Stations of the Crass

Stations of the Crass is the second album by Crass, released in 1979.[5] The record, originally released as a double 12", includes live tracks from a gig recorded at the Pied Bull pub in Islington, London, on August 7, 1979. The first three sides contain the studio tracks and play at 45 rpm, while the final side comprises the live material and plays at 33 rpm. The album's title is not only a pun on the Catholic rite of the Stations of the Cross (such jibes against the religious establishment were typical of Crass), but is also a reference to the graffiti campaign that the band had been conducting around London's underground railway system, the cover artwork depicting a wall at Bond Street tube station that had allegedly been 'decorated' by them. Although the album met mixed critical reception at first, it managed to sell at least 20,000 copies within two weeks.[6]

Stations of the Crass
Studio album by Crass
Released	1979
Recorded	August 7 & 11, 1979
Studio	Southern Studios (London, United Kingdom) Pied Bull (Islington, London, United Kingdom)
Genre	Anarcho-punk, hardcore punk, art punk
Length	79:23 65:25 (Crassical release)
Label	Crass Records
Producer	Crass
Crass chronology
The Feeding of the 5000 (1978) Stations of the Crass (1979) Penis Envy (1981)
Alternative covers
Cover of the remastered 'Crassical Collection' rerelease

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
The Sleeping Shaman	(favorable)[3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[4]

A remastered edition of the album, complete with new artwork by Gee Vaucher designed specifically for the small size of a CD case, was due to be released in March 2009, but was delayed because of contentions with former members. The remastered 'Crassical Collection' version was eventually released in October 2010, including a 64-page booklet of liner notes by Steve Ignorant and Penny Rimbaud, as well as bonus tracks in the form of the band's 1979 John Peel Session. The live tracks recorded at the Pied Bull are not included on the remastered edition. In 2019, it was re-remastered by Penny Rimbaud at Abbey Road studios and re-released on both LP and CD, with the original cover art and tracklist, including the hidden track and the Pied Bull tracks.

Critical reception

Graham Lock, when writing for New Musical Express, criticized the album in a 1979 review by questioning certain lyrics and the band's overall performance.[7] More recent reception towards the album has been mostly warm, however. Ned Ragget of AllMusic rewarded the album four out of a possible five stars, stating that "Crass creates a unique brand of fierce, inspirational music."[1] In a review for the Sleeping Shaman for the 2010 Crassical Collection edition, Ollie Stygall was very favorable of the album and praised its variety in style.[3] Trouser Press, on the other hand, stated that the album's tracks "blur into white noise."[8] Chuck Eddy, in Spin's "Crust Never Sleeps: 8 Anarcho Punk Essentials," wrote that Crass "vary their often incomprehensibly accented extremist rants with just enough dub, art disco, poetry, and scatology to keep things interesting."[9]

Track listing

Side One

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Mother-Earth"	4:11
2.	"White Punks on Hope"	2:22
3.	"You've Got Big Hands"	1:42
4.	"Darling"	1:56
5.	"System"	0:56
6.	"Big Man, Big M.A.N."	2:46
7.	"Hurry Up Garry (The Parsons Farted)"	1:11

Side Two

No.	Title	Length
8.	"Fun Going On"	2:16
9.	"Crutch of Society"	1:52
10.	"Heard Too Much About"	1:08
11.	"Chairman of the Bored"	1:18
12.	"Tired"	3:19
13.	"Walls(Fun in the Oven)"	2:59
14.	"Upright Citizen"	3:15

Side Three

No.	Title	Length
15.	"The Gasman Cometh"	3:17
16.	"Demo(n)crats"	3:20
17.	"Contaminational Power"	2:01
18.	"Time Out"	2:16
19.	"I Ain't Thick, It's Just a Trick"	4:24
20.	"Prime Sinister" (unlisted track)	1:20

Side Four (Live at Pied Bull, Islington, August 7, 1979)

No.	Title	Length
21.	"System"
22.	"Big Man, Big M.A.N."
23.	"Banned from the Roxy"
24.	"Hurry Up Garry"
25.	"Time Out"
26.	"They've Got a Bomb"
27.	"Fight War, Not Wars"
28.	"Women"
29.	"Shaved Women"
30.	"You Pay"
31.	"Heard Too Much About"
32.	"Angels"
33.	"What a Shame"
34.	"So What"
35.	"G's Song"
36.	"Do They Owe Us a Living?"
37.	"Punk Is Dead"

