Being introduced to Crass as a young teenager, and loving them instantly, I have a very designated spot in my heart for Crass. As a youth who was into punk rock-the music, the attitude, the hygiene, I was instantly hooked by Crass' social/political lyrics as well as the angst behind all of the songs/albums that I heard. Penis Envy was the 2nd album of theirs that I was introduced to, but out of all of their releases, this is by far my favorite. Maybe it's the topics- pro equality and anti-sexism- but either way, this is still an album that I keep in a constant rotation of album that I listen to; all these years later.
Crass was the pioneers of the anarcho-crust type punk movement and even though they were an early 80's punk band, their lyrics and style are timeless. Penis Envy, with mainly female vocals that cover lyrics based on society's sexism and gender bias, is a great 10 track album that comes in around the 30 minute mark. Classic Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre vocals recount female struggles within a male dominated society, with your classic punk sounds of the early 80's and its accompanied analog recording quality. (which is the best in my opinion for the punk sound.) If you know Crass, you know their style of punk, British Anarcho vocals with distorted guitar and the popping bass that will always lead to your foot tapping; along with their usual style, there are great lead-in's/outs that accompany some of the tracks that enhance the sound that is being pushed across the table.
I can't say enough good things about this band, every album is great, but I decided to go ahead and review my favorite of them all. I have the cd and lp version of this album, and the great thing about the lp version, is the huge fold out poster that is the backside of the cover art. Get this, or any Crass album and you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Official score 4.5/5
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