The Biggest Prize in Sport
1980 studio album by 999
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The Biggest Prize in Sport is the third studio album by English punk/rock band 999.[1] It peaked at No. 177 on the U.S. Billboard Album Chart.[2] The album was re-released on CD in 1999 on Anagram Records. Nick Cash: "Pablo (Labritain) broke his arm in ’78, two days before we were doing a show at the SO36 Club in Berlin. Ed (Case) was part of our following, the Southall Crew. We went to the rehearsal and he knew all the songs note perfect. He was very young, about 17. He was fantastic and got a standing ovation. He was a brilliant drummer. From that, Ed then went on to play with Hazel O'Connor, and then worked at the Victoria Theatre playing the drummer in Buddy the Musical."[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10[4] |
Trouser Press called the album "trebly and lifeless, except for the poppy title track, which sounds like an East End Ramones."[5]
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak Posizion |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | US Billboard 200[2] | 177 |
Track listing
Tracks of the US and Canada releases of the album are in a different order than the UK and European releases. The 1999 CD release has the same track listing of the UK/EU edition, and three bonus tracks.[2][6]
All tracks are written by Nick Cash and Guy Days, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boys in the Gang" | 2:45 | |
| 2. | "Inside Out" | 2:02 | |
| 3. | "Trouble" | 2:32 | |
| 4. | "So Long" | 2:44 | |
| 5. | "Fun Thing" | 3:35 | |
| 6. | "The Biggest Prize in Sport" | Nick Cash, Guy Days, Jon Watson | 3:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hollywood" | 3:01 | |
| 2. | "Stranger" | 3:13 | |
| 3. | "Stop! Stop!" | 2:04 | |
| 4. | "English Wipeout" | 3:27 | |
| 5. | "Shake" | 2:26 | |
| 6. | "Boiler" | Nick Cash, Guy Days, Pablo Labritain, Jon Watson | 3:47 |
| Total length: | 46:43 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Made a Fool of You" | Jon Watson | 3:15 |
| 14. | "Found out to Late" | 3:40 | |
| 15. | "Lie Lie Lie" | 2:59 | |
| Total length: | 56:37 | ||
Personnel
- Nick Cash – lead vocals, guitar
- Guy Days – guitar, backing vocals
- Jon Watson – bass, backing vocals
- Eddie Case – drums, backing vocals
- Production
- Vic Maile – producer (original LP)
- Malcolm Garrett – artwork
- Chris Gabrin – photography
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1979 | Polydor Records | LP | PD-1-6256 |
| Germany | 1979 | Albion Records | LP | POLSC 1013 |
| Germany | 1979 | Albion Records, Ariola Records | LP | 201 331-320 |
| Netherlands | 1979 | Ariola Benelux B.V., Polydor Records | LP | 201 331-320, 201 331 |
| United States | 1979 | Polydor Records | LP, promo | PD-1-6256 |
| United States | 1980 | Polydor Records | LP | PD-1-6256 |
| United Kingdom | 1980 | Polydor Records | LP | POLS 1013 |
| United States | 1980 | Polydor Records | LP | PD-1-6256 |
| France, Greece | 1980 | Polydor Records | LP | 2383 563 |
| Norway, Sweden | 1980 | Albion Records | LP | 9198 728 |
| United Kingdom | 1999 | Anagram Records | CD | CD Punk 67 |