Customer Reviews

Penis Envy

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The only Crass album to exclusively feature the Crass women on vocals (mostly Eve Libertine with some Joy deVivre) Thats a great benefit to the listener as the lyrics are for the first time completely intelligible (Steve Ignorant often sang as though his mouth was filled with cotton) This is an extremely angry, intelligent, thought provoking album and lyrically is everything anarchist rock should be (antimaterialist, feminist, and scathing in its assement of society, its power structure and norms) The music however is not typical punk rock but is much more self-conscious and artistically mature, mixing elements of krautrock, free improv, punk, spoken word, etc. Its rythmically unswinging yet dense and complex: the guitars are used more for texture and rythym than melody, tape and vocal effects abound and the songs have a greater dynamic range than on previous albums. Crass obviously really tried to hone and expand on their original (and noisy) sound. Some of these songs: "What the F...?" and "Where Next Columbus" still give me chills down my spine. Odd, angry and original. Their best work.

It had been well over 16 years, since I had listened to this album. Recently, I bought the cd. "Penis Envy" remains as powerful and relevant today as when it was first released. The lyrics are exceeding intelligent and challenge the listener to THINK. I appreciate CRASS more as an adult living within the "System" than I did as a teenage punk with the bad haircut and a continual desire to piss in the wind.

Most likely, only a true connoisseur of punk music will enjoy this cd. However, I highly recommend "Penis Envy" to anyone who doesn't need snappy little choruses in their music and doesn't mind a little discord.

If you like Flipper's "Generic Album," I believe you'll love this cd.

I think that one of the things easily overlooked in this album is the many facinating ways the music is woven together. It's easy to let the ranting and the compelling anger overwhelm the ear and emotions. But listen a little more closely and you can hear some very complex sound collage going on. Further, every line and riff tend to intensify the feeling of rage. That anyone could sustain the liberating catharsis of sarcastic anger for nearly 40 minutes is a rare accomplishment. Not even Rage Against the Machine can come close. This album stands as a major artistic accomplishment within the punk ethos. Not only that, It ROCKS to it's own eccentric marching-through-Hell beat. Penis Envy is also the perfect teenage antidote to the incessant media barrage of bulemic, anorexia-inducing imagery that girls amd young women are subjected to. To say that this album is a true rock classic is almost inadequate. It's a stirring social and artistic document, full of rage, passion and angry wisdom.

I like Crass a lot and like other reviewers this is hands down my favorite album. Musically it's tighter than most punk from late 70s- early 80s with a more finished and fuller sound than is normal for anarchist punk. The lyrics are angry, thoughtful and still have a very valid message since it's not specifically political, instead it's social statements about things that haven't changed nearly enough yet so it's still very relevant. The lyrics don't just question gender expectation but challenge it to a throwdown cage match.
When I'm introducing friends to punk, this is one of the first albums I pull out.
Favorite songs- the whole album. Really, this is one of those albums I'll listen to start to finish instead of just picking out a few songs off of it.
To say only people who like punk will like this album isn't quite true. My husband didn't know any punk when we got together and this was his favorite out of my collection because it's high energy and well done.

Beneath its polished black surface, Penis Envy is Crass at their tightest, almost clinical even, it is intricate and disturbing in places but many of these soundscapes and lyrics deal with the perverse and the bound. The front cover (of the original album release, beautifully reproduced here in miniature with a stunning 64 page booklet) features the face of a plastic doll which appears trapped yet eternally willing within its tight, open mouthed, shrink wrapped shroud.

One of the album's themes is the portrayal and perception of women as grotesque dolls, finely air-brushed and polished to 'statuesque perfection.' Which brings us to the lyrics, and what lucid and lurid lyrics they are. Joy de Vivre and Eve Libertine wrote some of the most beautifully strange lyrics that I have ever had the good fortune to read, they really do blend from a brilliant landscape of dark lyricism to the delicate paths of a unique, startling poetry. To illustrate this here are some wonderful examples.

From Poison In Pretty Pill. (by Joy de Vivre)

'They deal with flesh, incarcerate with rags, red lips, shimmer-silk and body bags, hairless legs against the blistered napalm burn. I want to rape the substance of your downy hair, in that mist a gutted child fights for air. Against the fragile, mashed and sweaty wound, your facile beauty has an outrageous sound, like a glamour billboard on a battlefield. At least the blood-red poppy was of natures will. That flower perfecting by the barbed wire fence must be insulted by your scented poor pretence.' In terms of musical intelligence, Poison In A Pretty Pill is also very interesting with those needle-like guitar sounds, small and sharp at first, then spreading, like the effect of ink in water. The bass guitar work is also worth mentioning, a slick, snaking thing that pulsates and drives through the track (and indeed throughout the album) but the real standout track, in terms of bass guitar, lies within the classic Systematic Death.

