Important Day Important Tune (OPUS70.1.7)

1/26/2026

Important Day Important Tune (OPUS70.1.7)

A bit of important history.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

It marks the anniversary of the day in 1945 when the liberation of Camp Auschwitz occurred as Soviet soldiers advanced through Poland 🇵🇱 towards Germany 🇩🇪 and the Third Reich fell. This day was proclaimed by The United Nation 🇺🇳 in 2005.

I was reminded of this on Sunday morning watching the news. A short time later, I went out to clean off my vehicle in the blizzard to keep my wipers from being buried/ frozen to the windshield. I covered up my face as you have seen in the cover photo.

This immediately reminded me of one of the bands/ songs that most propelled me into this obsession with punk/post punk/indie music back in 1979/80.

Here is the inner sleeve to show why I was reminded:

CRISIS- 1980 (Sleeve from “Hymns Of Faith”)

CRISIS (Note one band member is holding a slip from Handsworth Law Centre. They provided free legal services to disadvantaged communities. There were numerous public protests and civil disobedience going on at that time so that fits.)

This was the jacket from the debut LP by CRISIS 🇬🇧 entitled “Hymns Of Faith”

CRISIS- “Hymns Of Faith” (Ardcor Records- 1980)

A few years ago I saw a copy of this all-time punk fave for sale at Wreckless Records on Berwick St. in London. Incredibly, it had been reissued on the Hackney based La Vida Es Un Mus label in 2010 (red) and this powder blue version in 2017.

Crisis were avowed Communists and anarchists. (Note how the sketch on the cover of the LP shows destruction to Big Ben, Westminster and what I assume is London Bridge. Bermondsey and South of the Thames looks intact while the more affluent West End isn’t even shown.)

However, this band were also fiercely anti- Fascist. In 1980, they provided a track for the LP below that was originally on the Cherry Red Label.

“The Second Record Collection” (Note the picture of infamous DJ JOHN PEEL on the right).

This LP contained today’s song. It is one of the most influential songs on my musical path. It should have been on OPUS70 back on my birthday in November. So now I catalogue it as OPUS70.1.7.