VA - 18. Festival des Politischen Liedes (1988, Amiga)

The Festival of Political Songs (German: Festival des politischen Liedes) was one of the largest music events in East Germany, held between 1970 and 1990. It was hosted by the Free German Youth and featured international artists.

The Festival of Political Songs was founded by the group Oktoberklub and took place in East Berlin every February from 1970-1990 as an official event of the Free German Youth. The event was first organized by the Berlin division, but from 1975 on was directed by the Central Committee of the Free German Youth.

Artists from 60 countries participated in the event during its durations, and the event would usually feature between 50 and 80 artists across around 30 countries. Prominent artists who have performed at the festival include Mikis Theodorakis, Miriam Makeba, Quilapayún, Inti-Illimani, Silvio Rodríguez, Mercedes Sosa, Gabino Palomares, Canzoniere delle Lame, and Pete Seeger accompanied by Chilean-exile and Berkeley based folk group Grupo Raiz.The mascot of the festival was a red sparrow named Oki (derived from Oktoberklub).

After the collapse of East Germany, the festival lost financial support and infrastructure. In order to continue the tradition, a new festival called the ZwischenWelt Festival was held between 1991 and 1995. Its supporting organization dissolved in 1995 because of financial difficulties.


Here´s the album with the recordings from the "18. Festival des politischen Liedes" in February 1988.


Tracklist:

Side One:
Raha Manina - Rossy (Paul-Bert Rahasimanana)
Peace, Love And Understanding - Julian Dawson & Colin Rose (Julian Dawson & Nick Lowe)
Cha Chimurenca - Stella Chiweshe (Stella Chiweshe)
Through Soveto - Sweet Honey In The Rock (Traditional)
Tewle - Yarinistan/Morgenland (Traditional)
Lorelei - Manifest (11) (Michael Schenk & Gerd Eggers)
Anjelito - Amparo Ochoa (Ricardo Rojas)


Side Two:
Aboriginal Woman - No Fixed Adress (Bart Wiloughby)
There Were Roses - The Sands Family (Tom Sands)
So Ist Das Leben - Norrlatar (Björn Sjöö)
Besnuites - Smena (C. Krschischanowski)
My Old Man - Peggy Seeger & Ewan McColl (Ewan McColl)
Naschid El Riegel - Al Wilada (Abdallah El-Masri & Mammud Darwisch)
Solo Le Pido A Dios - Norma Gadea, Amparo Ochoa, Maria Da Paz & Tania Libertad (Leon Gieco)


VA - 18. Festival des Politischen Liedes (1988, Amiga)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Rock für den Frieden - Ein Lied für die Menschen (Amiga, 1983)

The music festival "Rock für den Frieden" ("Rock for Peace"), which was held annually from 1982 to 1987 at "Palast der Republik" in East Berlin, was one of the highlights of the GDR rock scene. It was organised by the "Zentralrat der FDJ" and the "Komitee für Unterhaltungskunst der DDR".

With this state-sponsored music festival, SED youth functionaries and the rock scene arrived at an arrangement based on the lowest common denominator: anxiety about survival in the face of a possible nuclear war. Because the festival quickly devolved into an empty ritual filled with conformist political songs and forced ceremonies, more and more East German bands refused to participate.

These songs were recorded between January, 28th and 30th 1983 at the Palast der Republik.

Tracklist:
1. Berluc - No Bomb
2. Puhdys - Computer-Karriere
3. Dialog - Eigentlich
4. Gruppe WIR - Blutiger Sommer
5. City - Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind
6. NO 55 - Das war´s
7. Katrin Lindner & Schubert-Band - Nachkriegskinder
8. Karat - Wie weit fliegt die Taube
9. Silly - Ein Lied für die Menschen

VA - Rock für den Frieden (Amiga, 1983)
(320 kbps, front & back cover included)

VA - Anti-War: Anarcho-Punk, Vol. 1

The first of four volumes retelling the story of the early- to mid-'80s anarchist-punk movement, "Anti-War: Anarcho-Punk, Vol. 1" takes its title from the opening cut by Dirt -- "Anti-War" itself, which was drawn from their still-remarkable "Just an Error" album, and stands as a pertinent reminder not only of the state of the U.K. peace movement on either side of the Falklands War, but also of how universal such sentiments remain in the present. 

It should also serve as a wake-up call to everybody who declares the anarchist-punk scene to be little more than a succession of increasingly smudged photocopies of Crass' original manifesto. True, a lot of the bands that delved into these waters were pursuing Crass' lead, both politically and musically. But just as many bands brought an entire new theater of war to the proceedings, and the 23 bands here highlight some of the most remarkable acts in the arena -- Zounds, Flowers in the Dustbin, Anthrax, Rubella Ballet and the Lost Cherrees among them.

Drawing its contents from long out of print singles, discarded demos and forgotten outtakes, "Anti-War" is not the anarchist-punk community's greatest hits. It is, however, a snapshot of rock & roll at its most socially, culturally and effortlessly pertinent.

Tracklist:

01 Dirt - Antiwar
02 Zounds - War
03 Metro Youth - Red Rifles
04 Flowers in the dustbin - November Song
05 Kronstadt Uprising - Blind People
06 Political Asylum - Disarm or die
07 Astronauts - Typical Day
08 Anthrax - Introduction to war
09 A-Heads - Forgotten Hero
10 The system - Dogs of War
11 Sanction - Unknown Soldier
12 Instigators - The blood is on your hands
13 Blood Robots - The Valley
14 Lost Cherees - Why does it have to be a dream
15 RiotClone - Neu-vestation
16 Youth in Asia - When the wind blows
17 Psycho Faction - Threat
18 Naked - What a way to die
19 Omega Tribe - Duty Calls
20 Anti System - Government lies
21 Faction - Obligatory War Song
22 Rubella Ballet - Belfast
23 The Snipers - I Know

VA - Anti-War: Anarcho-Punk, Vol. 1

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Die City Preachers - Warum? - Deutsche Protestsongs gegen den Krieg (1966)

The City Preachers were the first folk-rock group in Germany. "Warum?" was their third album, released in 1966 on Philips.

Some "City Preachers" members became later very sucessful in Germany as solo musicians like Udo Lindenberg and Inga Rumpf. They played a mixture of folk and protest songs, spirituals, blues, flamenco and bouzouki. Jewish and Balkan songs, but also early German-language "Protest Songs" were part of their repertoire.

"Warum?" is an album with anti-war protest songs in german language.





