007
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Post by 007 on Oct 12, 2013 19:06:42 GMT
Many of the members of a certain age on the forum will recall the protest song.
This is wikipedias definition of a protest songs
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social movements that have an associated body of songs are the abolition movement, women's suffrage, the labor movement, the human rights movement, civil rights, the anti-war movement, the feminist movement, the sexual revolution, the gay rights movement, animal rights movement, vegetarianism and veganism, and environmentalism.
Many were anti war. Where have all the flowers gone.Eve of destruction, universal soldier
Some were anti racist Strange fruit, We shall overcome.
We have some today that have broadened the protest to the enviroment and greed, SOH Arrogance ignorance and greed about the bankers.
Are they on the way back do you play any in your set?
I am a great one for list so I thought of compiling a top 20 protest song list but where to start.
Did protest songs exist in the middle ages, Victorian times
Ode to joy is supposed to be about Universal brotherhood?
What you got people
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Post by Banadog on Oct 12, 2013 20:38:11 GMT
I was watching the BBC programme "heir hunters" the other week, and was surprised to see they were trying to trace relatives of Tim Rose who was noted in the sixties for his versions of two of my favourite protest songs "Come away Melinda" and "morning dew". "Come away Melinda" featured on the best selling CBS sampler "The Rock machine turns you on" I seem to remember.
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Post by paganskins on Oct 12, 2013 22:39:34 GMT
do you play any in your set? I play Woody Guthrie's Pastures of Plenty a la Solas, it's about migrant workers in the states and probably still as relevant as when written.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Oct 12, 2013 23:03:26 GMT
Eric Bogle's Green Fields of France and The Band played Waltzing Matilda; Huw and Tony Williams' Rosemary's Sister; Reg Meuross' Jesus Wept; Harvey Andrews' Margarita spring readily to mind - Probably others too that I haven't sung v recently...
Keith
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Post by K Tresp on Oct 12, 2013 23:21:03 GMT
good post and funnily enough I was thinking this the other night whilst trying to write a few verses for a new protest on a current live issue (will post if I decide it is good enough to see the light of day).
As most who play or listen to the stuff, a good number of the classic irish folk tunes can be classed as protest songs and the same applies to the blues deriving from an oral tradition of protest songs.
a list would be a good thing to put together but would need to decide whether to include that sort of old irish and/or blues type songs or the 60s style protest songs.
A few to start going:
Ewan MacColl - in fact a large part of his catalogue could be in, but Go Move Shift or Ballad of Accounting (also reminds me to add his book to the other thread on books), This land is your land (of course), Dylan's Only a pawn in their game, Seeger version of we shall overcome, Neil Young - Southern Man (sorry not acoustic but great), Christy Moore Yellow Triangle.
There are so many
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Post by sigmadel on Oct 12, 2013 23:25:49 GMT
Billy Bragg would be an obvious answer and he has a newish one but i can remember what its called , if you search youtube youll be able to find it . Theres a song that Woodie Guthrie wrote many years ago but he had never put a tune to it . This was then given to a young Pete Seegar who put down music to the original Guthrie lyrics the song is called Deportee and is about migrant Mexican workers working picking fruit in America and when theyd finished they were banished as illegal aliens , unfortunatley one time i think in the 30s the plane they were on taking them home burst into flames and crashed in Los Gatos canion . Billy also does a great version of this with Martyn Joseph live and its a favourite of mine .
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 13, 2013 9:20:41 GMT
Does "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" count as a protest song Interesting topic - I find it hard sometimes to distinguish "protest" songs from social/political commentary songs. They go back a long long way - I expect the medieval troubadours had their fair share of them plus all of the Ballad Sheet songs and then there are a lot of the Robbie Burns songs - "Parcel of Rouges" for example.
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Oct 13, 2013 9:59:51 GMT
Interesting topic - I find it hard sometimes to distinguish "protest" songs from social/political commentary songs. Good point. I do an evening 'concert' session for some churches up here in the Norf West.. I originally set out to do 'protest' songs, but ended up calling it 'songs of social conscience' because so many weren't actually protesting about something, just drawing attention to it and making the listener (I hope) think about the issues raised by the words.
