Sounds, 7 June 1980 destroys all 45s.
Vi Subversa of Epping anarcho-rockers Poison Girls rang us to report that she had in her possession a copy of a memo from the managing director of HMV record shops, James Tyrell, to all branches ordering his staff to destroy all copies of the Girls/Crass single, ‘Persons Unknown/’Bloody Revolutions’ which is currently No 1 in the alternative chart and selling so strongly it’s at 66 in the BMRB.
She read an extract from the memo as follows: ‘The question is, does the commercial advantage of selling Crass records outweigh the risk of prosecution? I am not prepared to have HMV dragged through the courts and I regret to inform you that all copies of their latest single with Poison Girls on Crass Records should be destroyed or returned to head office where they will be destroyed.’
It went on to say that other Crass records should not be on display in HMV shops. Exactly why Tyrell fears prosecution and for what crime are not clear to Ms Subversa, but she mentioned the reports from Birmingham a couple of weeks ago that an independent record shop there had warned about the laws on blasphemy in connection with another Crass release. On another occasion, copies of their single ‘Asylum’ had been seized for examination in the light (or dark) of the blasphemy laws but the police had concluded they had no case.
As we went to press no comment was available from HMV as the relevant person was “in a meeting.” We hope to report next week.
standupandspit 