Few punk bands matched Crass for sheer undimmed vitriol � just ask Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher, whose hard-line conservative government provided irresistible

fodder for concept albums like Yes Sir, I Will, which indicted her bid to retake
the Falkland Islands. The band shunned any 1977-era notion of accommodating major
labels, organizing as an anarchist collective to release its own albums (and
related affairs like the Bullshit Detector compilations). Behind the seemingly
casual pseudonyms (Joy DeVivre, Phil Free, Steve Ignorant, Eve Libertine) lay an
intensity that never shied from painting with a broad brush (as exemplified by
slogans like "When You Vote, Government Wins"). Recorded on July 4, 1981, this show
in Perth, Scotland, occurred while riots simmered nationwide. Supporters of
Britain's neo-Nazi National Front party raised the tension by sneaking into the
venue � which neatly upholds punk's tradition of capturing hostility on a crappy
cassettes: Does this sound like Metallic K.O. yet? Well, almost; never the most
adept musicians, Crass' breathless velocity often wears thin at times, but there's
no denying the power of its conviction � "Punk Is Dead" surely remains one of the
most withering blasts issued against corporate cooptation. "Rival Tribal Rebel
Revel" spanks punks for using fisticuffs to settle their differences, which becomes
an ironic (if inevitable) running theme here. Yet the band remains resolutely "on
message" � to borrow that oft-maligned political term � amid the squabbling. The
songs hustle at a tetchy, impatient clip: Antiwar polemics like "Nagasaki
Nightmare" and "They've Got a Bomb" remain relevant as ever, while "Berkertex
Bribe"'s nitty-gritty specifics show how quickly dated most political music
becomes. Crass' scattershot staccato thrash may be an acquired taste, but its
impact cannot be denied. True believers can replace that worn-out bookend from
their tape compilation, while the uninitiated should start with the Best Before
1984 compilation and make this release a bookend to that experience. � Ralph
Heibutzki