Original CD edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Mother-Earth"	4:11
2.	"White Punks on Hope"	2:22
3.	"You've Got Big Hands"	1:42
4.	"Darling"	1:56
5.	"System"	0:56
6.	"Big Man, Big M.A.N."	2:46
7.	"Hurry Up Garry (The Parsons Farted)"	1:11
8.	"Fun Going One"	2:16
9.	"Crutch of Society"	1:52
10.	"Heard Too Much About"	1:08
11.	"Chairman of the Bored"	1:18
12.	"Tired"	3:19
13.	"Walls"	2:59
14.	"Upright Citizen"	3:15
15.	"The Gasman Cometh"	3:17
16.	"Demo(n)crats"	3:20
17.	"Contaminational Power"	2:01
18.	"Time Out"	2:16
19.	"I Ain't Thick, It's Just a Trick"	4:24
20.	"Prime Sinister" (listed as "Outro Poem")	1:20
21.	"System / Big Man Big M.A.N / Banned From The Roxy / Hurry Up Garry / Time Out / They've Got A Bomb / Fight War Not Wars" (live)	12:51
22.	"Women / Shaved Women / You Pay / Heard Too Much About" (live)	7:10
23.	"Angels / What A Shame / So What / G's Song" (live)	7:19
24.	"Do They Owe Us a Living?" (live)	2:04
25.	"Punk Is Dead" (live)	1:56

The Crassical Collection edition

No.	Title	Origin	Length
1.	"Mother-Earth"		4:11
2.	"White Punks on Hope"		2:22
3.	"You've Got Big Hands"		1:42
4.	"Darling"		1:56
5.	"System"		0:56
6.	"Big Man, Big M.A.N."		2:46
7.	"Hurry Up Garry (The Parsons Farted)"		1:11
8.	"Fun Going One"		2:16
9.	"Crutch of Society"		1:52
10.	"Heard Too Much About"		1:08
11.	"Chairman of the Bored"		1:18
12.	"Tired"		3:19
13.	"Walls"		2:59
14.	"Upright Citizen"		3:15
15.	"The Gasman Cometh"		3:17
16.	"Demo(n)crats"		3:20
17.	"Contaminational Power"		2:01
18.	"Time Out"		2:16
19.	"I Ain't Thick, It's Just a Trick"		4:24
20.	"Radio Radicals" (thread track)		2:21
21.	"Shaved Women" (live)	BBC Maida Vale Peel Session, March 28, 1979	3:06
22.	"They've Got a Bomb"	BBC Maida Vale Peel Session, March 28, 1979	4:25
23.	"Tired"	BBC Maida Vale Peel Session, March 28, 1979	2:39
24.	"G's Song"	BBC Maida Vale Peel Session, March 28, 1979	1:11
25.	"Mother-Earth"	BBC Maida Vale Peel Session, March 28, 1979	4:00
26.	"Gozonabit" (run out track)		1:00

Personnel

• Steve Ignorant - lead vocals
• Eve Libertine - lead vocals on tracks 4, 13, 16
• Joy De Vivre - voices
• Phil Free - lead guitar, backing vocals
• N.A. Palmer - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Pete Wright - bass guitar, lead vocals on tracks 8, 12, 14
• Penny Rimbaud - drums, radio
• Gee Vaucher - artwork
• Mick Duffield - films

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
3. Stygall, Ollie (2010-09-24). "Crass 'Stations Of The Crass'". thesleepingshaman.com. The Sleeping Shaman. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
4. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 97.
5. The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides Ltd. 1999. p. 227.
6. O'Conner, Alan (2008). Punk Record Labels And The Struggle For Autonomy. Estover Road, Plymouth, United Kingdom: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-2659-2.
7. McKay, George (1996). Senseless Acts of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance Since the Sixties. 6 Meard Street, London: Verso. ISBN 1-85984-908-3.CS1 maint: location (link)
8. Fricke, David and Robbins, Ira. "Crass Overview". trouserpress.com. Trouserpress. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
9. "Crust Never Sleeps: 8 Anarcho Punk Essentials". Spin. February 22, 2012.