A true hard rocking masterpiece, very essential from this guitar great. I have the original vinyl of this recording which will never be sold or given to anyone except my kids. I also have it preserved on cdr.

This whole album is great listening but my favorites are: HIROSHIMA, DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD, RUN TO YOUR MAMA, and NUCLEAR ATTACK.

While I like both the blues and metal I've always preferred Gary the straight ahead rocker to Gary the bluesman or Gary the late-80s metalhead. So this and "Back on the Streets" remain my 2 favorite Gary Moore Albums to this day (and, with his output that's saying a lot). I had just about worn the album out so was very excited to come across an import CD 12-15 years ago. It cost me $30 at the time but I didn't mind at all!! If you are a Gary Moore fan at all, and you don't already have this, your collection is incomplete.

I've always considered this and Back on the Streets to be almost companion pieces that wouldn't have been out of place as a double album. Released less than a year apart (both have the original release date as 1978), this has the straight ahead rock songs while Streets has the "lets show what we can really do" rock instrumentals that will be familiar to anyone who has heard his work with the GREATLY underappreciated Coliseum II.

As for Dirty Fingers, I definitely agree with my fellow reviewer that Bad News, Nuclear Attack, Run to your Mama and Hiroshima are the best tracks with Bad News and Mama being two of my favorite Gary Moore songs period!! (Though I prefer the live version of Mama from Live at the Marquee Club to this original version). And this is THE best version of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood that exists.

However, mainly due to the instrumental tracks I mentioned and the magnificent cover of "Don't beleive a word" I like Back on the Streets just a little more than Dirty fingers so this one gets 4 stars (really 4.5) while Streets gets the full 5.

If you are a Gary Moore fan and you don't already have this (both of them for that matter)...what are you waiting for?!?!?