Crass Records
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Sleeve of "You Can Be You" by Honey Bane, sleeve designed by Gee Vaucher |
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Sleeve of "Angry Songs" by Omega Tribe, sleeve designed by Gee Vaucher and Omega Tribe |
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Sleeve of "Weary of the Flesh" by Andy T, sleeve designed by Gee Vaucher |
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Sleeve of "No Doves Fly Here" by The Mob, sleeve designed by Gee Vaucher and Twisted Image Graphix |
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Sleeve of A Sides Volume One designed by Gee Vaucher |
Crass Records is an
independent record label which was set up by the
anarchist punk band
Crass.
Prior to the formation of Crass,
Penny Rimbaud and
Gee Vaucher had published their creative works via their own
Dial House based
Exitstencil Press. However the band set up the record label after encountering problems over the release of their first 12" EP,
The Feeding Of The 5000, on the
Small Wonder label in
1978. Workers at the Irish pressing plant contracted to manufacture the disc refused to handle it due to the allegedly
blasphemous content of one song, "Asylum". The record was eventually released with this track removed and replaced by two minutes of silence, wryly retitled "The Sound Of Free Speech". However, this incident prompted Crass to set up their own record label so that in future they could control all aspects of the production of their material. Using money from a small inheritance that had been left to one of the band, the piece was shortly afterwards re-recorded and released as a 7" single using its full title, "Reality Asylum". A later repress of
The Feeding Of The 5000 on Crass Records restored the missing track.
As well as releasing their own material, Crass were able to use Crass Records to make available recordings by other performers, the first of which was the
1980 single "You Can Be You" by
Honey Bane, a teenage girl who at the time was staying at Dial House whilst on the run from a children's home (however, Bane's backing band on this release are in fact Crass, using the name
Donna and the Kebabs). Others who recorded for the label included
Zounds,
Flux of Pink Indians,
Conflict,
Icelandic band
KUKL (who included singer
Björk),
classical singer
Jane Gregory, and the
Poison Girls, a like-minded band who worked closely with Crass for several years. Many of these groups in turn went on to set up their own independent record labels loosely following the Crass Records model.
The label also put out three editions of
Bullshit Detector, compilations of demos and rough recordings that had been sent to the band which they felt represented the
DIY punk ethic.
Singles released on the Crass Records label had a distinctive '
corporate identity'. As well as
lyrically addressing political themes from a broadly anarchist perspective, they were always low priced and usually
produced by Crass drummer
Penny Rimbaud and
engineered by
John Loder at
Southern Studios in north
London. They also featured sleeves designed by
Gee Vaucher, often in conjunction with other artists, wherin the record's title and band name were set in '
stencil' style text in a black ring (see examples above) reminiscent of
Jasper Johns'
Target paintings. These folded out into large posters containing additional artwork and text.
The catalogue numbers of Crass Records releases were intended to represent a countdown to the year
1984 (eg, 521984 meaning "five years until 1984"), both the year that Crass stated that they would split up, and a date charged with significance in the anti-authoritarian calendar due to
George Orwell's novel of the same name (see
1984 (novel)).
Although these vinyl records are now long deleted, many of the tracks have been collected and re-released on the
A-Sides parts one and two compilation CDs. Crass' back catalogue however remains in print, both in vinyl and CD format [
1].
Ex-Crass members Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher continue to put out their creative works (for example, material by
Last Amendment, and Vaucher's book
Animal Rites) through Exitstencil, often in collaboration with other publishers such as the
jazz label
Babel Label and
AK Press.
Corpus Christi Records was a 'spin-off' from Crass Records, that enabled artists and performers to put out material supported by Crass through John Loder's Southern Studios, whilst not necessarily being tied to the latter label's 'corporate image' or anarchist ideaology.
*
List of record labels*
Crass Records discography*
Southern Records*
Article about Crass Records by founder Penny Rimbaud*
Annotated Crass Records discography at Southern Studios website*
'No Class' fanzine article about Crass Records
