The Kids Were Just Crass

Crass was another one of those bands I completely got wrong at the beginning. Mistakenly lumping them in alongside the relatively less-cerebral likes of Discharge, The Exploited & the U.K. Subs, I figured they were simply yet another British gaggle of slovenly mohicans with a fondness for herculean lager-intake, shouting and "puttin' the boot in." Of course, when I finally sat down and looked at one of their jaw-dropping album covers (lovingly designed by Gee Vaucher), I learned they had quite a few things to say beyond, simply "Oi." In any case, while I largely found the prolific band's catalog unwieldy and frequently rife with arguable tunelessness, they did make a few exciting, genuinely thought-provoking singles along the way.

Glen posted an interesting, hour-long documentary (via Dangerous Minds) on the band, featuring some illuminating interviews with vocalist Steve Ignorant and drummer Penny Rimbaud. Along the way, Ignorant lets slip that the name of the band came from a line in Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust." Who knew? Anyway, before clicking on that, here's a quick taste of classic Crass. Enjoy.