Description
Label Review.
Compilation of singles and other tracks, originally released in 1986, including lyrics and a booklet which details the history of the band in their own words. Remastered. Also available on vinyl.
Our Overview.
There is ‘Punk’ and there is Crass, perhaps the most punk of all bands. However, they were more than just a band and they weren’t really ‘punks’. A double album of singles and other tracks, ‘Best Before 1984’ was issued after they split up and is an excellent primer to their work. It has been said that Crass were the missing link between “counterculture hippies and punks angry rhetoric”, actively promoting pacifism and vegetarianism alongside their musical output. They formed in ‘Dial House’, an open-house community near Epping, Essex, UK. Started by house founder Penny Rimbaud and young vocalist Steve Ignorant in 1977, other house members and friends joined in and the following year the collective released their debut album ‘The Feeding Of The 5000’ on the indie label Small Wonder Records. After censorship issues with the content of the record the group formed their own label to maintain full editorial control over their releases.
Crass were frequently labelled as punks over their early sound - fast tempos and distorted guitars - but with no record company pressures to be commercial they forged their own path, incorporating more complex arrangements and ear shredding sonics to their aural brew over their six year run. Some of their stunts led them into serious trouble with questions about the band being raised in the UK’s Parliament over the content of one of their releases. In 1984, Crass shut up shop with various members exhausted and feeling that they had achieved all they could. Scores of other bands have picked up the baton they laid down since but none have had the impact Crass had and they are still being discussed today.