With a manifesto of punk, "Do It Yourself", uniting the utility of Crass songs, films, collage sounds, images and movement to bring criticism subversion innovative and sustainable against everything that they see as a culture built the basis of war, violence, sexisme, religious hypocrisy and excessive consumerism. They also fight with the people anarcho-pacifist which became a huge movement in the environment of punk music.
Crass beginning
The band was formed when the founder of Dial House and a former member of EXIT group, a group performance art avant-garde, Penny Rimbaud (real name Jerry Ratter) began playing music together a Clash fan Steve Ignorant, who was staying at Dial House. Together they recorded the song "So What? 'And' Do They owe Us a Living?" Which they call drums and vocal duet. For a very short time they call themselves Stormtrooper, before choosing the name of Crass, which is taken from the David Bowie song, 'Ziggy Stardust' (especially the lyrics that mention 'The kids was just Crass'). Other members of the house began to involve himself in the band, and it lasted quite a while before Crass playing in his first performance as a filler show 'Squatted street festival at Huntley Street, North London. Not long after that they started playing in the legendary punk club, Roxy in the area of Covent Garden, London. With money from his own band, making them a disaster from the drunks, and ended with the rejection of the appearance on stage, which is enshrined in their song "Banned from the Roxy 'and Rimbaud's essay' Crass at the Roxy '. Show-show options, including their first regular performances by the UK Subs in the White Lion pub in Putney. Show-show was watched by fewer people; "The audience is usually just us when the Subs played, and only the Subs when we played.", Said Penny Rimbaud.
Not long after that, the band decided to play more seriously, give more in view of their appearance. By avoiding drugs, alcohol and marijuana prior to their appearance on the stage, they also adapt the political thoughts of the use of black clothes, clothing styles that tend to the military, nor on the stage of everyday dikehidupan. They also introduced the use of a stage backdrop, a logo drawn by a friend of Rimbaud, Dave King (which of Sleeping Dogs Lie), as shown on the back cover of the album The Feeding Of The 5000. This made the band famous with his military force, which led some to accuse them of a fascist band. Crass said that their black uniform appearance was intended to be a statement against the "cult of personality", with it, so that in contrast to most other rock bands, no member would be referred to as the leader of the band.
Band logo displayed on the back of the stage represents a mixture of several "icons of authority, including the cross of Christianity, the swastika and the British Union flag combined with the image the two-headed snake consuming itself (to illustrate that power will eventually self-destruct) . Writing a political message is also one of the Crass strategies to convey their views as a "diatribe contradictory", as well as the use of loud music and aggressive to convey the messages of their pacifism, the works of art that refers to them according Dadaisme himself also took part and also performance art as a backdrop.
The band also uses the stage lights to enhance their appearance, they do not use a simple stage lights (only one color). Crass also a pioneer in the use of tools in multi-media platform, using video technology systems and use the films as well as the stage backdrop collage-video collage made by Mick Duffield and Gee Vaucher to help maximize their performances on stage.
Crass Records
Crass' first release was The Feeding Of The 5000, a 12-inch EP 45 rpm contains 18 tracks from the Small Wonder label in 1978. The workers that the company initially refused to handle it because of the lyrical content is very contradictory in the song "Reality Asylum". The album was eventually released with the removal of the song and replaced with silence for 2 minutes, and substitute the song ironically titled "The Sound Of Free Speech '. This incident prompted Crass to set his own record label, Crass Records, in order to bring the full album, and "Reality Asylum" was eventually released after a 7-inch single was recorded again. Mold album 'The Feeding of The 5000' by Crass Records show that the previous song was not included.
Like the albums of their own material, Crass Records released another album done by another artist, the album's first single released was "You Can Be You" by Honey Bane in 1980, a young girl who was staying at Dial House whilst on the run from children's home. Other artists included Zounds, Flux Of Pink Indians, rudimentary Peni, Conflict, Icelandic KUKL band (which included votes from Björk), classical singer Jane Gregory, and the Poison Girls, a band that has the same thoughts as Crass and has cooperate in every way over the years with Crass.
They also put out three editions of Bullshit Detector, compilations of demos and rough recordings which had been sent by the bands there, and they think the compilation is a punk DIY work ethic really is.
A number listed in all the Crass records release in order to display the countdown to the year 1984 (eg, 521,984 which means "five years to 1984"), Crass said that in that year they would disperse, taking from the date of the novel George Orwell which they believe to be the date of the victory of anti-authoritarian movement.
Crass issued a third album they are, 'Penis Envy', in 1981. This album marks the beginning of the presence of what is called the testosterone-driven 'hardcore punk' image formation of the 'Feeding of the 5000' and the development of the 'Stations of the Crass' the world has given recognition for their keeksistensian. The album featured musical arrangements more complex and female voices by Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre (although Steve Ignorant remained a member of the group and also written on the cover of this album, but he did not follow the recording sessions for this album Crass) .
