CRASS have announced a new series of reissues from their Crass Records back catalogue.
Drawing on a catalogue of more than 20 bands and solo artists, the releases in the 2 By 2 And Back Again series will come in pairs, starting with the first and last and working their way in.
Opening the series are ex-Fatal Microbes and Poison Girls affiliate Honey Bane and soprano Jane Gregory. "The original series was opened by Bane and closed by Gregory, female artists in what was seen at the time as a predominantly male genre," explains Penny Rimbaud. "This in itself says a lot about Crass’ radical gender politics, and yes, the album, Penis Envy, was a ball-breaker”.
“Our (Crass’) interest was never in personalities, profits or power, and neither did they have time for reformist liberals," he continues. "Their position was solidly revolutionary; they took no prisoners. Talking the talk was never enough for Crass, no, they demanded that you also walk the walk. Theirs wasn’t a show, it was a battle, not a living, but a lifestyle, a lifestyle with a difference – rather than looking only to themselves, they sought to share their gains. This willingness added great strength to the form of anarchism that they practiced on stage and out on the street.”
Originally released in 1979, Honey Bane's three-track EP You Can Be You finds her backed by Crass following the dissolution of Fatal Microbes, while Jane Gregory's 'Do Not Go' was the last release on the label in 1985. "Jane wanted to do a crossover single, her idea being to make an accessible classical record through which a larger audience might be attracted to beauties of the genre," Rimbaud explains. "Regrettably, it wasn’t to be, but it remains an extraordinarily beautiful recording which most certainly deserves a wider audience.”
Originally released on 7", both recordings have been fully remastered for 12" by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road.
Out on 4 March through One Little Independent, both releases are available to pre-order here.