Tracklist :

A1 Die Strassen sind so weit 2:28
A2 Der unbekannte Soldat 3:15
A3 Wiegenlied "66" 3:23
A4 Vor Sonnenuntergang 3:04
A5 Wo ist das Land? 2:21

B1 Was hast du in der Schule gelernt? 2:42
B2 Strasse der Verzweiflung 2:19
B3 Keiner weiss warum 3:04
B4 Die Hand 2:50
B5 Die Felder von Verdun 3:54
B6 Uns're Welt 2:34


Die City Preachers - Warum? - Deutsche Protestsongs gegen den Krieg (1966)
(~150 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis - Liturgie Nr. 2 "Den Kindern, getötet in Kriegen" / Liturgy No. 2 "For the Young Killed in Wars" (ETERNA, 1985)

The Liturgy No.2, written in 1982 to a commission from the Dresden Kreuzchor, is thematically related to the Third Symphony.

Theodorakis adapted his song cycle "Ta Lirika", originally with instrumental accompaniment, for a cappella chorus, which explains the occasional strange combination of plain homophony and melismatic, polyphonic writing.

Flanked by an evening and a morning prayer, the poems of Tasos Livadhitis take on the form of an all-night vigil, a common feature of Greek Orthodox liturgy.

Tasos Livaditis (Athens, 1922-1988) was a Greek poet. Livaditis studied law at Athens University, but soon his gift for creating poetry was discovered. He had a strong political commitment in the political left movement, and because of that he was condemned, led to exile and has been kept in prison from 1947 till 1951, among others on the island of torture Makronisos, together with Yannis Ritsos, Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Katrakis.

Central to this work is the elegy for the Jewish girl, Anne Frank, based on words written by the composer himself.
The world premiere of the Liturgy No.2 – For the Young Killed in Wars was during the Dresden Music Festival, on 21.5. 1983, sung by the famous Dresdner Kreuzchor under the direction of Kantor Martin Flämig.

This album was recorded in 1983 at Studio Lukaskirche Dresden with the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the conductor Martin Flämig.

Tracklist:

Abendgebet	2:48
Cherubengesang Für Die Brüder Des Regens	2:49
Das Gebet Des Windes	3:02
Psalm Für Die Heilige Stadt	3:11
Klagetrommel Aus Asphalt	2:22
Der Heilige Che	2:06
Psalm Für Die Heiligen Musiker	2:51
Anne Frank - Ibrahim - Emiliano	1:52
Der Tag Der Apokalypse	2:09
Die Heilige Mutter	2:08
Halleluja - Kalamatianos Für Die Märtyrer Partisanen	2:29
Totem Sohne	1:50
Gloria	2:31
Morgengebet · Psalm Für Die Liebe	1:52

01. Vespers
02. Cherub’s Chant to the Brothers and Sisters of the Rain
03. The Prayer of the Wind
04. Psalm for the Holy State
05. Dirge of the Rain
06. The Holy Che
07. Psalm for the Holy Musician
08. Anne Frank – Ibrahim – Emiliano
09. The Day of the Apocalypse
10. The Holy Mother
11. Kalamata Hallelujah for the Partisan Martyrs
12. To a Dead Son
13. Gloria
14. Matins – Psalm to Love

Poems: 01.-07. / 09.-11.: Tasos Livaditis – Poems: 08./12.-14.: Mikis Theodorakis

Mikis Theodorakis - Liturgie Nr. 2 "Den Kindern, getötet in Kriegen" / Liturgy No. 2 "For the Young Killed in Wars" (ETERNA, 1985)
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Stop The War In Ukraine!

Davy Graham - Hat (1969)

There's no such thing as a bad Graham album from the 1960s. While "Hat" isn't necessarily the first one you should dig into, it offers the standard pleasures that you expect from his records: excellent, feverishly imaginative acoustic guitar playing; vibrant jazz-blues arrangements; and covers of blues numbers, Paul Simon, and Lennon-McCartney. 

He's just as capable of good-time blues ("I'm Ready") and a folk cover of "Getting Better" from Sgt. Pepper as dark, slightly dissonant instrumentals with a modal/Eastern flavor. As is the case with most of his '60s albums, it's very hard to find, especially in the U.S., where Graham did not have a record deal.

Tracklist:

1 Getting Better 1:56
2 Lotus Blossom 2:24
3 I'm Ready 2:28
4 Buhaina Chant 2:30
5 Homeward Bound 2:16
6 Love Is Pleasing 2:11
7 Hornpipe For Harpsichord Played Upon Guitar 1:26
8 Down Along The Cove 2:09
9 Hoochie Coochie Man 3:34
10 Stan's Guitar 2:18
11 Pretty Polly 3:22
12 Bulgarian Dance 3:17
13 I Am A Rock 2:15
14 Oliver 1:35


Davy Graham - Hat (1969)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - Other Planes Of There (1964)

"Other Planes of There" (1964) presents Sun Ra (piano) and his Solar Arkestra once again pushing the boundaries on five Ra originals. The exceedingly experimental works are marked by the performers as much as they are by the compositions.

The opening title track is an expansive suite of sounds adhering only to the boundless limits of the combo's sonic canvas. Each soloist is given ample room to propel the piece between the inspired Arkestra interjections, which in turn clears the way for the next one. This isn't exactly call-and-response, however there are correlations between the respective and (at times) disparate juxtapositions. John Gilmore's (tenor sax) maniacal wails are matched by Marshall Allen (oboe) and Danny Davis (alto sax) - the latter of whom quickly establishes the cut's moody and schizophrenic nature. By contrast, "Sound Spectra/Spec Sket" commences with the percussive pairing of Roger Blank (drums) and Lex Humphries (drums) asserting unified rhythmic patterns that are countered by a compact melody from Walter Miller (trumpet). His regal nuances are tentatively met by Ronnie Boykins (bass) and then Ra, who weave their lines considerately, rather than in a flurry of impassioned abandon. "Sketch" bops freely as Gilmore forges a seemingly straight-ahead tune, until Ra's frenzied and ardent runs overpoweringly steer the number further out. Pat Patrick's (baritone sax) sublime contributions are at the center of "Pleasure," smouldering with a measured and dreamy sense of portents. The long player concludes in much the same way that it began, sporting a full ensemble blowout on "Spiral Galaxy."

Granted, the selection is certainly not as abrasive and demanding as later efforts, although there is strident involvement from everyone within the dense arrangement. The brass and reed sections provide emphasis behind an off-kilter and loping waltz backdrop. All the more impressive is how well the material has held up over the decades. Even to seasoned ears, the music is pungent and uninhibited, making "Other Planes of There" a highly recommended collection.  

