Yes Sir, I Will

Yes Sir, I Will
Studio album by Crass
Released 1983
Recorded 1983
Genre Anarcho punk
Noise rock
Length 43:53
Label Crass
Producer Crass
Crass chronology

Christ The Album
(1982)		 Yes Sir, I Will
(1983)		 Ten Notes on a Summer's Day
(1985)
Alternative covers
Cover of the remastered 'Crassical Collection' rerelease
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [1]

Yes Sir, I Will, released by Crass in 1983 (see 1983 in music), was the band's last "official" album. The original vinyl release contained no banding between songs, thus presenting the contents as one long piece split over both sides (the CD release was tracked by individual song). The album was essentially a bitter and virulent attack on then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and her government in the aftermath of the Falklands War, set nearly wholly over a raging and an almost free-form improvised backing provided by the group's instrumentalists. Many of the "lyrics" of this piece[2] are extracted from Penny Rimbaud's extended poem "Rocky Eyed". Sleeve notes for the album include parts of Rimbaud's article "The Pig's Head Controversy"[3] that originally appeared in the Crass-produced magazine International Anthem.

The title of the record is ironic, taken from a news cutting reporting a conversation said to have taken place between Charles, Prince of Wales, and a badly burned soldier (Simon Weston) who had returned from the Falklands;

"Get well soon," the Prince said. And the heroic soldier replied "Yes sir, I will".

Rimbaud, commenting on this, has said, "That was the hook. That was such an audacious thing to do at the time. Especially given that one had to feel compassion for Simon Weston."[4] A film made by Crass member Gee Vaucher to accompany Yes Sir, I Will was shown at the UK National Film Theatre's Stuff the Jubilee festival of punk films in 2002, and the track has been recently remixed by Rimbaud to incorporate additional jazz instrumentation provided by the jazz instrumentalists Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Julien Seigal (double bass) to augment the original performance.

The 'Crassical Collection' version of this release, including new artwork by Vaucher, remastered sound and liner notes by Steve Ignorant and Rimbaud, was released on May 17, 2011. The reissue also contains a second disc (entitled Why Don't You Fuck Off?), which has Rimbaud's 2002 remix of the album, featuring Laubrock and Seigal.

Personnel

Quotes

Tracks

CD release

  1. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 5:30
  2. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 2:36
  3. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 1:00
  4. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 2:08
  5. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 6:47
  6. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 5:41
  7. "Yes Sir, I Will" – 20:08

'Crassical Collection' re-issue track listing

Note that the tracks on disc 1 are cut up incorrectly. This track list assumes that it uses the original cuts from the 1990 CD. Disc 2 is cut up correctly.

Disc One - Yes Sir, I Will

  1. "Step Outside" and "Rocky Eyes"
  2. "Anarchy's Just Another Word"
  3. "Speed Or Greed"
  4. "The Five Knuckle Shuffle"
  5. "A Rock 'n' Roll Swindler"
  6. "Burying The Hatchet"
  7. "Taking Sides"

Disc Two - Why Don't You Fuck Off?

  1. "Birth Of A Notion"
  2. "Step Outside"
  3. "Rocky Eyes"
  4. "Anarchy's Just Another Word"
  5. "Mouthing The Words"
  6. "The Five Knuckle Shuffle"
  7. "A Rock 'n' Roll Swindler"
  8. "Taking Sides"

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ It can be read at
  3. ↑ It can be read at
  4. ↑ 'Louder Than War'