The Apostles - There Can Be No Spectators x2LP
It’s hard to say if a more unique, polarizing, and cult band existed from the early 1980s political punk scene in the UK, but The Apostles are without doubt all of those things. The Apostles were covering the most radical of lyrical content few others were, and took a staunch anti-pacifist stance quite the contrary to contemporaries like Crass. They were some of the first punks to speak out candidly about the gay/queer experience, and other forms of bigotry, something they were ridiculed for by many of the seemingly progressive political punk acts of the time. The Apostles lyrical content is far from exempt to critique though, with just as many if not more bizarre and shortsighted passages as many of their peers they were speaking out against. This duality makes them a challenging band for many, but an interesting one. Their graphics were next level, with most of the records containing multiple inserts, poster sleeves, filled with political slogans and rhetoric designed to make you question, mostly culled from the fanzine Pigs For Slaughter, and they released endless albums and EPs in their early years.
This double LP compiles The Apostles EPs 1,2,3, & 5 (the fourth being mostly an Andy Martin (Vocalist) solo record with help from members of the Hackney Hell Crew, and also with some of the most reprehensible and confusing lyrics he ever penned), as they were originally recorded in the studio. These 4 contained 7”s are thought by many to be the band’s most vital recordings. The mixes here differ from the originally released 7”s which were sped up slightly by Andy before being sent to press, the playback is noticeably cleaner, and also contain unreleased tracks left off the 7” releases. If you want something that sounds identical to the 7”s this isn’t it, but to hear the original reels as they were recorded is something the Apostles fans out there will certainly find much enjoyment in.
The record comes packaged in a thin folded poster sleeve (Crass style, don’t expect perfect corners…) with lyrics, photos, and a booklet of most if not all of the issues of Pigs for Slaughter fanzine.
It’s hard to say if a more unique, polarizing, and cult band existed from the early 1980s political punk scene in the UK, but The Apostles are without doubt all of those things. The Apostles were covering the most radical of lyrical content few others were, and took a staunch anti-pacifist stance quite the contrary to contemporaries like Crass. They were some of the first punks to speak out candidly about the gay/queer experience, and other forms of bigotry, something they were ridiculed for by many of the seemingly progressive political punk acts of the time. The Apostles lyrical content is far from exempt to critique though, with just as many if not more bizarre and shortsighted passages as many of their peers they were speaking out against. This duality makes them a challenging band for many, but an interesting one. Their graphics were next level, with most of the records containing multiple inserts, poster sleeves, filled with political slogans and rhetoric designed to make you question, mostly culled from the fanzine Pigs For Slaughter, and they released endless albums and EPs in their early years.
This double LP compiles The Apostles EPs 1,2,3, & 5 (the fourth being mostly an Andy Martin (Vocalist) solo record with help from members of the Hackney Hell Crew, and also with some of the most reprehensible and confusing lyrics he ever penned), as they were originally recorded in the studio. These 4 contained 7”s are thought by many to be the band’s most vital recordings. The mixes here differ from the originally released 7”s which were sped up slightly by Andy before being sent to press, the playback is noticeably cleaner, and also contain unreleased tracks left off the 7” releases. If you want something that sounds identical to the 7”s this isn’t it, but to hear the original reels as they were recorded is something the Apostles fans out there will certainly find much enjoyment in.
The record comes packaged in a thin folded poster sleeve (Crass style, don’t expect perfect corners…) with lyrics, photos, and a booklet of most if not all of the issues of Pigs for Slaughter fanzine.
It’s hard to say if a more unique, polarizing, and cult band existed from the early 1980s political punk scene in the UK, but The Apostles are without doubt all of those things. The Apostles were covering the most radical of lyrical content few others were, and took a staunch anti-pacifist stance quite the contrary to contemporaries like Crass. They were some of the first punks to speak out candidly about the gay/queer experience, and other forms of bigotry, something they were ridiculed for by many of the seemingly progressive political punk acts of the time. The Apostles lyrical content is far from exempt to critique though, with just as many if not more bizarre and shortsighted passages as many of their peers they were speaking out against. This duality makes them a challenging band for many, but an interesting one. Their graphics were next level, with most of the records containing multiple inserts, poster sleeves, filled with political slogans and rhetoric designed to make you question, mostly culled from the fanzine Pigs For Slaughter, and they released endless albums and EPs in their early years.
This double LP compiles The Apostles EPs 1,2,3, & 5 (the fourth being mostly an Andy Martin (Vocalist) solo record with help from members of the Hackney Hell Crew, and also with some of the most reprehensible and confusing lyrics he ever penned), as they were originally recorded in the studio. These 4 contained 7”s are thought by many to be the band’s most vital recordings. The mixes here differ from the originally released 7”s which were sped up slightly by Andy before being sent to press, the playback is noticeably cleaner, and also contain unreleased tracks left off the 7” releases. If you want something that sounds identical to the 7”s this isn’t it, but to hear the original reels as they were recorded is something the Apostles fans out there will certainly find much enjoyment in.
The record comes packaged in a thin folded poster sleeve (Crass style, don’t expect perfect corners…) with lyrics, photos, and a booklet of most if not all of the issues of Pigs for Slaughter fanzine.
