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Hey! What’s up Sorry Staters? To use the cliché phrase, it’s been a rollercoaster of a few days, but that doesn’t match the lows and highs of emotions running through Sorry State Towers. I’ll leave Daniel to tell that tale in his own time. Suffice to say, it’s been a week. And Mo Salah is leaving Liverpool. Too much to handle at once. With that in mind, it has been difficult (for me) to think straight, let alone write about a record in detail, but of course I’ve still been listening to stuff. However, this week it will have to be a short hello, this is cool, and goodbye from me.
I mentioned last week about seeking records with a bit more going on in the lyrics and attitude department. I’ve been needing music with some politics and protest in it. A compilation came through the store recently that I have been enjoying, and I would like to recommend it to you. It’s titled Who? What? Why? When? Where?
Released in 1984 on the Mortahate Records label, it’s an interesting collection of anarcho-punk bands, eighteen in all, from around the U.K. The label was set up and run by the band Conflict, and they head the collection with a track called Cruise, a song about the anti-cruise missile sentiment felt by many at the time. The rest of the album follows similar anti-government themes, along with animal rights issues and socialist causes. I recognized a few of the names of the other seventeen bands. Not exactly household names, a lot of them, but to you guys reading, you’ll know many of them. Poison Girls are on there for example. I’ve been digging them over the last few years since discovering their records. They have an interesting story and are worthy of investigation for those unaware. Check out their album Chappaquiddick Bridge from 1980 that was released on Crass Records.
If the mention of Crass Records catches your attention, then I think you’d be right at home with this compilation. It has a similar tone and vibe to the sort of compilations that Crass was releasing themselves. The couple of volumes of DIY and punk sounds that the label compiled from submissions from unsigned artists around the U.K. are worth seeking out. There’s plenty of gems on those. Isn’t that the great thing about compilations? Getting to hear and discover bands and artists that you might not have heard otherwise, and getting a kick-ass selection of tunes to play and enjoy. Finding original singles, if the tune even saw a proper release, can be tough and expensive, so having a reasonably priced comp is the way to go. This one has an inner sleeve with lyrics and art, plus some basic information about the bands and where they are from. The copy I have been playing is a bit of a beater, but plays just fine. A nice copy shouldn’t set you back too much though, depending on where you see one. It’s worth snagging if you are looking to expand your knowledge on the anarcho scene from the period and are looking for tunes you might not be familiar with. Click the link here for a listen.
Okay, that’s all I got for you right now. Thank you for reading and for all your continued support. We love you guys and love hooking you up with good shit. May that continue for many more years.
Cheers – Dom