Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Ant on Thu 27 Sep, 2007.

Something sounded familiar about the CD that was playing. I could almost recognize the songs. Like musical Déjà Vu. Then behold I discovered it was Jeffrey Lewis covering '12 Crass Songs'. Once I realized, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It seemed somehow weak for someone to create folk rock versions but on second listen it makes perfect sense. I mean if you think about it, the meaning is the same whether it's delivered with the aggression of punk rock or folk. One for the ageing anarchists. Very good indeed. In lush comic booklet on Rough Trade. I've never heard so many swear words from a folk musician ....A fresh approach to songs with timeless lyrics, attitude and message.

Hailed by Jarvis as "the best lyricist working in the US today", Jeffrey Lewis has turned his hand this time to reworking a selection of songs by the legendary anarchist punk band Crass!! These new versions, in Jeffrey's glorious folk rock, psychedelic style, lose none of the political power of the originals and sound fresher than ever,

5...according to Kat.

wow - was always scared of Crass, so this provides a soft but still powerful introduction from one of my favourite artists. There's lots of us and them and fighting against the system - perhaps the most common word in the lyrics is 'they' - but as Jeff's accompanying comic shows - his hippy past dovetails well with the anarchist rants. The arrangements of each song work really well, with some interesting bits and some good female vocals too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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