In addition, as a result of extensive touring in the United States in the early 1980s, the band's third and fourth studio albums, The Biggest Prize in Sport and Concrete, each charted on the U.S.

[citation needed] Despite having formed in 1976, 999 have only experienced two permanent changes to their original line-up[6] and have continued to record and play live, leading AllMusic to describe them as "one of the longest-lived groups of the punk era".

[5] Named after the UK's emergency telephone number, 999 were founded in London by two brothers: singer and guitarist Nick Cash, and Guy Days.

[7] In late 1976 they placed an advertisement in Melody Maker for band members, and ended up turning down Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Jon Moss (Culture Club) and Tony James (Generation X).

The 45 cuts like "Me and My Desire" and "Emergency" demonstrated the latter, but the album lacked that special ingredient, uniqueness or originality to make it stand out from the crowd.

[citation needed] Years later, "Emergency" was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all time.

[16] In the United States, a slightly altered version of Separates, re-titled High Energy Plan, became the band's first American release.

[18] 999 also played at Front Row Festival, a three-week event at the Hope and Anchor in late November and early December 1977.

This resulted in the band's inclusion, alongside the likes of Wilko Johnson, the Only Ones, the Saints, the Stranglers, X-Ray Spex, and XTC, on a hit double LP of recordings from the festival.