Track Listings
1. Intro/Beltane
2. Everything Must Go
3. Pork Dub
4. British Justice
5. No Leaders For The Free
6. Money
7. Oh No! It’s The Pigs
8. Lighters
9. Punx With Guns
Audio CD (Distributed by Cargo 13 Oct 2014)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Iron Man Records
This is the re-issue on Iron Man Records of P.A.I.N’s classic first album. Originally released on Inner State back in 1995 the album sold out and after the collapse of Inner State had been lost until now. The Original artwork has been reconstructed to be as close to the original as possible and the track listing includes all the classics from the P.A.I.N set.
The album includes the work of Phil, Dan and Ozzy who were all in R.D.F. Phil has also played guitar with RUBELLA BALLET and been involved with the band called SUICIDE BID. John is no longer performing with the band and is currently working with a reformed A.O.S.3. (John also did LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCHORD and later a band called LESS)
This record was seen by P.A.I.N as the third in a trilogy, RDF: Raggamuffin Statement, A.O.S.3: Diversionary Tactics and this cd P.A.I.N: Oh My God! We’re Doing it.
P.A.I.N play heavy dub reggae, good time ska, and pissed off punk rock, and endeavour to keep their addled heads around the contradictory and confusing areas of radical politics. The Band has supported numerous underground struggles and pressure groups along the way, working extensively with groups like Reclaim the Streets, Anti-globalisation groups, Hunt Saboteurs, Anti-fascists, Squatters, Mad Pride, MacLibel, and many more….
That’s the politics, however, it would be to sell the band short to say the story stops there…They are, like most punk bands, part Pistols, part Spinal Tap (actually, was there much difference?) and the best things about P.A.I.N are the stories of what has happened to them over the years, genuinely unbelievable situations…Contrary to the many rumours circulating, the band have not split up, they never did. The band are alive and well and gigging all over the place, writing songs for the next album. They have a page on facebook too.
“Through raw dub, reggae and punk rock P.A.I.N. challenge inconsistent politics and attack and question through intelligent and bright lyrics: “So many thousands across the country with nowhere to go at night, so they take over empty derelict houses to call their own and try to put right, can’t you see that squatting is not a moral wrong it’s a cry for help from those in need, anxious for a roof over their head when the council are deaf to their pleas”. There are bands that just use politics as a front and something to sing about and there are bands that truly believe in what they are writing and singing about and who are devoted to it even when they’re not making music and that’s P.A.I.N. Their sound and attitude is unquestionably English and this record could have come out in the late ’70’s, early ’80’s or really anytime up to the present. It’s old-fashioned and fresh all at once and it’s a pity that you don’t really get bands like this anymore….really staunch, raw political bands. It’s all just silly shit these days where very few punk rock bands have got anything really important to say.”
“P.A.I.N (Propaganda and Information Network for the uninitiated) were/are a band formed from the ashes of the seminal RDF (Radical Dance Faction) and the festy-dub-ska-punk AOS3 (named after Augustus Owsley Stanley III, maker of much LSD and roadie for Grateful Dead). With that background in mind, “Oh My God…” manages to combine a hard radical political edge with catchy tunes, skanking dub and some original sampling!
At just over 40 minutes with 9 tracks including the RDF songs “Punx with guns” and “Lighters” (with the same tune as Dum-Diggy on Ragamuffin Statement) there is something for everyone on here. From the slowed-out dub reggae of “Beltane” and the ludicrously catchy “Money” to the punked up “British Justice” and “Oh no! It’s the Pigs,” this album incorporates the best of the earlier bands’ sounds. The political angle makes this album sublime and not done in a conventional anarcho-ranting way but fusing some humour, simple choruses and catchy tunes such as “If you go down to Sainsbury’s, the special offer of the week is that it’s free” and “British justice… British justice… I can’t make sense of it ‘cos I’m stupid.” Vegetarianism, environmental activism, anti-capitalism, self-organisation and anti-statism are among the topics covered in songs, but not in a preach-shove-down-throat way but to the relaxing dub beats and bouncing British punk. To round it all off, the album ends with armed revolution on the streets of Britain!
Admittedly the recording quality could be a tad better but by standards of other DIY punk/reggae/free-festival types, it’s not that bad! To top it all off, the title comes from the truly brilliant anarchist-propaganda Tin Tin “Breaking Free” comic which makes for a great album cover and t-shirt!
“Oh my God…” brings together all the best elements of AOS3, RDF, the anarchist-influences, free festivalling and biting satire. Still going strong despite losing John from AOS3, P.A.I.N manage to make one of the best ska-dub-punk-esque releases which you can come back to again and again. Finally, to top it all off, many hours will be wasted laughing at the booklet that comes with it demonstrating all the political acts against the state, government, Tories and much more. May the session continue!” By MH Lambert on 8 Oct 2007.
