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Freeplay: The Partisans
By Megan Carneal
mcarneal@mscd.edu

The Partisans 17 Years of Hell (No Future Records, 1982)

For this music writer, Christmas came early this year. An EP I thought was lost from existence, The Partisans’ 17 Years of Hell, has been made available for download by the power of the Internet and its glorious album-posting minions.

The Partisans originated in Bridge End, South Wales, in 1979, when all its members were only 14 years old. The band was composed of Rob “Spike” Harrington on vocals, Mark “Shark” Harris on drums, Andy Leland on guitar and the punk bombshell Louise Wright on bass.

After a few years developing songs, The Partisans were the second band to be signed to the then-developing but now-infamous underground punk label No Future Records. After being signed to No Future, their careers took off, and many of the albums and EPs broke through the top five on the indie charts in Britain.

The 17 Years Of Hell EP, which is up for grabs on http://7inchpunk.com, was released in the spring of 1982 and peaked at No. 2 on the British indie charts. In the early ’80s, Louise Wright departed and was replaced by Andy Parsons, who ironically sought fame in the ’90s grunge explosion with the band Bush. The Partisans recorded their last album in 1989 with only Harrington and Harris.

17 Years Of Hell is the type of album that makes tangible the feelings and attitudes of the punk subculture in its infancy.

“Power and the Greed” is a fast-paced message of escape from a monarchal society.
As with all the tracks, there is no outstanding musicianship, but there’s something about the structure and intensity of three simple power chords that stirs a deep longing to travel back in time 30 years into a smelly, filthy club and be slammed around in a pit of sweaty bodies and shaking fists.

“Power and the Greed” has purity in the anger of the lyrics that can be felt through the ferocity of the vocals. There are no pretensions or political science majors here – it’s simply a view of politics from the lower class.

The honesty of such simple lyrics as “So do you think their system’s fair, when you can’t afford the clothes you wear,” paints a clear portrait of the politics of that era. It wasn’t about equal rights for everyone. It was about being dirt poor and pissed off.

“Bastards in Blue” is a notable track, forcing pseudo-British accents on even casual sing-alongs. The up-tempo drumming and quick bass lines create an atmosphere suitable for anti-authority attitudes.

The lyrics are up front, without any sugar coating, as seen in the young outcasts’ observations: “Flashing headlights, slinging truncheons/ Waiting for the guy who brings my drugs/ It ain’t safe to walk the streets/ Just the sound of their size-12 feet.” Or the even more obvious “They pick on you for the clothes you wear/ Pick on you for the color of your hair.”

17 Years of Hell may not be for all music connoisseurs, but for those who find underproduction romantic and anger intoxicating, than this EP is a must-have.