Crass - Stations Of The Crass

Stations of the Crass is the 1979 landmark double-LP by English anarcho-punk band Crass, released on their independent label to solidify their reputation as pioneers of radical, political punk. The album features a raw sonic assault that combines studio recordings with a live performance, while its title references both a religious ritual and the band's own graffiti campaign.

Lyrically, the album delivers a blistering critique of late-1970s British society, targeting far-right nationalism, institutional religion, and the commercialisation of punk, notably on tracks like "White Punks on Hope." With its distinct DIY ethic, minimalistic sound, and stark artwork, the release remains a definitive, influential piece of anti-establishment art.

"They said that we were trash/Well the name is Crass, not Clash." So goes the opening of the coruscating "White Punks on Hope," and with “Stations” Crass takes things to an even more vicious level than on “Feeding”. The opening yelps and screams from Ignorant on "Mother Earth" over a slow-building burn show that there was already much more to Crass than simple crash and bash punk, and with the rest of the album the collective moves between full-on assault and an ever increasing agit-snarl experimentation. Originally released as two vinyl discs, the conclusion of the second consists of a live show in Islington the summer of 1979, with the band tearing through new and old cuts with passion, including such fierce anthems as "Do They Owe Us a Living?" and "Shaved Women." The studio tracks, including versions of some cuts from the live show, all come from a one-day session four days after the concert and while some tracks are almost fragments, surprisingly things aren't as constantly monochrome or as rushed as one might think. Whether stripping things down to dub-tinged bass, drums, and repetitive guitar snarls or blends of staccato rhythms and found-sound noise (or even, on "Walls," trying a bit of disco), Crass creates a unique brand of fierce, inspirational music. Libertine and De Vivre make impressive cameos alongside Ignorant's lead vocals, making the perfect argument through performance that passion trumps technical skill when the chips are down. The sheer amount of issue tackling and blunt speaking throughout ranges from political statements of purpose over every aspect of the status quo to relentless self-examination. One running attack against the band was always that their words were better read than listened to, but hearing the seething hatred projected by Ignorant on "Big Man, Big M.A.N." is enough to convince one otherwise. One of the funniest tracks is the vivisection of music press figure Garry Bushell, "Hurry Up Garry," which uncannily predicts his eventual descent into right-wing tabloid idiocy.

Ned Raggett

 

Crass - Nagasaki Nightmare / Big A Little A 7”

Released in 1980 by the English anarcho-punk band Crass, "Nagasaki Nightmare / Big A Little A" is a definitive double A-side single that perfectly captures the band's fierce anti-establishment ideology. "Nagasaki Nightmare" delivers a chaotic, visceral critique of nuclear warfare and its human cost, while "Big A Little A" stands as an iconic anarchist anthem that champions individual autonomy and fiercely rejects institutional control, capitalism, and religion. Packaged in a signature fold-out poster sleeve featuring stark collage artwork by Gee Vaucher, the self-released vinyl embodied the DIY punk ethic by explicitly printing a capped retail price on the cover to protect fans from exploitation.

Crass/Poison Girls - Bloody Revolutions/Persons Unknown 7''

Released on 15 May 1980, the "Bloody Revolutions / Persons Unknown" 7'' split single by Crass and Poison Girls stands as a definitive landmark in the UK anarcho-punk movement. Issued via Crass Records, the joint release served as a political fundraiser, with all proceeds dedicated to establishing an independent, self-managed music venue for the punk community at London's Zig-Zag Club. The record is famously housed in a signature, high-contrast black-and-white fold-out poster sleeve designed by artist Gee Vaucher, featuring striking anti-establishment imagery of key political and religious figures from the era.

Musically, the split captures both bands at the height of their creative and ideological influence. Side A features Crass's "Bloody Revolutions," a chaotic, blistering critique of traditional political uprisings that argues violent revolution merely replaces one oppressive ruling class with another. Side B showcases Poison Girls' "Persons Unknown," a brooding, rhythmically driven track led by Vi Subversa's distinct vocals that addresses state surveillance, police overreach, and the systemic erasure of individual dissent. Together, these two tracks offered a cohesive manifestation of the early 1980s DIY ethos, blending uncompromising lyricism with concrete grassroots activism.