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007
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Post by 007 on Oct 13, 2013 10:30:54 GMT
Does "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" count as a protest song Interesting topic - I find it hard sometimes to distinguish "protest" songs from social/political commentary songs. They go back a long long way - I expect the medieval troubadours had their fair share of them plus all of the Ballad Sheet songs and then there are a lot of the Robbie Burns songs - "Parcel of Rouges" for example. Not in the current climate Dave but you make a good point about distinguishing protest from social comment.Thats semantics To use an analogy one mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist found this site which has a top 50 interestingly (its my age) I found the CCR song Fortunte Son,which i knew, which is a song about Vietnam and that if you were a senators son you could avoid the draft if you were his best mate next door you couldn't. musictodiefor.wordpress.com/50-greatest-protest-songs/
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Oct 15, 2013 7:55:16 GMT
007, shame this is so far away - it seems to be right up your street Celebrating Subversion: The Anti-Capitalist RoadshowAccording to chief mischief-maker Leon Rosselson, the Anti-Capitalist Roadshow was created... "...to raise spirits and give hope and cheer and a smile or two to those angry at the ideologically driven austerity programme imposed by this millionaire government on all but the elite, and in particular on the poor, the vulnerable and the disabled. We are part of the resistance to a capitalism that functions only on behalf of the wealthy, that aims to shrink the public sphere and privatise public services, including the NHS, and that is destructive to the planet. We are part of another way of looking at the world." Artists include: Leon Rosselson,Roy Bailey, Frankie Armstrong, Reem Kelani, Jim Woodland I can't be there ... but I bet it's a blast
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Post by ocarolan on Oct 15, 2013 8:11:52 GMT
I'd love to see that too, Leo, but I can't make it either, unless Dr Who drops by to give me a lift! Keith
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007
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Post by 007 on Oct 15, 2013 9:24:24 GMT
Me neither my passports expired.
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007
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Post by 007 on Oct 15, 2013 9:31:09 GMT
Billy Bragg would be an obvious answer and he has a newish one but i can remember what its called , if you search youtube youll be able to find it . Theres a song that Woodie Guthrie wrote many years ago but he had never put a tune to it . This was then given to a young Pete Seegar who put down music to the original Guthrie lyrics the song is called Deportee and is about migrant Mexican workers working picking fruit in America and when theyd finished they were banished as illegal aliens , unfortunatley one time i think in the 30s the plane they were on taking them home burst into flames and crashed in Los Gatos canion . Billy also does a great version of this with Martyn Joseph live and its a favourite of mine . If you watch the "Audience with Ralph Mctell" Vid that is posted on another thread on this forum you will see that he gives the history of this song (slightly differently) and also sings it. I watched the whole thing last night and it is very good and he comes across as a really very warm person and a brilliant player. I'm attaching a version of this song by Pete Seegeer and Arlo Guthrie As to a thread containing protest or conscience songs we could do this in such a way that we would have a nice long list of reference. I suppose we ought to have a rough structure as to what qualifies.
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Oct 15, 2013 10:30:03 GMT
Hi, Here's a link that might be of interest, where someone else has compiled their top 10 list of anti-war songs, which includes numerous classics and has links to each one. folkmusic.about.com/od/toptens/tp/Top10Protest.htmIn the list, at number six is a Tom Paxton song which includes these poignant words 'Lyndon Johnson told the nation have no fear of escalation / I am trying everyone to please / Though it isn't really war, I'm sending 50,000 more / to help save Vietnam from the Vietnamese' Could just as easily apply to some of the 'wars' in the last 10 years? I have seen Tom Paxton live about 5 times and he never fails to give a top class show and will always include a few old and new protest songs. Whilst he is possibly better known for his classic folk songs, he wrote, and still writes, a phenomenally wide range of protest and social commentary pieces; many were short lives topical ones; others are just as relevant today, like the words above. As you can tell, I'm a great fan, and for those interested he is doing a short tour again in March 2014 with a few gigs; with him will be Janis 'At Seventeen' Ian. Should be good.
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007
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Post by 007 on Oct 15, 2013 13:44:04 GMT
FWIW
here is my list please feel free to add Top 20 Protest songs and/or songs of Conscience
Eve of Destruction: Barry Maguire Where have all the Flowers Gone ( Any version) Arrogance Ignorant and Greed SOH Green Fields of France Eric Bogle Pastures of Plenty a la Solas Tom Paxton Redemption song Bob Marley Going Underground The Jam War Edwin Starr White Riot The Clash Strange Fruit Billie Holiday This land is your Land Woody Guthrie Give Peace a Chance J Lennon Streets of London Ralph Mctell We Shall overcome Any version Between the Wars Billy Bragg Biko Peter Gabriel Fortunate Son CCR Universal soldier Buffy St Marie/Donovan Sound of Silence S & G Blowinn' in the wind Robert Zimmerman
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