Tracklist

A1	Other Planes Of There
B1	Sound Spectra (B) Spec Sket
B2	Sketch
B3	Pleasure
B4	Spiral Galaxy

Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - Other Planes Of There (1964)
(ca. 192 kbps, cover art included)            

39 Clocks - 13 More Protest Songs (1987)

The 39 Clocks were a Psychedelic group from Hannover, Germany. The band was formed in 1977 under the name Killing Rats, split after an appearance at "Psychotic Splash Festival" in Hannover (18 June 1983) and was briefly reformed for a comeback album in 1987.    

The first public appearance pairing Christian Henjes and Juergen Gleue (inspired by and with names derived from LSD-25, they would become CH-39 and JG-39) was in 1976, at the Dada Nova (a space occupied by Otto Mühl’s AAO commune) in midtown Hannover, Germany. Dada Nova would be a space of enduring clash. From the subtlety of a shat upon organ to the ejection from communal meetings by bodily force, the AAO would display that the presence of the 39 Clocks was one of their constant grief.

Known for pranksterism and the destruction of the clubs in which they would perform, friction in every form would continually follow the band. In 1979 they were thrown out of a show in Kassel at Dokumenta (their sounds had disturbed Joseph Beuys). They created an outrage (they wrote a tune with the title “Art Minus Idiots”) at the Filmtage Hannover with their avant-garde Super 8 movies made under the disguise of director Zachius Lipschitz. Rumour claims that at a Hannover show at the Cafe Glocksee, they played the vacuum cleaner and a circular saw instead of guitars, and there was even a knife throwing incident in Bremen              

This album was recorded in 1987 in Ilten, Germany. It is dedicated to Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser, Reg Presley, Chet Baker, Jack Grunsky and Ilona Staller.           

Tracklist:

Eternal Yesterdays 2:40
What Never Happened 4:10
Eve Of Destruction 2:50
You Can't Count The Bombs (It's Zero) 3:41
But You Know 7:08
Mr. Diamond 3:06
My Tears Will Drown The World 2:42
Il Ne Porte Pas Ses Nylons Négligés 4:28
Shake Ghaddafi's Blues 4:30
I'm Not Alone Without You (Ce N'est Pas Pervers) 1:50
(They Don't Dance Much) The Violent Ones 4:51



39 Clocks - 13 More Protest Songs
(ca. 192 kbps, cover art included)

Dub Syndicate - Strike The Balance (1989)

Drummer Style Scott joined Adrian Sherwood's influential On-U Sound dub label in the late '70s and played on Sherwood's influential releases as part of the New Age Steppers (with vocalist Bim Sherman, horn player Deadly Headley, melodica player Dr. Pablo, and a large guest lineup). Scott later formed his own band, Dub Syndicate, which soon became -- with the possible exception of African Headcharge -- On-U Sound's most popular act. Though not a group per se, Style Scott and producer Sherwood explore reggae, dub, and dancehall by collaborating with some of reggae and dub's greatest talents, including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Skip McDonald, U-Roy, and, in a bit of posthumous sampling of an old friend, Prince Far I (on 1990's Stoned Immaculate).

Another great Dub Syndicate set, Strike the Balance features vocal contributions from mainstay Bim Sherman on a cover of Lloyd & Devon’s “Cuss Cuss”, and Shara Nelson (Massive Attack) on a version of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'aime." Originally released in 1989, and coinciding with the beginnings of Dub Syndicate as a touring unit.

Tracklist:

A1 Cuss Cuss 4:31
A2 Hey Ho 4:11
A3 Shout It Out 3:39
A4J e t'aime 3:41
A5 Chapter & Verse 3:32

B1 Mafia 7:04
B2 Hawaii 4:01
B3 J.A. Minor 4:08
B4 Boof Um Baff 3:27
B5 I'm the Man for You Baby 3:32

Dub Syndicate - Strike The Balance (1989)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Madness - 7 (1981)

Along with the Specials, Madness were one of the leading bands of the late-'70s ska revival that swept the U.K. They were known for their "nutty sound," blending ska rhythms with catchy melodies and a showman's sense of humor. As their career progressed, they folded in touches of Motown, soul, and British pop to their formula.

The third album is often where a band makes a great leap forward, and so it is with Madness’ "Seven". Although they’re still clearly the same nutty band that tore it up with" One Step Beyond", "Seven" finds the group expanding its horizons considerably, ratcheting up the melodious pop quotient in their songwriting, as well as the distinctly English character sketches. Much of the album comes across as a blend of the Kinks and Ian Dury backed by a propulsive ska beat, and the production is a appropriately just as imaginative, colored by the odd sitar, finding new carnivalesque flourishes for the horns, and expanding the rhythmic palette considerably. Sometimes, the group still gets ridiculously silly -- “Benny Bullfrog” is a novelty by any other name -- but the genius of Madness is that they would toss off these frivolous numbers as easily as they would throw out something as elegiac as “Grey Day,” while finding the sweet spot between those two extremes on singles like “Cardiac Arrest.” Not every band possesses such a light touch, and while they certainly got more refined just an album later with "The Rise & Fall", "Seven" is where they revealed the full potential of their talents.

"When I get home it´s late at night 

I´m black and bloody from mylife 

As I lie in a semi-conscious state 

I dream of people fighting me 

Without any reason I can see" 

("Grey Day")

Tracklist:

A1 Cardiac Arrest 2:53

A2 Shut Up 3:05

A3 Sign Of The Times 2:43

A4 Missing You 2:32

A5 Mrs. Hutchinson 2:16

A6 Tomorrows Dream 3:54

B1 Grey Day 3:38

B2 Pac-A-Mac 2:38

B3 Promises Promises 2:52

B4 Benny Bullfrog 1:51

B5 When Dawn Arrives 2:43

B6 The Opium Eaters 3:03

Madness - 7 (1981)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Gil Scott-Heron - 1980 (1980)

"1980" can be viewed as a precursor for the venomous rants Gil Scott-Heron would unleash on the eventual Reagan-led White House. Loaded with perceptive and poignant observations on the state of America as it advanced into a new and uncertain decade, 1980 is a powerful final album of '70s for Scott-Heron and his partner Brian Jackson. 

Amazingly, Scott-Heron's focus at the close of the decade is strikingly similar to his focus on his 1970 debut, "Small Talk at 125th and Lennox"; namely that social and political change has yet to come to many Americans, despite the advancements in technology and other seemingly less significant realms. The enemies are the same: nuclear power and big business ("Shut Um Down"), oppressive governments ("Shah Mot"), and racism ("Willing"). 