Crass - Penis Envy

Formed in 1977, Crass were undeniably the genuine article. An anarcho-punk rock group from the United Kingdom, they never signed to a major label, instead opting to release their work independently on their own label. And really, what’s more punk than learning the ins-and-outs of distribution to subvert the very system you turned your back on. After releasing the Feeding Of The Five Thousand and Stations Of The Crass in 1979, we arrive on Valentine’s Day 1981 with the blank stare of a Teenage Doll greeting us with open… mouth. Penis Envy is a very big departure for the band in many respects. Gone are the usual angry male vocals provided by Steve Ignorant, with Eve Libertine (and Joy De Vivre on one listed track) taking the helm in his place. At this point in the band’s career, the girls of the band were utilized for backing vocals exclusively, so having them front an entire album was a bold move. The question is: did it pay off?

From the opening of “Bata Motel,” we’re greeted by a very familiar Crass formula, with a sample followed by the most beautiful noise you’ve ever heard. Libertine’s vocal captures the deranged masochism and anger of the song perfectly, the drum work is a perfect backdrop to this meltdown caught on tape, and the guitar work by Phil Free, Pete Wright, and Andy Palmer just mesh into a rock-solid wall to slam into. I would be remiss to leave out the best part of the song (and the album in general): the pull-no-punches lyrics. Penis Envy is one of punk rock’s defining documents in my eyes, and a lot of that has to do with the lyrics and their delivery. On the very first track, we get a glimpse into the not-so-distant world of sexual abuse, submission, and the roles women play in society. The entire runtime of the album is about breaking these bonds and fighting right back. Its existence makes everyone uncomfortable, which is how you know it’s working:

“You force-hold me above the ground

I can't get away, my feet are bound

So I'm bound to say

That I'm bound to stay”

“Systematic Death” sprints through the lives of various people and how from birth to death, we are just cogs in the machine. The little boys and girls are groomed to be the little workingman and housewife of tomorrow, depicting the lives we lead with almost-frightening precision:

"Poor little fuckers, what a sorry pair

Had their lives stolen, but they didn't really care

Poor little darlings, just your ordinary folks

Victims of the system and its cruel jokes!"

One of the album’s highest points is the 7-minute “What The Fuck?,” a brooding, atonal rant concerning the mistreatment of Earth and its resources. In less trustworthy hands, this could have been unbearable, but within what seems to be a cacophony is one of the most entrancing listens of the 1980s. More so than any Crass album following or prior to this one, Penis Envy captures a visceral disgust that most anyone can understand. While it does paint the band stressing the importance of environmentalism quite well, the main attraction is the song’s attack on the unfeeling greed some feel while doing just that:

"But would you see the fire in the world where you exist?

Will your hard eyes register the pain?

Are you so cold that there is no distress?

Where there’s death would you give death again?"

Crass, being the shapeshifting beast that they are, complement their lyrics with tunes ranging from the pounding speeds of “Where Next Columbus?” and “Smother Love” to the African-influenced-stylings of “Berkertex Bribe” to even a bout in an uncharacteristically frail-sounding melody with “Health Surface,” which melds with Joy De Vivre’s wispy delivery until the song springs to life towards the very end.

The album culminates on the last track, which was originally not listed on the album. The song is convincing. If you were to isolate this track and separate it from the album, you might not even notice how conniving and cheeky it is. In fact, that’s very much what happened back in 1981, when popular romance magazine Loving had a giveaway for a flexi disk called “Wedding Song,” provided to them by a group by the name of Creative Recording And Sound Services. Yes indeed, Joy De Vivre’s heavenly voice was so convincing, they fooled a magazine and their readers into thinking she was being genuine. The harmless pranks of an anarchist group, no harm done.

No, of course there was harm done. Of course there was outcry, of course people were outraged by the album’s title (despite it being a reference to Sigmund Freud’s famous, if not outdated, terminology), and of course Crass and many other punk bands at the time faced consequences for putting their controversial art on display for all to see. But again, that’s what it was meant to do. Penis Envy was made solely because of how much unrest it would prompt. It’s a living, breathing document in punk and feminism whose message of unrest still holds true today. As disappointing as that may be, use this album as your fuel just like Crass and their fans did so long ago. Get mad. Get upset. This is the change that needs to happen and it’s not going to happen in your wedding gown meekly saying “I do.”

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.