From Bata Motel. (by Eve Libertine)

'Tease me, tease me, the reason to play, in my red high heels I can't get away. I'll be your bonsai, your beautiful bonsai, your black-eye bonsai, erotically rotting.' There are tight, chugging guitars here with what sounds like wah-wah pedals all infused with full on punk rock energy and a refined, clean production - crystal clear on this remastered edition. There has been a lot of talk regarding the release of these remasters, they do sound very different (in places) to the original vinyl and cd releases but to that I would simply say keep (listening to) the originals if that is your preference but bear in mind, these are some of the most important, iconic albums ever recorded and these new editions preserve the history of these recordings and further enhance their uniqueness and originality.

From Health Surface. (by Joy de Vivre)

'Shattered proofing of the lost, splinter shackled, little wounds of cruelty and truth, they tie the one way sickness up inside... places of laughter leave me cool, hot fire burning down to ash... without a sinking heart this sigh could be the wind among the leaves. This pain does not belong to me, they've taken everything away.'

'With weighty promises of love, waiting for the last to fall away. Buckle noose around the strap, all that separates the flesh. From green grass or sinking mud, stagnating, knowing the delusion, clean sheets waiting for a body, slapped into life and slowly gutted... drip-fed tears of the forsaken.'

If I could, I would kiss Eve and Joy for these (brilliantly evocative) images and words, for the sheer pleasure and inspiration their work has given me over the years. I read a lot and I love to read and yet out of all the magazines, books and poetry that I adore, I always seem to find myself returning, from time to time, to these lyrics and to this album in particular. The imagery contained within the words and music never tires me, it is, in places, a dark and introspective record, yet at the same time it holds its own quality of light. Its own quality of hope.

The uncontrived weirdness of this record, it encapsulates a very definative feeling for me, of being surrounded by modern life, this strange wildnerness of superficial people, of cold technology and the ancient roles of master and servant but at the same time there is a feeling of being free within its wild, churning centre.

And it reminds me of a simple truth.

'There is no authority but yourself.'

This anarchist band from Britain has had more than their share of passionate, remarkable records to its credit, combining challenging lyrics with a unique punk style. Their debut, The Feeding of the 5000, still sounds fresh and immediate, and every word still rings true. The same can be said about Penis Envy. and perhaps to an even greater degree.

Crass are still influential today - twenty years after their breakup. It's possoble that Penis Envy may be their best album. This is punk, not hardcore, and every track is challenging; a few, like "Poison in a Pretty Pill," are completely surprising. It's difficult to describe, but while many other bands seem to talk around important issues, this band's passion comes from someting closer to commitment. Many moments of this record are still arresting. It brims with intelligence and a spirit of challenge. It bears mentioning that Penis Envy is the band's only 100% female vocal album, and each of the songs has a special sound unlike you've heard from this band before. These topics are rarely touched upon in modern songwriting.

Perhaps the most difficult thing about describing Penis Envy comes from trying to convey its completely unique sound; this isn't your garden-variety R'n'B oriented punk, and the Pistols and Clash aren't relevant to the debate. Some might find it difficult to get used to the songs at first, and short sound samples don't do justice to their fascinating song structures.

Penis Envy has earned a place on my list of very favorite punk CDs - and I can assure you that there's lots of good competition.

while some of Crass' albums were sometimes rushed and at times unlistenable ("Yes Sir I Will" is a bit rough), this album, a meditation on feminism and gender identity, is probably their best album.

p.s. eve libertine is *not* in chumbawamba! there are very few weak moments, the first 2 songs are stunning, and the satirical hidden track "our wedding" will even rise a smile out of you, probably the only crass song to do so. the most disappointing thing about this album is that it has been largely forgotten. it is not mearly "feminist rock" but it intelligently deconstructs modern society and cultural constructions of gender. hopefully one day this album will be rediscovered.

I had this album on Vinyl for many years and can never get enough-- but I do not have a converter to put on my iPod-- so I bought the CD--it is just as fantastic as I remember. This album screams truth in such a crass way-- modeling the government and hypocritical society. I recommend this album to any new young punkers, new wavers, riot girls, anarchists, angst youth-- you should bring this album back!!!!!!!!!

while some of Crass' albums were sometimes rushed and at times unlistenable ("Yes Sir I Will" is a bit rough), this album, a meditation on feminism and gender identity, is probably their best album.

there are very few weak moments, the first 2 songs are stunning, and the satirical hidden track "our wedding" will even rise a smile out of you, probably the only crass song to do so. the most disappointing thing about this album is that it has been largely forgotten. it is not mearly "feminist rock" but it intelligently deconstructs modern society and cultural constructions of gender. hopefully one day this album will be rediscovered.

I just wanted to mention that the other night a friend of mine asked my 8-year old daughter to name her favorite CD and she said "Penis Envy by Crass."

I'm raising her right. ;-)