Take Your Elbows Off The Table
Unreleased product on Crass Records, which came out on test pressing only. Sandwiched somewhere between the Jane Gregory and KUKL releases on Crass Records, these tracks are amazingly rare.
Indebted to Vince ex of D.I.R.T. now performing in the excellent Earth Culture.
Not sure of the reason of why this single was not ever released, it has been produced professionally at Southern Studios under the guidence of Penny Rimbaud. One reason was that perhaps the material carrying 1984 and CATNO catalogue numbers had not been selling at this time. KUKL would not sell properly until the Sugarcubes turned up on One Little Indian Records to make Bjork a household name. A little while later the last CATNO release ‘Best Before’, a compilation double LP of Crass material, would become the big seller in the near future for this label. The vibe on these tracks is similar to Lydon and Bambataa’s Timezone 12″ single ‘World Destruction’ released around the same time. These track’s definitely fall short of the magnificent Timezone release, but in context of the time when even U.S. artists dealing in breaks were finding their feet, then it is not a bad attempt at early political based U.K. hip hop.
Steve went on with his Punch and Judy performances and helping out Conflict for a couple of years. Steve fronting both Schwartzeneggar and Stratford Mercenaries in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and led the line up of last years ‘Feeding Of The Five Thousand’ gig in the Shepherds Bush. A very sweet guy, hoping he is well on the coast since moving away from Epping.
Sean (U$A)
March 17, 2008 at 3:21 amSteve did Punch & Judy shows? That makes me really happy. If only there were videos of that.
Graham Burnett
May 5, 2008 at 1:28 pmCopied and pasted from the Southern/Crass forum – a true story about Steve’s Punch & Judy show…
Whilst we’re reminiscing I thought I might share this little Steve Ignorant story from a few years back…
As some of you may know, Steve started doing Punch and Judy shows after the demise of Crass. About 10 years ago I booked him to do an evening show at the care home for adults with learning disabilities where I used to worK.
I arranged to meet him at the Southend Victoria Station at 5.30. However, when I got there he hadn’t arrived so I sat in the station bar to wait for him. Also in the bar was an ‘old school’ leather & bristles punk rocker of my aquanitance who shall remain nameless, but for the sake of this annecdote we’ll call him ‘Sid’. Sid was particularly known for being ‘in yer face’, and not generall content unless being involved in some kind of a scrap…
I was doing my best not to catch Sid’s eye, burying my head in the magazine I’d bought to pass the time. But it was to no avail…
“Alright Graham, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, alright Sid, I hadn’t noticed you over there”, I lied.
“So what are you doing in here?”
“Urm, I’m waiting for someone”
“Who’s that then?”
“Ur just a friend”
“Who’s that then?”
“Oh, just some bloke who used to sing in a band”
“What band?”
“Oh nobody you would have heard of I don’t think”
“Nah, go on, what band?”
“Crass”, I half coughed in that ‘maybe he won’t quite catch the name’ way…
Sid, obviously beleiving me to be bullshitting, sneered his contempt, “Hur, what that wanker Steve Ignorant? I saw Crass once in Birmingham once, and I offered him and Penny Rimbaud out but the cunts bottled it, hur hur”
“Oh did you Sid, thats nice…” I reply, wanting to disappear into the carpet.
At this point Steve Ignorant walks into the station bar…
Sid rushes up to him…
“STeve! Steve! Wow its Steve Ignorant! Let me buy you a drink Steve!”
“Don’t mind if I do!” says Steve…
Sid joins us as we try to talk business about the evening’s Punch and Judy show…
“I remember the day ‘Big A Little A’ came out. I bought a copy, took it home and played it then chased my mother down the stairs with an axe. The coppers nicked me and I got taken into care…”
“Nice to know that at least we had a good influence on some people!”
Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and it was time for Steve and I to leave and set up the show. Sid has other ideas though…
“Steve, why don’t you come down to the pink Toothbrush and come and meet all the local punks, get pissed and have a laugh?”
Steve says he’d love to but has work to do… maybe some other time. Sid pesters and cajoles but eventually accepts that Steve won’t be meeting the local punks tonight and we go our seperate ways.
Steve does the punch and judy gig, we have a couple of pints in the nearby pub with some other workers from the home who have never heard of Crass, then gets his train home. End of story.
Apart from the other local punk who approached me in the street a few weeks later saying,
“Whats all this about Steve Ignorant came down to Southend especially to meet all the local punks, but you forced him to go to your house and drink cups of tea all evening instead????”
Stewart
July 10, 2008 at 11:26 pmLol! Love it 🙂
Jah Pork Pie
July 14, 2008 at 5:47 pmI owe Steve Ignorant a lot: my “nom de guerre” 1978-ish used to be “Pig Ignorant” and when I found out about Crass, and that their singer was called Steve Ignorant, it forced me to change my name and become the man that I am to this day: His Imperial Highness Jah Pork Pie-I the First, Conquering Lion of Melton Mowbray.
Never looked back!
Stewart
July 14, 2008 at 6:46 pmSounds Haile Dodgy to me…
Jah Pork Pie
July 17, 2008 at 12:23 pm@Stu-> That’s a bit rich coming from a dead fella who didn’t like puns 😉
Stewart
July 17, 2008 at 12:29 pm*winks*
Penguin • Post Author •
July 17, 2008 at 12:31 pmHe lives, rejoice, rejoice HE LIVES…or was eye fluttering just the start of rigor mortis?
Jah Pork Pie
July 17, 2008 at 2:45 pm@Pengy-> No, mate, having read the other thread I think that any stiffness is solely attributable to the bear 🙂
I have a feeling that “BJ And The Bear” is a film that Stewie really *does* wish he starred in 😉
Jah Pork Pie
July 23, 2008 at 11:50 am@Stu-> “Charging to 300”. “Clear”… *JOLT*.
Are you still with us mate?
I’ve got a nice amp of atropine and adrenaline here if you want it 😉
Stewart
July 23, 2008 at 1:19 pm*perks up just a little*
Underground
July 7, 2017 at 3:53 pmReleased as a single by Schwarzteneggar in 1994, but damn great to hear 🙂
G BARNES
July 17, 2017 at 5:38 pmSteve Ignorant’s unreleased 12″ is mentioned on the following page:
http://www.noclass.co.uk/crass.html