Penis Envy [Crassical Collection]

On their third album, the British anarcho-punk band Crass proved they weren't just another macho hardcore group by turning the vocals over to Joy De Vivre and Eve Libertine. The women spew anti-sexist screeds in front of more complex arrangements than the band was known for. Angrier and more thought-provoking than on previous albums, the band uses the fresh lineup to break free of musical orthodoxy as well, avoiding typical punk structure in favor of off-kilter arrangements. In its political content, high spirits, and musical adventurism, PENIS ENVY predicted the early '90s Riot Grrl movement by a decade. Songs like "Bata Motel" take aim at standards of beauty and society's interpretations of femininity, and "Poison in a Pretty Pill" takes a scalpel to conventional sexuality with precise language.