"Numbers and Colours / Ankle Deep in Mud" is the debut release by the

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band Get Smart!. It was released as a 6-inch

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that accompanied the May 13, 1981 issue of ''Talk Talk'' magazine.

General info

The song "Ankle Deep in Mud" was written by the Battling Tops, who were guitarist Marc Koch's previous band. The band would include this song in their set list throughout their career, even as other early songs were dropped. This is an earlier recording than the one that would appear on their 1984 album '' Action Reaction''. The song "Numbers and Colours" does not appear on any other Get Smart! records. Both tracks were recorded in April 1981 at Ramona Recording Studios in

Lawrence, KS Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. As of th ...

and were produced by Dave Stuckey (later of the "Dave and

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Combo").

Track listing

#"Numbers and Colours" - 2:37 #"Ankle Deep in Mud" - 4:02

Personnel

Musicians: *Marc Koch - vocals, guitar *Lisa Wertman Crowe - vocals, bass *Frank Loose - drums Technical staff: *Dave Stuckey - producer *Karl Hoffmann - engineer *Dan Swinney - assistant engineer

Reception

* "Oversimplistic punky approach which is a good example of clean US-Street-Punk. Goes down well from my point of view." (G.Beez, Gorilla Beat, 1981) * "Numbers and Colours and Ankle Deep in Mud are very good examples of what Get Smart! have to offer: original, simple, clean material and an energized, tight performance." (Karen Barber, KLZR 106 Music Guide, 1981) * In 2020, '' The Pitch'' described "Ankle Deep in Mud" as "a protest strong which is just as relevant today as it was nearly four decades ago, like a furious update of Pete Seeger's 'Waist Deep in the Big Muddy.'"

References

External links

*
Get Smart! discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Numbers and Colours 1981 songs 1981 debut singles