Originally released in 1994, with
Cock Sparrer
eventually declaring themselves displeased with the finished product,
Guilty as Charged
catches East London's finest battling desperately against the rising tides that were threatening to sweep punk down a grunge-inflected cul de sac, and restating their own musical values with ferocious vision. Where the album fell down was in the production more than anything else; the 11 songs that comprised the original album were as strong as any recent
Sparrer
epics, as live tapes from the same time will prove. But the mix was muddy and, with the group's usual street-savvy savagery on sonic hiatus, there really wasn't much else to keep your attention. No surprise, then, that this album is recommended only to completists; anybody wanting to experience how mid-'90s vintage
should sound are pointed instead toward the 2009 rejig, sensibly titled
Guilty as Charged 2009
. Now listeners can hear what a great album this should have been. ~ Dave Thompson