On the title track, Scott-Heron's gaze is set on the future with an eye on the past as well. When he sings, "Boogie-Woogie's somewhere in the lost and found," he's not only speaking of the changes in music, but also in popular culture. There is a hint of resentment on his part that this musical style, like other revolutionary African-American innovations, has been progressively stolen, mined, sterilized, and eventually discarded. This is not to say that the music throughout the album is marked by regret or sorrow. The spacy synthesizers, background vocals, and use of horns, along with Jackson's always-extraordinary arrangements, give the album a quality that matches the aura of the period without forgetting past musical styles. 

The descriptive "Alien (Hold on to Your Dreams)" is the album's most enduring song, vividly portraying the plight of Mexican illegal aliens living in Los Angeles and offering an uplifting refrain.


Tracklist:

Side one:
"Shut 'Um Down" – 5:28
"Alien (Hold On to Your Dreams)" – 4:09
"Willing" – 4:16
"Corners" (lyrics by Scott-Heron; music by Brian Jackson) – 4:47

Side two:
"1980" – 6:20
"Push Comes to Shove" – 3:37
"Shah MOT (The Shah Is Dead/Checkmate)" – 4:04
"Late Last Night" – 4:25

Gil Scott-Heron - 1980 (1980)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Penetration - Race Against Time (1979)

Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members.
Their debut single, "Don't Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets (1978), is still widely admired.

The only summation one can make of the career of English punks Penetration is, what a disappointment. In 1977, Penetration released a classic chunk of punk rock defiance titled "Don't Dictate." With Pauline Murray's impassioned vocals (sounding a bit like X-Ray Spex's Poly Styrene) leading the way, this was a blazing piece of anti-authoritarian rant: loud, snotty, and proud. Sadly, it was to be the one song they remained best noted for (assuming there are people who still remember Penetration). The problem was that they traded in barely competent but energetic bashing and thrashing for a more "mature" new wave/"punk-ish" rock sound. As a result, their debut LP, "Moving Targets", although it has its moments, never lived up to the promise of "Don't Dictate." Still, Pauline Murray was a force to be reckoned with. Easily one of the best singers to come out of English punk rock, she made the band interesting even when the songs weren't there, the production was overwrought, and the whole enterprise was terribly uneven. It was to the surprise of no one that by 1980 she was fronting a new band, the Invisible Girls, who based on Murray's strengths became known as Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls. Still, major success eluded Murray, and she later moved into singing more elegant, mainstream pop/rock, remaining one of England's best unknown singers.

Although Penetration's debut, "Moving Targets", is smoother and better produced, it doesn't pack the raw wallop and bristling energy of this collection of demos and live recordings cut from 1977-79. The live side, recorded in the band's hometown of Newcastle, provides the greatest thrills per song, but ultimately the Penetration saga is one of missed opportunity and overinflated expectations. Most importantly, "Don't Dictate" is here in demo form, and it still sounds pretty great, although the version that shows up on the CD reissue of "Moving Targets" sounds better.

Tracklist:

Demos 1977-Jan 78
A1 Duty Free Technology
A2 Firing Squad
A3 Race Against Time
A4 In The Future
A5 Free Money
A6 Never Never
A7 V.I.P.
A8 Silent Community
A9 Don't Dictate

Live At Newcastle Dec 78-Oct 79
B1 Come Into The Open
B2 Movement
B3 Lovers Of Outrage
B4 She Is The Slave
B5 Too Many Friends
B6 Killed In The Rush
B7 Danger Signs (Unreleased Studio Version)


Penetration - Race Against Time (1979)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Michael Sallmann – Queitsch (Lieder von Michael Sallmann) (Trikont, 1979)

Michael Sallmann (born April 7, 1953 in Chemnitz; called Salli Sallmann ) is a German poet and songwriter.

Michael Sallmann studied at the School of Engineering Sciences in Leipzig. In 1975, a few weeks before his expected graduation, Sallmann was ex-matriculated because of his relationship to the singer and songwriter Wolf Biermann and his "anti-socialist activities in the cultural field." Prior to his ex-matriculation, the Culture Department of Leipzig had revoked his permit as a lyricist and vocalist of the Leipzig "Songgruppe."

During his military service in the National People's Army and after Biermann's expatriation in November 1976, Sallmann illegally played songs and recited poems for soldiers and officers in his barracks. In 1977, Sallmann was arrested for "subversive propaganda" by the Ministry for State Security (Stasi). Given the choice between a long-term stay at Berlin-Hohenschönhausen or to leave the GDR, he was eventually deported from the remand prison in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen to West Berlin, where he has since lived. In West Berlin, he engaged in journalistic, musical, and political work. Since 1997, Sallmann has been an editor at the rbb Kulturradio radio station.



Tracklist:

A1 Lied eines Lagerarbeiters 1:35
A2 Wiesenlied 2:00
A3 Queitsch 3:40
A4 Rentnerschreck 2:30
A5 Litfaßsäulenlied 3:00
A6 Spielzeuglied 2:55
A7 Buchenwaldlied 1:55
B1 Tramperromanze 3:18
B2 Tag am Flußufer 2:00
B3 Für meine Tochter 2:50
B4 Kalte Zeit 2:20
B5 Austreibungslied 1:30
B6 Erfahrungsbericht 2:15
B7 Linker Sonntag 1:20
B8 Dampfwalzenlied 2:07
B9 Preußischer Klagetango für Hasso, den DGB-Betriebsrat, der sich freiwillig selbst umpolte 1:45

Michael Sallmann – Queitsch (Lieder von Michael Sallmann) (Trikont, 1979)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Silvio Rodriguez - Cuando digo futoro (1977)

Tender balladry offsets the hard-edged, politically slanted lyrics of Silvio Rodríguez. He is widely acknowledged as the spearhead of the nueva trova (new ballad) style of nueva cancion (new song). Rodríguez masterfully blends romantic tunes with protest material condemning colonization and the tyranny that swept through Latin America in the late '60s and early '70s.

Inspired by French chanson, Rodríguez recorded his debut album in 1976. Although his early albums showcased his solo acoustic guitar playing and silken vocals, Rodríguez increasingly incorporated the accompaniment of electric instrumentation. His 1992 album, "Silvio", marked his first all-acoustic album in 14 years. On "Causas y Azares", Rodríguez was accompanied by the heavily rhythmic sounds of Afro-Cuban jazz. Also in 1992, Rodríguez created Abdala, a recording studio for local artists. In March of 1996, his contribution to popular music led a group of followers to form La Tropa Cosmica, the singer's worldwide fan club. In 1997, Rodríguez was awarded the Artist for Peace designation granted by UNESCO.

