Difference between revisions of "Crass"

Latest revision as of 16:03, 28 January 2011

Crass were a UK punk rock band who espoused anarchist principles. They began in 1977, a year after the Sex pistols made the word fashionable with their song Anarchy in the UK. They were known for their connection to the Stonehenge Free Festival, and during their 8 years of existence were a great influence on the anarchist movement in and beyond the United Kingdom.

Crass at the Cleatormoor Civic Hall, UK, 3 may 1984. Photo by Trunt. Published under GFDL. Left to right: Pete Wright (bass), Steve Ignorant (vocals), N.A.Palmer (guitar)

Members[edit]

Crass performing at the Digbeth Civic Hall, Birmingham, 1981

• Steve Ignorant (Voice)
• Eve Libertine (Voice)
• Joy De Vivre (Voice)
• N. A. Palmer (Guitar)
• Phil Free (Guitar)
• Pete Wright (Bass and Voice)
• Penny Rimbaud (Drums, Voice on "Yes sir I will: Track 2")
• Gee Vaucher (Artwork, Piano, Radio)
• Mick Duffield (Films)
• John Loder (1946–2005), sound engineer and founder of Southern Studios, is sometimes considered to be the '9th member' of Crass^[1]
• Steve Herman (???? - 1989) left Crass shortly after their first gig.

Eve Libertine, May 1984

Discography[edit]

(All released on Crass Records unless otherwise stated)

LPs[edit]

• The Feeding of the 5000 (LP, 1978, Small Wonder Records) [UK Indie -#1] "Asylum" replaced with 2 minutes of silence after workers at the pressing plant complained it was "blasphemous"

• Stations Of The Crass (521984, double LP, 1979) UK Indie - #1

• The Feeding of the 5000 - Second Sitting 1980 LP reissued on Crass Records 621984 plus the track "Asylum" UK Indie- #11

• Penis Envy (321984/1, LP, 1981) UK Indie - #1

• Christ - The Album (BOLLOX2U2, double LP, 1982) UK Indie - #1

• Yes Sir, I Will (121984/2, LP, 1983) UK Indie - #1

Crass singer Steve Ignorant. Gala Ballroom, Norwich, 5 June 1981

• Acts Of Love (1984/4, LP and book, 1985. Poems of Penny Rimbaud set to classical music, sung by Eve Libertine and Steve Ignorant. The book is illustrated with paintings by Gee Vaucher)

• Best Before 1984 (CATNO5, double LP compilation, 1986) UK Indie - #7

• The Crassical Collection; The Feeding of the 5000 (CC01CD remastered edition of The Feeding of the 5000, 2010)

• The Crassical Collection; Stations of the Crass]] (CC02CD remastered edition of Stations of the Crass, 2010)

• The Crassical Collection; Penis Envy (CC03CD remastered edition of Penis Envy], 2010)

Crass singer Joy de Vivre, 1984

EPs[edit]

• "Ten Notes On A Summer's Day" (CATNO6, 12" EP, 1986) UK Indie - #6

Singles[edit]

• "Reality Asylum / Shaved Women" (CRASS1, 7", 1979) UK Indie - #9
• "You Can Be You" (521984/1, 7" single by Honey Bane, backed by Crass under the name Donna and the Kebabs, 1979) UK Indie - #3
• "Bloody Revolutions / Persons Unknown" (421984/1, 7" single, joint released with the Poison Girls, 1980) UK Indie - #1
• "Tribal Rival Rebel Revels" (421984/6F, flexi disc single given away with Toxic Grafity (sic) fanzine, 1980)
• "Nagasaki Nightmare / Big A Little A" (421984/5, 7" single, 1981) UK Indie - #1
• "Our Wedding" (321984/1F, flexi disc single by Creative Recording And Sound Services made available to readers of teenage magazine Loving)^[2]
• "Merry Crassmas" (CT1, 7" single, 1981, Crass' stab at the Christmas novelty market) UK Indie - #2^[3]
• "Sheep Farming In The Falklands / Gotcha" (121984/3, 7" single, 1982, originally released anonymously as a flexi-disc) UK Indie- #1
• "How Does It Feel To Be The Mother Of 1000 Dead? / The Immortal Death" (221984/6, 7" single, 1983) UK Indie - #1
• "Whodunnit?" (121984/4, 7" single, 1983), pressed in "shit coloured vinyl" UK Indie - #2
• "You're Already Dead / Nagasaki is Yesterday's Dog-End / Don't get caught" (1984, 7" single, 1984)

