Indifference is the second studio album by American punk rock band the Proletariat.
The record was named after its opening song, which was inspired by the photography of David Henry of the homeless in Boston, Massachusetts."The Proletariat: Biography". Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017.Foley, Ryan. "The Proletariat". The Music Museum of New England. Retrieved March 4, 2016. One of Henry's photos serves as the album's front cover."The Proletariat: Indifference". Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016.
In late 1984, before Indifference was completed, lead vocalist Richard Brown and drummer Tom McKnight left the band. They were replaced by Laurel Ann Bowman,"Laurel Ann Bowman" (obituary). Whittier-Porter Funeral Home. Retrieved March 4, 2016.Suburban Voice (ca. 2000). "The Proletariat: Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies (Taang! Dbl CD)" (review). Suburban Voice (43). and Steve Welch, both of whom performed on the new album's songs "Homeland" and "The Guns Are Winning".Eddy, Chuck (September 9, 1986). "The Proletariat: RIch Men Poor Men". The Village Voice XXXI (36).
Roger Miller of Mission of Burma makes a guest appearance playing the piano in the track "An Uneasy Peace",CMJ New Music Report (August 29, 1986). Indifference, review. CMJ New Music Report (99).. Kill from the Heart. Archived from on May 5, 2016. which is an updated version from that contributed to the hardcore punk compilation P.E.A.C.E.,"Various Artists: Peace". Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. released a year earlier on R Radical Records."R Radical Records" . MDC Punk. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
Indifference was preceded by its lead single "Marketplace".Homestead #HMS 037"The Proletariat: Marketplace". Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017.
Production and release Produced by Lou Giordano and Frank Michaels, Indifference was recorded in different sessions at Radiobeat Studios in Boston, mixed at White Dog Studio in Newton, Massachusetts, and mastered by George "Porky" Peckham at Porky's Mastering in London, England. It was released in 1985 on Homestead Records,Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . p. 187. on LPHomestead #HMS 052. Kill from the Heart. Archived from on May 31, 2016. and Compact Cassette. Etched onto its run-out grooves, the vinyl release features, in a mocking way, a paraphrase of the main conclusion of the 1984 Ronald Reagan's Task Force on Food Assistance report, which reads as follows: "There is no evidence of wide spread hunger in America.." (side A), "....Government report on federal assistance." (side B).
Critical reception Oliver Sheppard, contributor at the online magazine Souciant, was of the view that Indifference:
For his part, Ryan Foley, from The Music Museum of New England, commented:
The punk zine Suburban Voice wrote:
"Marketplace" 7"
"Marketplace" is a song by the Proletariat, originally released in 1985 on Homestead Records. Kill from the Heart. Archived from on May 31, 2016. as the lead single for the band's second studio album, Indifference, on which it is featured as the closing track. The B-side to the single, "Death of a Hedon", was not included on the album. Both songs would be re-released in 1998 as part of the band's anthology Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies.Taang! #TAANG! 127Anderson, Rick. "Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies: AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson". AllMusic. Retrieved April 23, 2016."The Proletariat: Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies". Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017.
The record's front cover features a photograph of a homeless man lying at the top of a stairway while he is avoided and ignored by the people passing by. The image was taken by photographer David Henry at one of the entrances to the Boylston light rail station of the Boston, Massachusetts, rapid transit system.
Reissues Out of print after its original release, Indifference would later resurface, in its entirety, on the band's 2-CD anthology Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies, compiled in 1998 by Taang! Records.
Track listing Music and arrangements by Peter Bevilacqua and Frank Michaels, lyrics by Richard Brown, except where noted.
Personnel
The Proletariat Richard Brown – vocals Frank Michaels – guitar Peter Bevilacqua – bass, backing vocals Tom McKnight – drums Laurel Bowman - vocals (tracks A4, B4) Steve Welch - drums (A4, B4)
Guest performers Roger Miller – piano (A7)
Production same credits for the "Marketplace" 7"
Lou Giordano - co-production, co-engineering Frank Michaels - co-production Jimmy Dufour – co-engineering Josiah McElheny – engineering (assistance) George "Porky" Peckham – mastering Pickles – graphic design David Henry – photography
Notes
References
Further reading Reviews Yohannan, Tim (June 1986). "Marketplace". Maximumrocknroll (37). CMJ New Music Report (August 29, 1986). Indifference, review. CMJ New Music Report (99). Rubin, Mike (October 23, 1986). "Records – The Proletariat: Indifference (Homestead Records)". The Michigan Daily. p. 8. Sullivan, Jim (November 13, 1986). "The Proletariat: Indifference (Homestead)". The Boston Globe Calendar. Eddy, Chuck (September 9, 1986). "The Proletariat: RIch Men Poor Men". The Village Voice XXXI (36).
External links Official "The Proletariat: Indifference" . The Proletariat. "The Proletariat: Marketplace" . The Proletariat. Reviews Sheppard, Oliver (September 10, 2012). "Pioneers of Postpunk" . Souciant. Tieuma (December 5, 2014). "Crucial Records #2 : The Proletariat – Indifference". Droid Rage Zine. Erich (December 27, 2009). "The Proletariat- Marketplace 7″ (Homestead Records, USA, 1985)". Good Bad Music for Bad, Bad Times! Archived from the original on December 10, 2011.