05 July 2010

CIVILISED SOCIETY?


I prefer the later CIVILISED SOCIETY material, even though it's a little more metal and a little less punk, but this 1984 demo is a fukkn masterpiece. A solid half hour of politically charged UK punk - there's probably enough written about them already, but You Must Be Joking is the best recorded of the first wave of demos that are floating around (including the one I posted back in March, which features slightly rougher versions of seven songs on this tape). Songs like "Crazy Town" fall a little flat when heard through modern ears (two of which I use on a daily basis), but "Everyone's A Loser" and "Civilised Society" are certifiable UK scorchers, and I'm still a fan of the shameless anti-system/animal rights bent on "Little Animals" and "Home Is Where The Stench Is." Quality shit.

YOU MUST BE JOKING


And just in case you need still more CIVILISED SOCIETY, this live set is on the flip side of my copy of You Must Be Joking. "Just Another War Song," "No Exit," "Fashion," "It's A Crime" and three others in brilliantly distorted live show splendor. It's strange to me that the vocals (particularly Bev's) typically sound better on live tapes than on proper studio recordings...adrenalin perhaps? Or maybe it was alcohol - whatever the cause, they sound fantastic here.



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