As with
Tackhead and
Dub Syndicate, Barmy Army are considered to be one of several bands overseen by producer and
On-U Sound label head
Adrian Sherwood, with bands often sharing personnel. and a pseudonym for Tackhead, who were formed in 1984 by Sherwood and the former
Sugarhill Records rhythm section and signed to On-U Sound. The name Barmy Army was a deliberately ironic choice, as the term had been shouted by football fans across English grounds for many years, turning the chant into a 'brand'. The act's only album,
The English Disease has been described as a Sherwood album, with typical appearances from bassist
Doug Wimbish, guitarist
Skip McDonald, drummer
Style Scott and others.
Danny Kelly describes the personnel as "the usual gang of McDonald, Wimbish and Scott but not
LeBlanc". Bortwhick writes that Tackhead, of whom Wimbish and McDonald were also members, contributed to what was ultimately a Sherwood-controlled album. By the end of the 1980s, football's public reputation in the UK was at its lowest; the era had been tarnished by the
Bradford City fire and
Heysel Stadium disaster, both in 1985, and the
Hillsborough disaster in 1989. Due to violent fans, English football teams were banned from competing in European tournaments, while the British government – according to
Dave Thompson – "regarded soccer as a disease, and its supporters less than animals". At the time, football's "sole cheerleaders" appeared to be
fanzine editors, whereas politicians and conventional celebrities distanced themselves from the sport. This atmosphere inspired Sherwood in the project. The album's recording sessions were considered overtly lengthy. Part of it was recorded at Matrix Studios with engineers Deptford Dave and Andy Montgomery, while other parts were worked on at
Southern and
The Manor, Oxfordshire, with engineer Steve 'Barny' Chase. On-U Sound's first football-themed release, and a precedent for
The English Disease, was Tackhead's early 1987 single "The Game", with its samples of
ITV football commentator
Brian Moore and the message "Where's the Barmy West Ham Army?" etched into the vinyl pressing. This was followed in January 1988 by the first Barmy Army release, the single "
Sharp as a Needle", which sampled the traditional
Wembley and
Anfield Kop anthems, "
Abide with Me" and "
You'll Never Walk Alone", respectively, over a rhythm originally slated for
Mark Stewart and the Maffia. Later featured on the album, the track also features keyboards from
Ministry's
Al Jourgensen, who recorded their album
Twitch (1986) with Sherwood, and bass from Rolo McGinty of
the Woodentops. ==Composition==