "Lullaby"
9. "My Baby Got Run Over By a Steamroller"
10. "A Man's Gotta Do"
11. "Let's Go"
12. "Easy Way Out"
13. "Shake Rattle, Bang Your Head"

This was the band’s second studio album, which not only hit #2 in the Independent Chart, but also managed to sneak into the National Top 100 for a week.

Including the Indie Chart hit single "Chinese Takeaway," is really is a great singalong album which will, without a shadow of a doubt, get you pumped up for anything you are doing later that day!

Disc 2: Smart Alex
1. "Ode to Joy"
2. "Smart Alex"
3. "Troubadour"
4. "Tokyo"
5. "California"
6. "Crazy"
7. "Bad Boy"
8. "Jellybaby"
9. "Maybe or Maybe Not"
10. "Rocking Wrecker"
11. "Runaway"
12. "You're All Fools"

Next up is their 1985 output, Smart Alex, an album which includes the singles "Tokyo" and "Bad Boy." The Adicts epitomize all that was good with Oi and Punk in the late eighties.

In a genre associated with violence and racism, the Adicts were a barrel of laughs and this album, above all of theirs, symbolizes that to a tee.

This album is more new wave-ish than, say, either Songs of Praise or Fifth Overture, and chock full of other great songs - like "Troubador" and "California" - that could also easily have been singles in their own right.

Disc 3: Fifth Overture
1. "Na Na Na Na"
2. "I Am Yours"
3. "Too Much of a Good Thing"
4. "Sure Looks Pretty"
5. "Don't Let Go"
6. "Put Yourself in My Hands"
7. "She's a Rocker"
8. "Beauty Sleep"
9. "Change"
10. "Two Timing Me"
11. "Daggers"
12. "Going Home"

None as a rare album, Fifth Overture was their third disc and originally released in Germany in 1986. The long-running joke is that it came out in '86 for about ten minutes and has been unavailable ever since!

But lovingly included on this wondrous box-set, though many of the songs have the gloomy synth sound so prevalent in UK New Wave of that time, The Adicts do manage to add rockers like "She's a Rocker" and "Daggers."

Disc 4: Rarities
1. "Viva la Revolution (Single Version)"
2. "Steamroller (My Baby Got Run Over By a) (Single Version)"
3. "You'll Never Walk Alone"
4. "Too Young"
5. "Bad Boy (Single Version)"
6. "Tokyo (Single Version)"
7. "The Odd Couple"
8. "A D X Medley"
9. "I Wanna Be Sedated"
10. "Falling in Love Again"
11. "Come Along"
12. "It's a Laugh"
13. "Saturday Night"
14. "Falling in Love Again (12" Version)"
15. "Champs Elysees"
16. "Sound of Music"
17. "Who Spilt My Beer?"
18. "Cowboys"

The fourth album is Rarities and as it suggests, features 18 non-LP tracks, including the seminal "Viva La Revolution" single and the now infamous “Bar Room Bop” EP.

Also inclusive of some brilliant, and for the most part raw B-sides and distended 12” mixes, the beauty of this album is the inclusion of the raucous bonus track fan favorite EP "Bar Room Bop." For much like Fifth Overture was impossible to find, so was this EP until a 2002 reissue was released.

Here you'll get to hear all the older punk stuff and listen as it progress into the New Wave stuff. Of course, most all of it you will never have heard, unless you are a diehard fan, of course, but that just means this CD alone is pure gold dust to you, my friends!

Disc 5: Live and Loud!!
1. "Sensitive"
2. "Easy Way Out"
3. "Joker in the Pack"
4. "Chinese Takeaway"
5. "How Sad"
6. "Hurt"
7. "Tango"
8. "Viva la Revolution"
9. "Just Like Me"
10. "Numbers"
11. "Steamroller"
12. "Too Young"
13. "Straightjacket"
14. "Let's Go"

The fifth and final disc is a 14 track In Concert recording from 1982 that was originally released on the collectable Link Records as Live And Loud!!

Pictures of all relevant record sleeves, press clippings and in-depth liner notes are a feature of the CD booklet which also includes many rare and unseen pictures by Tony Mottram.

Still going strong to this very day with three of their original line up, The Adicts recently played at the 2018 Rebellion Festival this past August and have a full European tour lined up for the end of the year.

5CD Box-Set Purchase Link

www.theadicts.net

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