Never Mind the Ballots is the second studio album by anarchistpunk bandChumbawamba. Most of the songs centre on lying politicians and their search for more voter control. It was originally released as a cassette and LP, then re-released in the '90s as half of the Chumbawamba compilation CD First 2, which was a combination of their first two LP albums released on a single CD.
Analysis
The lyrics to all the songs are direct, largely undisguised political commentary describing at the same time the futility of democracy in general and the political situation of the three major parties in Britain at the time of recording. This piece, like the band's earlier album, Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records, is all based on a single theme, rather than confronting a range of themes, issues and ideas as was typical of their later albums. In terms of style, lyrical content and political focus, it was a follow up to the earlier album and is more similar to it than any subsequent work by the band.
Characters
To about the same extent as their earlier record, the album features "characters" that the vocalists assume for certain songs. The two most prominent characters are "The Candidates". The Candidates appear together on two tracks, "Always Tell The Voter What the Voter Wants to Hear" and "The Candidates Find Common Ground". The male candidate, or at least a character very much like him and also played by Danbert Nobacon, appears on "Today's Sermon." The female candidate, played by Alice Nutter, appears alone singing some parts of "The Wasteland." The male and female candidate are shown to be two equally uncaring political candidates who seem to have opposing view on subjects at first, but essentially want the same things. This issue is discussed in "The Candidates Find Common Ground" where the two discuss how their means of solving a problem may differ, but they seek the same ends; for example, while one candidate wants "conventional weapons, to kill people nicely," the other candidate wants "nuclear weapons, to keep the peace". In the end they reason that they need "weapons, definitely; either way, must defend selves."
Imagery
The artwork used in the promotion of the album, its liner notes and its cover, was based on artwork designed by French artists in the late 1960s. The image on the front cover pictured above is similar to that which appears on the alternate cover, although the alternate cover features a starker image with the higher hand being identical, but nearer the lower hands, which are pointed straight up; the alternate cover also uses black and white as opposed to black and cream. The slogan especially used on T-shirts promoting the album read "THE VOTE CHANGES NOTHING! THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!" or "LE VOTE NE CHANGE RIEN LA LUTTE CONTINUE". The liner featured other French images with slogans connected with anti-capitalist movements, including: "Continuons la lutte le capitalisme sombre" , Retour a la normale" , Brisons les vieux engrenages and many others. This imagery was used prominently in performances by the band and the concept of the "Cross in the box" was used heavily. One photograph taken at a concert depicts Alice Nutter, blindfolded, wearing a blue prize ribbon and a red "X" T-shirt.
This version of Never Mind The Ballots, recorded as a live set, was released under the title Un Toast A La Democratie in 1986, the year before the more widely known LP version was finished. The production quality is very amateur, and, while not recorded at a concert, people speaking and shouting are audible in the background of side A track 5. Side A
"Prologue"
"Always Tell the Voter What the Voter Wants to Hear"
