MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL

Grant, "Don't really know where Nick got that early stuff from. I do remember him having a lot of arty books though, and reading things like Blake and Sylvia Plath."

The erupting bass line followed by the scream of feedback starts the record diving headlong into what may be one of the greatest introductions to a band of all time, "Media Person."

Are you green to feel blue?
Is your vision purely golden?
Is your humor black or olden?
Do you find you're getting yellow?
Though you know you're in the red, dread, red.
I'm your media friend
Transparent so close friend
I'm your media friend
Around the clock religion

With the lyrics spat out like machine gun fire, the song could be interpreted as both Nietzschean and existential. Though often inadvertently cross referencing pop and avant-garde ideas, the lyrics were hardly vague, but rather coming from a clearly different perspective. If there ever were hints in the words of the first EP that they were ideologically aligned with Crass and the anarcho scene (other than the obvious gigs shared) it would be in the song "Blind Dogs."

Grant, "I had political leanings before the relationship with Crass, as shown by "Blind Dogs." We always fought shy of calling ourselves an anarcho band though my idealism didn't extend quite that far."

The unseeing eyes of the blinded pupils
Unseeing guidance, the lead of the blind dogs
Token gestures from life long investors
Questions only for those who question
A vicious circle of passive acceptance
Passive acceptance of a vicious circle
Prevention by convention of infantile dissention
Creates a self-sufficient form of self oppression

Despite what problems the band may have had with the production values on the first EP, it remains (along with the bands first full length) one of the most impressive and unique documents to come, albeit inadvertently, from the UK anarcho scene. There were so many ways to be initially affected by this record. Whether it's the unique approach to songwriting, the mystifying artwork or simply, the relentlessness of the songs, the record definitely made Rudimentary Peni a band to watch out for. People around the world were now showing interest and friends also expressed excitement over the EP.

Grant, "Yes. People on the scene who we played it to, generally said it was brilliant and excellent."

But with all this interest coming from all corners, the above ground music media were completely oblivious.

Grant, "No reviews in the music press, but we never sent them a copy any way."

The band never would completely see the scope of their progress, nor were they that interested. In their entire history, they never really toured to promote anything, the release of their debut EP was followed only by a smattering of gigs.

Around the time of the record's release, Grant had by then become much more interested in Crass. When a friend decided to go up to their house for an interview, Grant tagged along bringing a copy of the freshly released Rudimentary Peni document.

Grant, "I went down to Crass' house in the summer of 1981 with someone who was interviewing them. I took along a copy of the first EP, and on hearing it Penny Rimbaud offered us the chance to do a 7" on the Crass label. We decided to do the second EP on the Crass label partly because I was heavily into Crass at the time, and partly because we knew it was a chance to reach a wider audience without being ripped off by a shitty "indie" label."

This new connection with Crass brought the band soon into the studio again but this time under more appropriate circumstances. Like most of the Crass Records recordings, the Farce EP was recorded at Southern Studios with Penny Rimbaud producing and John Loder twisting the knobs.

Grant, "For me, it was the most exhilarating recording experience that I've had. However, Penny's production style did tend to inhibit Nick's vocal performance. As someone who was 17 at the time, I remember thinking that Penny seemed a lot more easy to be around than many other "older" dudes."

Farce was a perfect eleven songs of raw punk rock that sated most people's appetites created by the band's debut. With only a slight shift in the group's songwriting dynamic ("Slightly more than half the lyrics were mine, whilst riffs came from both me and Nick", Grant) the group was still heading forward with a much more conducing studio environment. While the vocals were quite a bit different than any other Rudimentary Peni release, the overall sound certainly benefited from a more sympathetic ear at the controls.

Grant, "Penny assisted with studio production and mixing. I think Crass did the layout of the artwork, but they did not seek to alter or censor anything that we did. Their only requirement was that the front cover should have that recognizable circular stenciled effect."

With the influence of Grant's lyric writing more than Crass' presence, there are a few more direct attacks in the lyrics against an oppressive society, the most obvious being in the first track on side one, "Sacrifice," another moment of sheer brilliance with a simple guitar riff launching the whole record.

God is nothing more than an obsessive lie
When Sunday school children are brainwashed into line
And presented with as truth what's really just a lie
Another child's self-belief is sacrificed

In the eyes of the lord men are his servants
In the eyes of the lord women are men's servants
In the eyes of the lord we're authority's servants
In the eyes of the lord everyone's a servant

But possibly the most telling song on the record is one of truly existential despair called "Zero Again." Whereas the other songs on the record to differing degrees could be interpreted in some outward, sometimes political context, "Zero Again" was clearly about a more personal despair.

The end of the line where zero's the sign
A hole in your mind deaf, dumb and blind
Nothing to cry not even an eye
Zero again the end of no end
A vacant space lacks a familiar face
An unknown face finds a vacant space
The memory killed by a hole soon filled
Zero again there remain no remains
Death has begun
And Jesus loves no one