Crass - The Feeding Of The 5000

Originally released in 1978 on the great UK label, Small Wonder, Feeding The 5000 was subsequentially reissued in 1979 on Crass Records in a fold out poster sleeve and re titled, The Feeding Of The 5000 (The Second Sitting). From the moment you fold out the sleeve to reveal the decaying hand of a dead soldier caught on barbed wire under the sarcasm of 'Your Country Needs You' you know they will deliver their attacks with power and wit. The Feeding Of The 5000 is an absolutely unique and enduring classic punk album. Crass spat out their messages with a rabid power and excitement unmatched by the majority of more mainstream punk bands at least one of which they openly despise on this release. Crass is ferocious music and they stake their claim as absolute leaders in the 1977 era punk explosion. Their far left stance finds Crass spewing out anthems addressing class warfare, social hypocrisy, organized religion, and punk rock itself with serious venom. It's not without humour at times, either, as on the famous chorus, "Do they owe us a living? Of course they fucking do!" (A lyric sheet, always an essential item for Crass releases, is provided.) Check out "Banned from the Roxy". Steve Ignorant is in total command of his indictment of government and their protection of the rich or hypocritical music promoters with the line 'Do they think guitars and microphones are just fucking toys?' "Punk Is Dead", another indictment, this one against the punk movement in general, singling out The Clash and Sex Pistols as sell outs. The most enduring piece, actually, had relatively little to do with punk rock: On "Asylum," the spoken female voice delivers a vitriolic attack on Christianity over disquieting guitar feedback.

Profane it might be but profanity delivered with such menace, verve and vitriolic wit is always a pleasure...it’s just that these days we have forgotten how important it is to enjoy it this way.

Ripped here from the 2007 CD release to MP3 @ 320kbps

Crass; The Feeding Of The 5000 (The Second Sitting)

1.      Asylum

2.      Do They Owe Us A Living?

3.      End Result

4.      They've Got A Bomb

5.      Punk Is Dead

6.      Reject Of Society

7.      General Bacardi

8.      Banned From The Roxy

9.      G's Song

10.   Fight War, Not Wars

11.   Women

12.   Securicor

13.   Sucks

14.   You Pay

15.   Angels

16.   What A Shame

17.   So What

18.   Well? ...Do They?