Along with the Style Council, Test Dept. and Billy Bragg, the Redskins were at the forefront of British rock’s Socialist movement. Led by guitarist Chris Dean (who was a New Musical Express scribe under the name X. Moore,), the trio augments an R&B-influenced sound with keyboards and a horn section, covering much the same musical terrain on Neither Washington nor Moscow as the first Dexys album, only marred by erratic production and mastering. Most of the songs are simple and catchy, and almost all the titles end in exclamation points! More important to the comrades than tunes, however, are lyrics — each song is a call to arms for the oppressed to rise up. Though doctrinaire, the Redskins are dead honest, committed to what they’re doing and make some good music. There aren’t many bands around these days with those qualities.
The Peel Sessions EP was recorded live in the studio in October 1982 and contains such activist tunes as “Unionize” and “The Peasant Army.”