"Cuando digo futuro" is a compilation of songs by Silvio Rodríguez, released in 1977 on Movieplay.

Tracklist:

Ojalá [Silvio Rodríguez] (3:38)
Fusil contra fusil [Silvio Rodríguez] (3:17)
Cuando digo futuro [Silvio Rodríguez] (3:28)
Canción de la nueva escuela [Silvio Rodríguez] (3:39)
La era está pariendo un corazón [Silvio Rodríguez] (2:59)
Canción del elegido [Silvio Rodríguez] (2:54)De la ausencia y de ti, Velia [Silvio Rodríguez] (4:12)
La oveja negra [Silvio Rodríguez] (2:23)
Cuba va [Pablo Milanés – Noel Nicola – Silvio Rodríguez] (3:07)
De una vez [Silvio Rodríguez – Pablo Milanés] (4:09)

Silvio Rodriguez - Cuando digo futoro (1977)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Betty Davis - Same (1973) - Rest In Peace!

Betty Davis, the cult funk singer and ex-wife of jazz legend Miles Davis who left an underappreciated yet trailblazing body of work, died yesterday at the age of 77.

Betty Davis' debut was an outstanding funk record, driven by her aggressive, no-nonsense songs and a set of howling performances from a crack band. Listeners wouldn't know it from the song's title, but for the opener, "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up," Davis certainly doesn't play the wallflower; she's a woman on the prowl, positively luring the men in and, best of all, explaining exactly how she does it: "I said I'm wigglin' my fanny, I'm raunchy dancing, I'm-a-doing it doing it/This is my night out."

"Game Is My Middle Name" begins at a midtempo lope, but really breaks through on the chorus, with the Pointer Sisters and Sylvester backing up each of her assertions. As overwhelming as Davis' performances are, it's as much the backing group as Davis herself that makes her material so powerful (and believable). 

Reams of underground cred allowed her to recruit one of the tightest rhythm sections ever heard on record (bassist Larry Graham and drummer Greg Errico, both veterans of Sly & the Family Stone), plus fellow San Francisco luminaries like master keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarists Neal Schon or Douglas Rodriguez (both associated with Santana at the time). Graham's popping bass and the raw, flamboyant, hooky guitar lines of Schon or Rodriguez make the perfect accompaniment to these songs; Graham's slinky bass is the instrumental equivalent of Davis' vocal gymnastics, and Rodriguez makes his guitar scream during "Your Man My Man." 

It's hard to tell whether the musicians are pushing so hard because of Davis' performances or if they're egging each other on, but it's an unnecessary question. Everything about Betty Davis' self-titled debut album speaks to Davis the lean-and-mean sexual predator, from songs to performance to backing, and so much the better for it. All of which should've been expected from the woman who was too wild for Miles Davis.

Tracklist:

A1 If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up 4:51
A2 Walkin Up The Road 2:47
A3 Anti Love Song 4:24
A4 Your Man My Man 3:28
B1 Ooh Yea 3:05
B2 Steppin In Her I. Miller Shoes 3:10
B3 Game Is My Middle Name 5:09
B4 In The Meantime 2:39

Betty Davis - Same (1973)

(256 kbps, cover art included)

The Holy Modal Rounders – Good Taste Is Timeless (1971)

The Holy Modal Rounders were formed in 1964, comprised of Peter Stampfel (vocals, banjo, fiddle) and Steve Weber (vocals, guitar). Stampfel and Weber were both early members of The Fugs and appear on their first album. By 1968, The Rounders had become a full-fledged band, with the two principals flanked by Dave Levy (guitar), John Wesley Annas (bass), Richard Tyler (piano) and Sam Shepard (yes, THAT Sam Shepard) on drums. This line-up cut the bizarro psych-folk cult classic “The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders” for Elektra. By sheer luck, Peter Fonda heard the album’s opening cut, “The Bird Song” on radio and decided to use it in the film “Easy Rider”, which brought the Rounders their biggest brush with fame.

In 1970 the group signed with Metromedia for their next album, “Good Taste Is Timeless” which was issued in early 1971. The album was produced in Nashville by jazz pianist Bob Dorough, who also produced Spanky and Our Gang, Alzo Fronte and scores of songs for the “Schoolhouse Rock” program. Engineering the album was Elvis’ former guitarist Scotty Moore. The album marked the arrival of mainstay multi-instrumentalist Robin Remaily. Shepard was replaced by Michael McCarty.
The album was a departure from the usual wackiness of the Rounders. The gloriously ramshackle performances of old were replaced with tight arrangements. The material was mostly original with only two covers (Joe Maphis’ “Melinda” and Jimmy C. Newman’s “Alligator Man”). All band members took lead vocals and wrote material for the album. The result is an off-center country-folk-rock product, but still the unmistakable nuttiness of the Rounders shines through at times. (Stampfel to this day loathes the album.)

Tracy Nelson is a guest vocalist on “Love Is The Closest Thing” (written by cohort Michael Hurley, who also designed the album’s cover) and Steve Riddle provides “eephin” on “Livin’ Off The Land” – a style of vocalization made popular by his father Jimmie Riddle on the “Hee Haw” television show. DJ Fontana, who drummed for Elvis in his early days, provides percussion touches here and there. Pete Drake, who’d just recently finished work with both Ringo Starr and George Harrison on their solo projects, played pedal steel.
The album was plagued with a notoriously bad mix. The engineers who mixed the album apparently did so without using monitors and a skewed mix was the result. It would seem these same individuals must’ve been responsible for Elephant’s Memory’s “Take It To The Streets” which is basically a MONO album…

While the album went unnoticed, in 1974 a up and coming radio show by one Doctor Demento began spinning “Boobs a Lot” and the reaction was enough that Metromedia, then closing up their doors, issued a single. The track went to #103. (Although generally not acknowledged, the single had originally been released in 1971, all but ignored and now a rarity.)

The Rounders would shortly thereafter go back towards an acoustic configuration, cutting an album for the Rounder label (guess who it’s named for?) in ’72 which would not see the light of day for three years. The group soldiered on in various formations over the years lead variously by Stampfel and/or Weber and sometimes two different versions of the band existed on both coasts. An aggregation led by Stampfel and Michael Hurley cut the cult-classic “Have Moicy” for Rounder in 1976. 

