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Crass

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Epping, Essex, England (1977 – 1984)

Crass were an English band, formed in 1977 and based around Dial House, an open house community near Epping, Essex, England.

In contrast to The Sex Pistols ‘anarchy’, Crass’ attitude was more directly influenced by libertarian socialist philosophy and anarchism’s nineteenth century roots. In the process they promoted anarchism as a legitimate political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement , popularizing the seminal movement and touching on such overtly political issues as anti-consumerism, direct action, feminism, pacifism, anti-corporatism, environmentalism, anti-globalization, anti-racism, religious power, and squatting.

Taking literally the punk manifesto of “Do It Yourself”, Crass combined the use of sound collage, graphics, song, film, and subversion to launch a sustained and innovative critical broadside against all that they saw as a culture built on foundations of war, violence, sexism, prejudice, capitalism, religious hypocrisy and unthinking consumerism. They were also critical of what they perceived as the flaws of the punk movement itself, as well as wider youth culture in general. Crass were amongst the progenitors of the anarcho-pacifism that became common in the punk music scene.

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  • Interlock wrote:
    yesterday afternoon
    Crass have been my favourite band for years. I love them. I don't even care that most of the people that listen to them also listen to La Roux.

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  • angelangela wrote:
    yesterday morning
    I am he and she is she, but you're the only you!

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  • inuntrol wrote:
    Sunday evening
    do they owe us a living? well do they?

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  • Manoloxines wrote:
    Sunday afternoon
    Crass turned me from a pseudo-punk into a man with a mission in life to ACT,RESIST N FIGHT society's evils...

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  • kamikuntzi wrote:
    Sunday morning
    crass isn't your cookie-cutter run o' the mill punk band, and thats what i think makes them so great. they were artists. super feedbacky screechy guitars and militant marching band drum beats.... it really isnt aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time it is. you know what pisses me off? when people say crass didn't know how to play their instruments. they just played them in a bizarre way. i think it makes a lot of sense when you compare it to the screechy unpleasant guitar racket produced by the velvet underground. sure it was fucking different, that dont mean it wasnt music. i feel like people might appreciate crass more if they thought of them as artists, and not a punk band. but then again i'm happy people generally don't like crass, its always nice to be in the minority. :) anyway i'm ranting, crass changed my life and really opened up my mind to new ways of thinking. they have been for years and remain one of my favorite bands. fuck yeah.

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  • freefestival wrote:
    8 days ago
    @Whitetrashscum: The truth about Crass is that they had a message to spread. This message was spread, along with their lyrics and songs, through direct political action. They did what they did on their time, something pretty unusual. They expressed their ideals through music, but they also participated in many other activities which made them into a very strong and powerful band. They helped other groups of the same type, and they basically forged the underground punk subculture during their time. I'm pretty sure the bands you mentioned wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for Crass. And the fact that you've seen people listening to Crass as part of a scene doesn't mean that every Crass fan is the same. I'm pretty sure most of the people who really like Crass are aware of their importance to punk music, politics in music, and political activism in general. Every good punk band must have something to thank Crass.

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  • GreenSheep wrote:
    10 days ago
    External control are you gonna let them get you? Do you wanna be a prisoner in the boundaries they set you? You say you want to be yourself By christ do you think they'll let you? The're out to get you get you get you get you get you get you

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  • radicaldudebro wrote:
    11 days ago
    isn't crass an anarcho-punk band? i should be able to listen to some songs on here then. fuuuuucckkkk!

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  • Da_Trv3_Pwn4g3 wrote:
    13 days ago
    big handz plx GO!

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  • pathtoyirah wrote:
    15 days ago
    BIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDSBIGHANDS

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  • CurtisColours wrote:
    15 days ago
    System System System, slaves right from the start!

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  • quigley54 wrote:
    17 days ago
    of course they do! of course they do! of course they fucking do!

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  • thenearestdoor wrote:
    19 days ago
    i had a scary thought the other day. imagine if crass never existed? there would be no amebix, conflict, man is the bastard, nausea, ect. :O what a scary thought!

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  • Julian_pa wrote:
    21 days ago
    Crass rules and it's pretty sad that a lot of things sung about are still relevant today

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  • DonAdhelky wrote:
    23 days ago
    niceeeeeeeeeeeee

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  • Aaronification wrote:
    25 days ago
    http://www.last.fm/music/Stratford+Mercenaries

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  • LucidStrike wrote:
    27 days ago
    EMI as Crass' label. Har har. =.=

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  • CurtisColours wrote:
    28 days ago
    just bought 'christ the record' on vinyl. time to beat off

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  • AR-DZEJ wrote:
    29 days ago
    Do you really believe in the system? Well o.k.

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  • LucidStrike wrote:
    November 2009
    I forgot to note that Crass eventually began to depart from the pacifist side of things themselves.

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