12 Crass Songs - (CD)

Released in 2008 on Rough Trade Records, this album was recorded entirely at Olive Juice. Crass were a groundbreaking British anarchist hardcore punk band/commune/collective who released a handful of classic albums between 1978 and 1984, albums known and revered worldwide by fans of hardcore punk music but musically inaccessible to most other listeners - until now! Jeffrey has taken a dozen of Crass's greatest songs and given them his own thoughtful re-interpretations, ranging in style from folk to country to rock to electronica and more, which dazzle the ear while losing none of the political power, lyricism and humanitarianism of the originals.

PRESS QUOTES for "12 Crass Songs":
"Weird? Very... [...] but it's also downright inspiring" (4 of 5 stars) - Rolling Stone

"The record presents Crass’s lyrics calmly, often demonstrating how sane and practical they are; it proves once again, and kind of thrillingly this time, that no music is immune to interpretation" - The New York Times

"Jeffrey Lewis retunes [Crass'] vituperative, cats-and-gravel-in-a-blender sound into something approaching sunny-side-up genius... [and] Crass' lyrical, ultrapolitical vitriol is, if anything, more relevant than ever. It's the most astonishing cover album of the last 10 years, bar none." (4 of 5 stars) - Austin Chronicle

“Folk maverick raids anarchist commune and finds catchy tunes… Works wonderfully” - Spin

"Jeffrey Lewis’ talents appear without end… (on 12 Crass Songs he) magically makes the anarcho-rockers’ anti-establishment savagery his own, by wrapping their barbed sentiments in his trademark mottled tea-towel warmth” - NME

"12 Crass Songs succeeds utterly... eerily beautiful and strangely affecting" - Plan B Magazine

"He’s taken hold of any number of my old stormy favorites and breathed fresh life and fire into them. . . Man, I’m in awe of Jeffrey right now. Who’d have thought he could have done that?" - Everett True/ Village Voice

"Quite brilliant" - (4 of 5 stars) MOJO

“What could be sacrilege is actually a small epiphany: the gorgeous instrumentation…proves a deft counterpoint to the lyrical rage. The Man probably said it would never work but The Man was wrong” - (4 of 5 stars) UNCUT

“It's no mean feat to transform such abrasive harangues into lush, tuneful folk… without defusing their righteous anger… but Crass's intelligent and indignant screeds could not hope for a more sympathetic translator.” (4 of 5 stars) - THE GUARDIAN

01. End Result
02. I Ain't Thick, It's Just A Trick
03. Systemic Death
04. The Gas Man Cometh
05. Banned From the Roxy
06. Where Next Columbus?
07. Do They Owe Us A Living?
08. Securicor
09. DemonCrats
10. Bit A, Little A
11. Punk is Dead
12. Walls (Fun In the Oven)