Tracklist:

Once A Year
Black Bottom
Happy Scrapple Daddy Polka
Spring Of ’65
Livin’ Off The Land
Love Is The Closest Thing
Boobs A Lot
Melinda
Generalonely
Alligator Man
City Blues
The Whole World Outta Go On Vacation

The Holy Modal Rounders – Good Taste Is Timeless (1971)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Country Joe & The Fish - The First Three EPs

Before making their leap into the "big time" and signing with the nationally distributed Vanguard Records in 1967, Country Joe McDonald and his group the Fish had already created a pair of self-produced and otherwise low-budget EPs as so-called "talking" issues of McDonald's own Rag Baby publication. The periodical itself was a Bay Area adaptation of the folkie's music intensive magazine Broadside.

"Collectors Items: The First Three EPs" compiles those highly sought-after 7"s of vinyl onto CD - the contents of which earned Country Joe & the Fish (CJ&F) their initial flashes of national exposure - albeit limited to the underground "head shops" that stocked Rag Baby.

 

The disc opens with a primordial incarnation of the Fish - consisting of McDonald (vocals/guitar) and his close musical associate Barry Melton (vocals/guitars) - augmented by Carl Shrager (washboard), Bill Steel (bass), and Mike Bearslee (vocals/guitar). Their decidedly D.I.Y. instrumentation and delivery is a clear indicator of the folkie roots that were strikingly similar to that of other burgeoning combos in the Bay Area. The original A-side boasted two CJ&F tunes: "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" and "Superbird." Here, modern listeners are treated to a version of "I Feel Like..." listed as "Take 1" -- replete with the apropos effects of machine guns and round-upon-round of rapid fire mortars - while the alternate "Take 2" contains the infamous "F-U-C-K" Woodstock chant. On the B-side was a folk singer/songwriter named Peter Krug whose contributions were equally as apocalyptic as CJ&F's. Krug's "Fire in the City" was also covered by jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks and a then virtually unknown backup unit who had just changed their name from the Warlocks to the Grateful Dead. The number is coupled with the blatantly anti-combat "Johnny's Gone to War."

 

The second EP debuts the electric incarnation of CJ&F, solidifying the existence of Rag Baby as well as the combo's amplified psychedelic rock leanings. Side A is composed of "(Thing Called) Love" and "Bass Strings" - two relatively short numbers at under four minutes apiece. Allowing themselves the freedom to stretch out in a style and delivery more akin to their public performances, "Section 43" clocks in at nearly seven minutes. All three of these tunes would be reworked on CJ&F's second long-player "Electric Music for the Mind and Body" (1967).

 

The final EP was cut by McDonald backed by Groonta and is a mix of the acoustic "Kiss My Ass"/"Tricky Dicky" and electric "Free Some Day." The disc was recorded for the express purpose of being sold for $1.50 at the infamous "Free the Army" political and musical review that included appearances by such notables as Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. The show toured underground coffeehouses in 1971 and McDonald cut this disc in support of - and for sale at - these performances.       

Tracklist:

1	I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag [Take 1]
2	I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag [Take 2]
3	Superbird
4	(Thing Called) Love
5	Bass Strings
6	Section 43
7	Fire In The City
8	Johnny's Gone In The War
9	Kiss My Ass
10	Tricky Dicky
11	Free Some Day

Country Joe & The Fish - The First Three EPs
(192 kbps, cover art included)   

Rosa Yemen - Rosa Yemen EP (1979)

Martine-Elisabeth "Lizzy" Mercier Descloux (16 December 1956 – 20 April 2004) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter.

Mercier Descloux grew up in Lyon, France, but returned to her native Paris in her teens to attend art school. With her partner Michel Esteban, she helped establish the store Harry Cover, temple of the punk movement in France, and the new wave magazine Rock News. She struck up friendships with Patti Smith and Richard Hell when visiting New York in 1975, and both contributed material to her first book, Desiderata. She and Esteban moved to New York in 1977, meeting Michael Zilkha, with whom Esteban formed ZE Records.

With guitarist D.J. Barnes (Didier Esteban), Mercier Descloux formed the performance art duo Rosa Yemen, and recorded an eponymous mini-album for ZE Records in 1978. The following year, ZE released her solo debut LP Press Color. Self-taught as a guitarist, she expressed herself as a minimalist within the no wave genre, concentrating on single-note lines combined with wrong-note harmonies and funky rhythms. While the record did not sell well, she did tour the USA and Europe.

The "Rosa Yemen EP" was recorded at Blank Tapes Studio, NYC, in July 1978, producer by Rosa Yemen & Michel Esteban.

Tracklist:

A1 Rosa Vertov
A2 Decryptated
A3 Herpes Simplex
B1 Larousse Baron Bic
B2 Tso Xin Yu Xin
B3 Nina Con Un Tercer Ojo

Rosa Yemen - Rosa Yemen EP (1979)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

The Last Poets - Same (1970)

If rap could be traced to one logical source point, this exceptional piece of vinyl would be it, without question. Though the strict adherence to syncopated rhythms and standard song structures are absent, all the elements that would later become the hallmarks of hip-hop by the early 1980s (and predictable fare by the 1990s) are here: vivid depictions of street level violence, vivid apocalyptic predictions of racial genocide. All that is missing are pointless party anthems. But running through all the songs on the Last Poets' debut is an urgent sense of the need for radical action in the nation as well as the black community.

In addition to railing against the injustices perpetrated by white America, the Poets' comment on the economic and social devastation of drugs ("Jones Comin' Down," "Two Little Boys"), complacency in urban families ("Wake Up Niggers," "When the Revolution Comes"), the emotional release of sex ("Black Thighs"), and the weight of oppression that leads to hopelessness ("Surprises"). At the same time, they warn of the dangers of half-hearted commitment to revolutionary change: "don't talk about revolution until you are ready to eat rats." In the same manner that Marvin Gaye's landmark album "What's Goin' On" depicted the problems that doomed black culture, the Last Poets are now seen by many as prophets. But also like Gaye, the realization that the problems depicted on "The Last Poets" are now much worse marks the record as an unheeded warning, far more than just a piece of Black Power kitsch.               

Tracklist:

A1 Run, Nigger 1:10
A2 On The Subway 1:31
A3 Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution 5:13
A4 Black Thighs 1:27
A5 Gashman 2:42
A6 Wake Up, Niggers 2:45
B1 New York, New York 3:32
B2 Jones Comin' Down 2:48
B3 Just Because 1:30
B4 Black Wish 1:44
B5 When The Revolution Comes 2:27
B6 Two Little Boys 1:49
B7 Surprises 2:07

The Last Poets - Same (1970)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Madison Square Garden, New York City, September 28, 1978

Thanks to an intervention by Neil Young, Spotify has found itself at the center of an uproar over COVID-19 misinformation.

