Neu Smell
1981 EP by Flux of Pink Indians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neu Smell is the debut 7" EP by British anarcho-punk band Flux of Pink Indians, released in 1981 on Crass Records. It is notable for the inclusion of the song "Tube Disaster".[1][2]
| Neu Smell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| EP by Flux of Pink Indians | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | Southern Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Anarcho-punk | |||
| Length | 9:21 | |||
| Label | Crass Records | |||
| Producer | Penny Rimbaud | |||
| Flux of Pink Indians chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Tube Disaster" was originally recorded by some members' former band The Epileptics, with lyrics inspired by the 1975 Moorgate tube crash.[1] Drummer Sid Truelove joined the band whilst also a member of Rubella Ballet and explained the origins of "Sick Butchers" and "Background of Malfunction" to The Quietus:
“We were asked to record the single for Crass only a week after I joined the band and we only had one good new song! [...] They had nothing to work with so I decided to donate two songs I had written for Rubella Ballet. Once this was discovered I got into hot water with Zillah [Minx, Rubella Ballet’s vocalist/ Truelove’s partner]. ‘What do you mean you gave them to Flux?!’ I was lost for words when I realised I had given Flux possibly the best two songs we had!”[3]
The original release reached number 2 in the UK Independent Charts.[4]
In 2024 Neu Smell was repressed as 12" single by One Little Indian as part of the "2 By 2 And Back Again" series.[5]
Track listing
Pig-Side
- "Neu Smell"
- "Tube Disaster"
- "Poem"
Bacon-Side
- "Sick Butchers"
- "Background of Malfunction"
Personnel
- Colsk Latter – vocals
- Derek Birkett – bass
- Andy Smith – guitar
- Neil Puncher – guitar
- Sid Attion (AKA Sid Truelove) – drums
- Eugene Crowley – synthesizer on "Poem"
- Penny Rimbaud – producer
- John Loder – engineer
Packaging
The EP was issued in a six-panel foldout sleeve featuring band photos, lyrics, credits, and artwork. The vinyl includes matrix etchings:
- Side A: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
- Side B: BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
Legacy
Louder Than War noted:
"This single was one of the first really pointed and explicit animal rights focused records from the punk milieu. [...] While the songs shot straight at the emotions, the facts and details on the poster sleeve made more salient arguments to appeal to the thinking side of the brain."[6]
At the age of 18, Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian became a vegetarian after hearing the EP.[7]
In 2003 the U.K. Subs recorded a cover version of "Tube Disasters" for the Angry Songs & Bitter Words compilation album, which was a benefit for the Rape Crisis charity.[8]
In 2009, rap artist Professor Green sampled the bassline from "Tube Disaster" for his single "Hard Night Out".[9]
In 2023 "Tube Disasters" was included on the compilation album Cease & Resist - Sonic Subversion & Anarcho Punk In The UK 1979-1986 released on the Optimo label.[10]
In a primer on Anarcho Punk in The Wire magazine, Louis Pattison stated that:
"Neu Smell is perhaps the quintessential anarcho-punk EP, a furious, utterly earnest indictment of a sick society. 'Tube Disasters' [is] bookended with apocalyptic poetry and delivered with a guitar sound that shrieks like cattle bound for the abattoir."[11]