The Employers Blacklist

Album: Suburban Rebels (1983)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Employers Black List" is a group composition. In a 1981 interview with New Mania wherein it was alluded to as "National Insurance Blacklist," it was explained as being about "a blacklist for extreme trade unionists and rebels that cause a lot of greif for the government. They take the National Insurance number and when they go for another job, it cuts their chances down."

    The misspelling of grief is augmented by a reference to Quint Smith, presumably bass player Martin Smith. This list did actually exist, although its operation was shrouded in secrecy for reasons that need no explaining here. Started by the Economic League in the wake of the First World War, it did not attract serious attention from the mainstream media until after this song was released, but not because of it! As with many databases of this nature, much of the information it garnered was inaccurate, which led to the "wrong" people being blacklisted.
  • "Employers Black List" was the B-side of "Harry May." Unlike the A-side, it was recorded at Rockstar Recording Studio in London. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

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