Hit Parade – Bad News [7''] (1983, Crass Records)

Hit Parade was basically a one man anarchist band, the brainchild of P. Checkoff (aka Rik O’che) a member of the Anarchist Collective in Belfast. Being a left-wing socialist Checkoff’s songs were highly political by nature and concentrated on life in Northern Ireland. Subject matter ranged from the evils of television to H Blocks; the RUC to housing problems, and of course unemployment. “I wanted to make people aware that there’s more than a tribal sectarian war here, there are a lot of problems. It’s a multi-problematic place" stated Checkoff shortly after the release of the 'Nick Nack Paddy Wack' album in 1986.

 
Unsurprisingly, Hit Parade signed to the Crass label. Hit Parade produced electronic music made up of samples, loops and noises and were helped out in the studio by the likes of Eve Libertine, Penny Rimbaud, Jane Gregory and Flux Of Pink Indians and a host of other musicians, Checkoff said at the time “All the structure of the songs is done by me here in Belfast. But when I go into the studio in London it becomes more of a collected effort with different people putting in ideas.” The first release was the 'Bad News' EP in ‘83. This was followed by the 'Plastic Culture' 12” single in ‘84 and finally by the 'Nick Nack Paddy Wack' album. The album was recorded in ‘84 but due to the financial crisis Crass were in at that time, it wasn’t released until ‘86. Penny Rimbaud and Paul Ellis produced the album.

 
Upon the release of the E.P. 'Bad News', an electro-rap rant on such evils as television, H Blocks, the RUC and so on the Crass label in 1982, copies were seized by Special Branch at retail outlets, along with everything else on the Crass independent label, it managed to reach No.4 in the independent charts.

 
Before the album was released, Channel 4 produced and screened a TV documentary on the health of women in Northern Ireland. The documentary was called "Under The Health Surface" and the programmes soundtrack featured the music of Hit Parade, which can be found on the 'Nick Nack' LP in slightly different forms. [SOURCE: SPIT RECORDS]

 

 

Label: Crass Records – 221984/12 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single 

Country: UK 

Released: 1983 

Style: Synth-pop, Experimental, Synth Punk, Minimal Synth, Anarcho-Punk

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Here's What You Find In Any Prison 

A2 More Faces 

B1 Bad News 

B2 H Block 

 

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