Neil Young started the protest when he penned a letter saying Spotify could have either his music or Joe Rogan, but not both.

"I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform," Young wrote in the letter to his manager and record label, which was reported by Rolling Stone on Jan 24. "I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them."

Young cited an open letter signed initially by more than 250 medical professionals, professors and researchers who called on Spotify to address the COVID misinformation on its platform, pointing specifically to Rogan's podcast. Since the letter's publication on Jan. 12, more than 1,000 more professionals have signed the letter.

A handful of musicians – including folk icon Joni Mitchell and Crosby, Stills & Nash – have joined Young, saying they'll pull their music from Spotify. So far, however, today's chart-topping artists haven't weighed in on the protest.

On Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the company plans on being more transparent about its rules on misinformation but won't be a "content censor." Rogan also responded to the controversy, saying he plans to do better.

That´s a good occasion for sharing more Neil Young music:

The Neil Young & Crazy Horse 1978 tour was a North American concert tour by Canadian musician Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse, informally known as the Rust Never Sleeps tour, as the live album of the same name was recorded during it. Crazy Horse included Frank 'Poncho' Sampedro on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass guitar, and Ralph Molina on drums

This high quality audience recording is from that same tour, at New York's Madison Square Garden, on September 28, 1978, nearly 44 years ago. Download this and you'll know why Rust Never Sleeps!



Tracklist:

1st Set:
01. Intro Music (6:55)
02. Sugar Mountain (5:17)
03. I Am A Child (3:31)
04. Comes A Time (3:36)
05. Already One (4:57)
06. After The Goldrush (4:57)
07. Thrasher (6:20)
08. My My Hey Hey (4:42)

2nd Set:
09. When You Dance I Can Really Love
10. The Loner
11. Welfare Mothers
12. Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown
13. The Needle And The Damage Done
14. Lotta Love
15. Sedan Delivery
16. Powderfinger
17. Cortez The Killer
18. Cinnamon Girl
19. Like A Hurricane
20. Hey, Hey, My, My

Encore:
21. Tonight's The Night

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Madison Square Garden, New York City,  September 28, 1978

(320 kbps, cover art included)

The Last Poets - Oh My People (1985)

With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising Black consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop. Formed in 1969, the group's combination of incendiary, politically charged verses and Afro-centric musical accompaniment, usually informed by jazz, became wildly influential, and 1970's "The Last Poets" and 1971's "This Is Madness" were unlikely hits. 

The group embraced a more ambitious blend of jazz and poetry on 1972's "Chastisement", but by the end of the '70s they'd quietly disbanded. After the rise of hip-hop reminded the world of their vital influence, the Last Poets returned with 1985's "Oh My People", and they enjoyed a second act throughout the '90s. 

As American politics became turbulent following the election of Donald Trump, the Last Poets returned to the studio, as fiery and relevant as ever, for 2018's "Understand What Black Is".

"Oh My People" was produced by Bill Laswell and released in 1985 on the Cellloid label.

Tracklist:

A1 Get Movin' 6:41
A2 This Is Your Life 6:32
A3 What Will You Do 4:52
B1 Oh My People 7:32
B2 Hold Fast 6:19
B3 Parting Company 4:22

The Last Poets - Oh My People (1985)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Georg Trakl - Ich bin eine Welt - Briefe und Gedichte (Interpret: Ulrich Mühe)

"Confiteor

Die bunten Bilder, die das Leben malt
Seh’ ich umdüstert nur von Dämmerungen,
Wie kraus verzerrte Schatten, trüb und kalt,
Die kaum geboren schon der Tod bezwungen.

Und da von jedem Ding die Maske fiel,
Seh’ ich nur Angst, Verzweiflung, Schmach und Seuchen,
Der Menschheit heldenloses Trauerspiel,
Ein schlechtes Stück, gespielt auf Gräbern, Leichen.

Mich ekelt dieses wüste Traumgesicht.
Doch will ein Machtgebot, daß ich verweile,
Ein Komödiant, der seine Rolle spricht,
Gezwungen, voll Verzweiflung - Langeweile!"
- Georg Trakl


He played the role of Hauptmann (Captain) Gerd Wiesler in the Oscar-winning film "Das Leben der Anderen" ("The Lives of Others", 2006), for which he received the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Gold, at Germany's most prestigious film awards, the "Deutscher Filmpreis" ("German Film Awards)"; and the Best Actor Award at the 2006 European Film Awards.

After leaving school, Mühe was employed as a construction worker and a border guard at the Berlin Wall. He then turned to acting, and from the late 1970s into the 1980s appeared in numerous plays, becoming a star of the Deutsches Theater in East Berlin. He was active in politics and denounced "Communist" rule in East Germany in a memorable address at Alexanderplatz on 4 November 1989 shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. After German reunification he continued to appear in a large number of films, television programmes and theatre productions. In Germany he was particularly known for playing the lead role of Dr. Robert Kolmaar in the long-running forensic crime series "Der letzte Zeuge".
Ulrich Mühe, who sadly died July, 2007, was a German film, television and theatre actor.

In the last years he also became a popular reader of audio books, for example ""Der kleine Prinz" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and "Ich bin eine Welt" by Georg Trakl.

The poet and writer Georg Trakl was born as the son of the ironmonger Tobias Trakl and his wife Maria Catharina, nee Halik, on February 3, 1887 in Salzburg. At the age of 13, Georg Trakl began writing poetry. He studied pharmacy in Vienna and simultaneously began to publish his first poems.

Trakl was also interested in literature, music, painting and architecture. Between 1910 and 1914 Georg Trakl wrote his most important works. In 1912 Trakl temporarily worked as a military pharmacist in Innsbruck. His search for stability in life was fruitless, and following excessive drug use, Trakl fell into deep depression. In 1912 Georg Trakl's poem "Vorstadt im Föhn" was published in the Innsbruck cultural and political journal "Der Brenner", whose editor was his friend and benefactor Ludwig von Ficker. All subsequent poetic work by Trakl appeared in the monthly issues of this journal.

Karl Kraus also published poems by Georg Trakl in the journal "Die Fackel". During this time, Trakl met Oskar Kokoschka and Else Lasker-Schüler. In 1913, the publisher Kurt Wolff published Georg Trakl's book of poetry "Der jüngste Tag".

