Track Listing

1. End Result
2. I Ain't Thick It's Just A Trick
3. Systematic Death
4. Gasman Cometh
5. Banned From The Roxy
6. Where Next Columbus
7. Do They Owe Us A Living
8. Securicor
9. Demoncrats
10. Big A Little A
11. Punk Is Dead
12. Walls (Fun In The Oven)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48864 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .14 pounds

CD Description
More than most albums, the title of 12 CRASS SONGS tells you everything you need to know about what's inside: 12 songs originally written and recorded by classic British anarcho-punk/DIY group Crass, reinterpreted by Lewis, known as much for his underground comic books and association with New Yorkanti-folk group the Moldy Peaches as for his music. While it's easy to quibble with Lewis's sing-speak delivery, the words are the main point here. Recontextualized and given a warm, stripped-down accompaniment, the disarming power of Crass's lyrics shines through.

Customer Reviews

Crass without the need to shout
I found the idea of Jeffrey Lewis making an album of Crass covers interesting before I heard it but having seen his band tour the songs this year and the album finally coming out, it's one of my favourte albums of the year.

If you're not familliar with Crass they were an anarcho punk band who created a significant and vocal scene around them of bands and activists in the 70s and 80s. Musically they were interesting: military style drumms, a thin, buzzing guitar sound, sometimes a straight guitar-punk style and at others a very arty P.I.L style with Steve Ignorant's hyper-cockney (like Jimmy Pursey X 10) punk rocker vocals and to balance Eve libertine's very female counterpart.

My first exposure to Crass was reading the booklet from 'Christ' and at 16 it turned everything upside down for a few weeks until I balanced-out that these were flawed ideas too but that there was a radically different way of looking at the world.

I suspect that Crass are too abrasive, that some of the vocals seem too cliched and have suffered from hundreds of mockney punk rocker bands to be very palatable today. This is where Jeffrey Lewis comes in.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, perhaps I thought that he'd just play the songs straight like some of the louder songs in his set but they've become Jeffrey Lewis songs. It's interesting that structurally, the songs are very similar, a lot of narrative, a lot of rhyme and nice tangents from the main thread (Banned from the Roxy starts off about a band bitching about the scene and spirals to everything).

It's also interesting that it's easier to take on board what's being said from a British perspective when the words are sung by an American artist who has reshaped parts of them to bring them up to date and making them seem more universal. While Crass were partly about making a room full of people angry and giving them something to jump up and down to, the lyrics are pretty intellectual and when delivered slower and more gently have a different, more thoughtful power to them.

There are a couple of charming translations. In 'Do they owe us a living' instead of spitting out 'COURSE THEY DO', the more formal 'of course they do' is used in the chorus which makes you smile.

So the questions, if you like X should you buy this. If you like Jeffrey Lewis, I think you should. These songs are very much in his style and he brings a lot of himself and his band to the songs(Helen Schreiner has to take a lot of credit for sharing the vocals). If you like Crass, you'll probably like this album. It made me like the original songs more.

I'm not sure what will happen when people listen to these songs and then seek out the originals but that's another interesting side to the project.

Doing the almost impossible so well....
I would not have thought it could be done.
I am partial to a bit of Crass, but, have to be in the right mood. A lot of what they said is spot on, and surprisingly much is still relevant today, almost 30 years on.

That said, the music, veering from art-punk/post punk to staright ahead noise punk, unlike their more commercial counterparts, the melodies are not that obvious.

Cue Jeffrey Lewis, who does the almost impossible, transforming the originals into indiepop/anti-folk songs, while staying more or less true to the originals. Seeing him do these live this week was absolutely awesome...some done with just voice, piano & guitar.

Even the quietest ones still evoke the anger of the originals, but, in more subtle way...as Matt Hayes (of Sarah records) once said 'you can be angry/left wing and quiet at the same time'), my words, as I cannot remember the oringinal quote word for word.

This album is a must for any Jeffrey Lewis fan (go see him do it live as well - your ears will love you forever). It may also appeal to fans of early Belle & Sebastian. As for old punks, some will baulk at the interpretations, although, some will like them...

I will warn you now, that some who like this album, then go to check out the originals are in for a bit of a shock...

A very individual treat!
I bought this on a whim having seen a "CD of the week" - type review in the Guardian. I am old enough to remember Crass first time round. I think this album is a very inventive take on the old punk themes. It captures some of the anger and adds quite a bit of emphasis on the wit. Well performed. The packaging is a work of art as well.