track "Give Youth a Chance" (also known as "Blackman's Pinch") originally recorded for the band's John Peel session in May. Their debut album The Crack was produced by Mick Glossop and released in September 1979, reaching number 16 in the UK Albums Chart. The two singles "Babylon's Burning" and "Something That I Said" were re-recorded for the album. Edited from the album, the band's third single for Virgin at the end of October 1979 was the roots reggae track "Jah War", about the Metropolitan Police's Special Patrol Group's violence in Southall disturbances in April 1979. However, the BBC refused to play it, labelling the song as "too political". 1980s On 11 February 1980, the band returned to a BBC studio for their third Peel session, two tracks of which – "Demolition Dancing" and "Secret Soldiers" – later appeared on Virgin's posthumous Grin & Bear It album. By this time, singer Malcolm Owen was suffering with health problems; a combination of sore throats and a heroin addiction. Contrary to some later reports, which suggested he had started taking heroin when his wife, Roxana had left him, Owen had been dabbling with heroin since the time he and Fox spent in Wales. A UK tour was arranged, the 'Back to Blighty' tour, but a number of dates had to be cancelled due to Owen's condition. What turned out to be the last Ruts gig with Owen took place at Plymouth Polytechnic on 26 February 1980. On 27 March 1980, the Ruts released their fifth single, "Staring at the Rude Boys", a comment on the rapidly rising Two Tone scene. It was backed by another reggae song "Love in Vain". The single reached the No. 22 spot on the UK Singles Chart. The Ruts backed Laurel Aitken who was then signed to Secret Affair's record label, I-Spy Records, on a Peel session for BBC Radio 1, in April 1980, and also backed Aitken on his support tour to Secret Affair. The line-up was Aitken, Fox, Jennings, Ruffy, Owen and Barnacle. The band also played for Aitken on his single, "Rudi Got Married". With their latest UK tour sold out in advance and a US tour lined up, the band began work on their second album in early 1980. Having been forced to cancel a number of UK tour dates, the other three band members fired their frontman over his drug addiction, shortly after