Indifference (album)

Production and release

Produced by Lou Giordano and Frank Michaels, Indifference was recorded at Radiobeat Studios in Boston, Massachusetts, 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, on LP 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:

"... is every bit as good as Soma Holiday, yet still sorely overlooked. A mature mix of smart songwriting and deft, accomplished instrumentation, the album hints at the early “positive punk” of UK bands like Sex Gang Children or Furyo. The influence of bands like The Dils, the Mekons, and fellow Bostonite postpunkers Mission of Burma also courses strongly through the LP’s veins ... Like Middle Class’ Homeland LP, it seems an accident of geography (i.e. the band is from Boston, not London) that has resulted in the record languishing in obscurity."

For his part, Ryan Foley, from The Music Museum of New England, commented:

"[In the Proletariat's second album] The sense of urgency was heightened, the threat of violence more pointed. On songs like “The Guns Are Winning” and “Homeland” the band tackled sociopolitical issues that are still relevant today..."

The punk zine Suburban Voice wrote:

"... Texture and melody became an increasing part of the picture by the time [the Proletariat] had reached their second album, "Indifference", but it was without sacrificing the purity of rage."

"Marketplace" 7"

"Marketplace" is a song by the Proletariat, originally released in 1985 on Homestead Records as the lead single for the band's second studio album, Indifference, on which it is featured as the closing track.

The B-side, "Death of a Hedon", was not included on the album. However, it would be later re-released on the band's 1998 anthology Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies.

The photo on the front cover, portraying a homeless man lying on a stairway while he is ignored by the people passing by, was taken by photographer David Henry.

Reissues

Out of print after its original release, Indifference would later resurface, in its entirety, as part of 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.