Georg Trakl volunteered for World War I, where he served on the Eastern Front in the Galician town of Grodek as a medical officer. As a consequence of his traumatic experiences of the war, Georg Trakl suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to a military hospital in Krakow. During his convalescence in the Krakow hospital, Trakl wrote his poems "Grodek", "Im Osten" and "Klage". Georg Trakl committed suicide on November 3, 1914 in Krakow. Today, Georg Trakl is considered one of the most extraordinary poets and most important exponents of Austrian Expressionism.

"Trakl creates pure compositions of autonomous metaphors. Each metaphor has a more-or-less definite emotional tonality and combines with the other metaphors...in a incoherent sequence of images. Yet each poem has an inner coherence, not the coherence of logical thought, but of a musical composition. The metaphoric image acts somewhat like a note in a musical score indicating that a cerain tone or chord is to be played." (Sokel)
The tone and progression of Trakls poetry is often dreamlike, but the imagery is more likely found in a nightmare: decay, death, twilight, nature (in decay), religious symbolism. The verses are bleak but with a certain warmth, somber with a hint of transcendence.

Georg Trakl - "Ich bin eine Welt" (Ulrich Mühe)
(192 kbps, front cover included)

For more informations about Georg Trakls and english translations of his poetry, please check out http://www.literaturnische.de/Trakl/english/index-trakl-e.htm.

Atahualpa Yupanqui - Voces de Oro

The guitar styles of nueva canción would be nothing without this man and his pioneering work.

Atahualpa Yupanqui, born Hector Roberto Chavero, adopted as a political statement the name of one of the last Incas. He spent much of his early life travelling around Argentina, collecting popular songs from intinerant payadores (improvising poets) and folk singers in rural ares.

He wrote his forst song, "Caminito del indio", in 1926, and during a long career introduced a new integrity - and a distinguished playing style - to Argentine folk music. He also introduced an assertive political outlook - his most famous song is "Basta ya!" ("Enough already! that the Yankee tells us what to do") - and was forced into exil in 1932 and 1949, and again in 1967, at which point he moved permanently to Paris.

Tracklist:

los ejes de mi carreta

chacarena del pantano

el arriero

indiecito dormido

a que le llaman distancia

el alazan

luna tucumana

tu que puedes , vuelvete

el arbol que tu olvidaste

el pocas pulgas

ranchito de colalao

caminito espanol

.
.
Atahualpa Yupanqui - Voces de Oro
(256 kbps, cover art included)

The Last Poets - Chastisment (1972)

Along with Gil Scott-Heron, the Last Poets' role in the creation of rap music cannot be overstated, although their 1972 album "Chastisement" also demonstrates that historical importance does not guarantee universal accessibility. Definitely not easy listening in any sense of the term, "Chastisement" presents lengthy diatribes set to stripped-down arrangements of conga, bass, and sax, creating a style which one song title dubs "Jazzoetry."

The Last Poets' Afro-centric themes are often reverse-racist, but there's no denying the power and intelligence behind such material as "Before the White Man Came," which offers this closing glimpse of regretful culpability: "and now it's been 400 years since that eventful day/but if we had known what they had in mind/they all would have died in the bay/so now we are paying for our mistake/with only ourselves to blame/with memories of the good old years/before the white man came." "Black Soldier" assumes a similar position, merging a mock-marching chant with an anti-Vietnam tirade which condemns black servicemen for indirectly assisting white oppressors back home in the ghetto. Alarmingly prophetic, "Black Soldier" simultaneously reviews past civil disturbances and foreshadows those of the future by proclaiming, "their law enforcement will not work/whatever they conspire/will only serve to make us strong/we will fight fire with fire/no that was not a riot/that they saw down in the slums/that was a dress rehearsal/for things that's yet to come."

Far less angry, yet no less compelling, is the musical history lecture entitled "Bird's Word," which traces the development of blues and jazz while mentioning dozens of pioneers including Ma Rainey, Max Roach, Betty Carter, and Sun Ra. The inclusion of a lyric sheet might make "Chastisement" easier for some to digest by reading rather than listening, but such an education would be incomplete without experiencing the passion and fury of the Last Poets' seminal performances.  

Tracklist:

Tribute To Obabi (Ogun) 10:16
Jazzoetry 3:46
Black Soldier 5:56
E Pluribus Unum 4:38
Hands Off 4:05
The Lone Ranger 0:28
Before The White Man Came 3:43
Bird's Word 6:10

The Last Poets - Chastisment (1972)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mau Mau - Kraft (1982)

Mau Mau was a German new wave band formed by ex Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft members Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmanns in autumn 1981. They released one LP ("Kraft"), a follow up album was recorded in late 1982 but remains unreleased.

On "Kraft" the Can-member Jaki Liebezeit plays trumpet on "So weit die Füße tragen" and "MM Dub".

Tracklist:


A1 So weit die Füße tragen
A2 Auf der Jagd
A3 Geradeaus
A4 Alles Lüge
A5 Rhythmus der Trommel
A6 MM Dub

B1 Mau Mau
B2 Abenteuer im All
B3 Kampfjacken
B4 Wie ein Mann (Benimm Dich)
B5 Dondola

Mau Mau - Kraft (1982)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Nina Simone - Pastel Blues (1965)

Pastel Blues is a studio album by Jazz singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone (1933–2003). It was recorded in 1964 and 1965 in New York City and released in 1965 by Philips Records. The name Pastel Blues is somewhat deceiving because the songs on the album incorporate different musical styles besides the blues, such as jazz, soul and folk music.

If this is blues, it's blues in the Billie Holiday sense, not the Muddy Waters one. This is one of Nina Simone's more subdued mid-'60s LPs, putting the emphasis on her piano rather than band arrangements.

It's rather slanted toward torch-blues ballads like "Strange Fruit," "Trouble In Mind," Billie Holiday's own composition "Tell Me More and More and Then Some," and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out."
Simone's then-husband, Andy Stroud, wrote "Be My Husband," an effective adaptation of a traditional blues chant.

By far the most impressive track is her frantic ten-minute rendition of the traditional "Sinnerman," an explosive tour de force that dwarfs everything else on the album.    

Tracklist:

A1	Be My Husband
A2	Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
A3	End Of The Line
A4	Trouble In Mind
A5	Tell Me More And More And Then Some
A6	Chilly Winds Don't Blow
B1	Ain't No Use
B2	Strange Fruit
B3	Sinnerman

Nina Simone - Pastel Blues (1965)
(256 kbps, cover art included)