Release info:

Christ – The Album, is here.

The fourth release in the Crassical Collection, a series of re-mastered, expanded and repackaged Crass albums. Released so far in the Crassical Collection; The Feeding of the Five Thousand, Stations of the Crass and Penis Envy. Recorded at Southern Studios between July 1981 and February 1982, Christ – The Album was the fourth studio album from Crass.

This re-issue has been re-mastered from the original tapes and includes additional out-takes and a second disc featuring the live recording of their June 1981 gig at the 100 Club in London along with other studio tracks, demos, radio broadcasts and cassette recordings. Packaged in a slip-case, with a perfect-bound booklet containing extensive liner notes from band members Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud, lyrics and artwork painstakingly chosen and put together by Gee Vaucher, plus a CD-sized recreation of the original poster, this release is beautifully presented.

I’ve only got vague memories of this one, but I do recall there was loads of talk around the table about how Kate Bush would go into the studio and lay down the backing tracks, then six months later go back with fresh ears and mix it and put down her vocals. Yeah, Christ – The Album was going to be our selfindulgent rock masterpiece, just like proper musicians did, and now we were proper musicians. As if.

By 1981 Crass had been in existence for four tempestuous years. In that time we’d encouraged punk to grow from being no more than just another ‘great rock’n’roll swindle’ into a genuine movement for change. Anarchy had been rescued from the dusty libraries of academia and the equally dusty dreams of barstool bullshitters to become the catchword for a whole new generation of streetwise activists.

File Under: Punk, Art, Rock For Fans of: CRASS – who else