Crass also gave feminist issues and once again attacked the government institutions such as marriage and sexual repression. In one song, a song parody of 'MOR' love song entitled 'Our Wedding', given away for free on the magazine flexi disc in a romantic young girl, after the magazine was offered to distribute the song by an organization calling itself "Creative Recording And Sound Services "(see initials). Controversy in the tabloids that make them more sound movement, also coupled with the News of the World which claimed so far that the title of the song too fulgar for release.
Fourth LP album of Crass's double set album entitled 'Christ the Album' in 1982, took over a year to record, produce and mix, during which time the Falklands War happened and ended. This prompted Crass to fundamentally question the approach in making these recordings. As a group whose commitment to raise political issues, they feel that they have brought their message and appearance redundant by the existence of real events in the world. Release the album included the song 'How does it Feel to Be the Mother of A Thousand Dead "and" Sheep Farming in the Falklands', and the album 'Yes Sir, I Will', they bring their voices back to the base and bring message as a "tactical response" to the political situation at that time.
In the early days they were making graffiti around the area stensilan London Underground, the band is also involved in direct action, as well as their musical activities. In 1983 and 1984 they were involved as part of the Stop the City actions which involves the runners in the early 21st century as an anti-globalization protests. Real support activities that they would like it displayed on their last song called 'You're Already Dead', which also showed that Crass had abandoned their long commitment as a pacifist. This brings the band to further introspection to their initial stance, and some members of this group felt that they begin to lose sight of the essence of pure establishment which during their run. As a result of these debates, the next release using the Crass album name 'Acts of Love', an album of 50 poems by Penny Rimbaud with a classical music background, which also can be described as "songs to me the other" and aims to celebrate "the need for companionship desires, peace and love to be there with the other self."
A further post-Falklands war were the members of Crass make their presence more attention, with a KGB agent activity of Ronald Reagan Administration. With the recording, known as 'the Thatchergate tapes', a cassette featuring a faked conversation using voice samples from Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagans, who talked about their plan that the Europeans will be used as a target of nuclear weapons in the event of conflict between America and the Union Soviets. Recordings are spread among the public a lot, even though no Crass label in it, somehow the British newspaper the Observer can connect the voice recording with Crass.
The dissolution of Crass
Crass finally stopped appearing in public after becoming a serious threat to the government of Margaret Thatcher after the Falklands War. Questions in Parliament and they will attend court the Obscene Publications Act in British law, it makes them fight dimeja green and ended with what they call violence finally get what should be accepted. On July 7, 1984 the band played their final show in Aberdare, Wales, a benefit for the miners there who are on strike, before retreating to Dial House to save their energy for the next fight anywhere.
Andy Palmer who played guitar decided to leave the band so he could continue his studies at art college, and the consensus of the group is to "replace Andy Palmer tantamount to accepting the body as the next band member". This strengthens their decision to disband in 1984. Steve Ignorant and then joined the band Conflict, with whom he has been the basis adisional band, and in 1992 he formed Schwartzeneggar. From 1997 to 2000, he has been a member of the group Stratford Mercenaries. He also worked at the 'Punch and Judy' as a performer. Eve Libertine continued to record with her son Nemo Jones as well as performance artist A-Soma. Pete Wright concentrated on building himself a houseboat and formed the performance art group Judas 2, and Rimbaud continued to write and perform both solo and with other artists.
Crass influences
Philosophical and aesthetic influence of Crass art in most of the punk band in the 1980s could no longer be denied, although a few bands mimicked their style of music at the last moment (like on the album 'Yes Sir, I Will' and their latest recording, '10 Notes on a Summer's Day '). Crass said that the influence of music they are more likely to take the form of traditional rock music, as well as classical music (especially music of Benjamin Britten, which Rimbaud declared, a few riffs from songs by Crass imitate him all the music), works of art Dada and the avant-garde such as John Cage also made performances of traditional art. Painting and collage, black and white collage on the cover of their album by Gee Vaucher become a model of modern art aesthetic.
In November 2002 several former members of Crass collaborated under the name The Crass Collective to arrange Your actions Country Needs You, a music concert that raised "the voices against the war" which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London, including the appearance of the performer Britten's War Requiem. In October 2003, the Crass Collective changed their activities to Crass Agenda, and they continued their performances on a regular basis. During 2004 Crass Agenda campaign to save the Vortex Jazz Club in Stoke Newington, north London, which has now relocated to Hackney. In June 2005, Crass Agenda was declared, and changed its name to sound more appropriate, Last Amendment.
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