Live recordings[edit]

• Christ: The Bootleg (recorded live in Nottingham, 1984, released 1989 on Allied Records)
• You'll Ruin It For Everyone (recorded live in Wikipedia:Perth, Scotland, 1981, released 1993 on Pomona Records)

Videos[edit]

• Crass

Christ: The Movie (a series of short films by Mick Duffield that were shown at Crass performances, VHS, released 1990)

Semi-Detached (video collages by Gee Vaucher, 1978–84, VHS, 2001)

Crass: There is No Authority but Yourself ( "minimovie" Documentary by Alexander Oey, Minimovies.org, 2006)

• Crass Agenda

In the Beginning Was the WORD – Live DVD recorded at the Progress Bar, Tufnell Park, London, 18 November 2004 (Gallery gallery Productions @ Le Chaos Factory, 2006)

Compilations[edit]

• "It's You" — track on P.E.A.C.E. international anti-war benefit compilation released by R. Radical Records (1984)
• "Powerless With A Guitar" — track on Devastate to Liberate benefit compilation for the Animal Liberation Front, TIBETan records, (1986)
• "The Unelected President" — track on Peace Not War anti-war CD compilation. (This track is actually a remix of 1982's "Major General Despair", with new lyrics and additional instrumentation provided by Dylan Bates), (2003)

External links[edit]

• ANARCHY AND PEACE, LITIGATED - A Brief History of the Idealistic Punk Icons Crass, and Why in 2010 They Are Going to Court Over Some Total Bullshit. Viceland, Aug 2010
• The Diamond Signature (Penny Rimbaud, 1999, AK Press)
• Crass Art and other Post Modern Monsters (Gee Vaucher, 1999, AK Press)
• A Series Of Shock Slogans And Mindless Token Tantrums (Exitstencil Press, 1982) (originally issued as a pamphlet with the LP Christ The Album, much of the text is now published online at A Series of Shock Slogans and Mindless Token Tantrums. Southern.com. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.)
• International Anthem: A Nihilist Newspaper For The Living issues 1-3 (Exitstencil Press, 1977–81) (see Crass Discography. Southern.com. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.)
• Love Songs (collected lyrics of Crass with an introduction by Penny Rimbaud, Pomona Books, 2004) Pomona Books :: Crass - Love Songs. Pomonauk.com. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.
• '"The Hippies Now Wear Black": Crass and the anarcho-punk movement, 1977-1984', Richard Cross in Socialist History, 26, 2004 Issue 26 | Contents. Socialist History Journal. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.
• There is No Authority But Yourself YouTube - A film by Alexander Oey documenting the history of Crass and Dial House (Submarine, Netherlands, 2006)
• Rich Cross, (2010). "'There Is No Authority But Yourself': The Individual and the Collective in British Anarcho-Punk," Music and Politics, 4, .

• George McKay Senseless Acts of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance since the Sixties, chapter three 'CRASS 621984 ANOK4U2'. (1996) London: Verso. ISBN 1-85984-028-0.
• George Berger - The Story of Crass (2006) London: Omnibus Press ISBN 1-84609-402-X The Story of Crass: Amazon.co.uk: George Berger: Books. Amazon.co.uk. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.
• Ian Glasper - The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 to 1984 (2006) The Day The Country Died - A History of anarcho Punk book by Ian Glasper. Artofthestate.co.uk. URL accessed on 2010-07-31.

Citations[edit]