Workers Playtime [Import]

workers playtime [import]

Track Listings

1. Internationale

2. I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night

3. Marching Song Of The Covert Battalions

4. Blake's Jerusalem

5. Nicaragua Nicaraguita

6. Red Flag

7. My Youngest Son Came Home Today

8. Introduction (Live)

9. Help Save The Youth Of America (Live)

10. Think Again (Live)

11. Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (Live)

12. Days Like These (Dc Remix)

13. To Have And To Have Not (Live)

14. There Is Power In A Union (With The Pattersons)

15. Joe Hill (Bonus Track)

16. This Land Is Your Land (Bonus Track)

17. Never Cross A Picket Line (Bonus Track)

18. A Change Is Gonna Come (Bonus Track)

19. A Miner's Life (Bonus Track)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Re-issue with Bonus Tracks.

Internationale,Billy Bragg,Cooking Vinyl,Rock

Workers Playtime [Import]

Average customer rating:

Super Blues!
The Wheel Man, my review from Barcelona
the real deal!

The Wheel Man
Watermelon Slim and the Workers
Manufacturer: Northern Blues
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

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Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Watermelon Slim and the Workers
Up Close & Personal
10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads)/ (CD/DVD)
Old School
Painkiller

ASIN: B000NJKYUE
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Tracks:

The Wheel Man
I've Got News
Black Water
Jimmy Bell
Newspaper Reporter
Drinking & Driving
Fast Eddie
Sawmill Holler
Truck Driving Mama
I Know One
Got Love If You Want It
Rattlesnake
Peaches
Judge Harsh Blues

Amazon.com

This Oklahoma City singer and slide guitarist is at the creative apex of traditional blues. He took the roundabout route to get there--fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, officiating at funerals, and working as a trucker, forklift operator, saw miller, firewood salesman, and collection agent until a near-fatal heart attack compelled him to find his calling as a bandleader in 2002. Slim's fourth album since then is even sharper than 2006's critically heralded breakthrough Watermelon Slim & the Workers. It's a devil's playground for his weathered-oak voice and Delta-fueled six-stringing, full of stories of crime ("The Wheel Man"), lust ("Peaches"), and sin ("Jimmy Bell"). For Slim, that's par for the course, but this time he's drafted Chicago blues stalwart Magic Slim for a terse, burnished solo and vocal turns on the title tune and piano great David Maxwell to make three other numbers sparkle and jump. Yet some of the most compelling songs, like the howling a cappella "Jimmy Bell" and the slide 'n' vocal turn "Judge Harsh Blues" are Watermelon Slim alone. And that's enough. His sound and his soul are packed with true, natural grit. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

Super Blues!.......2007-06-08

This shows that Watermelon can do it all. I love the rocking out, fast tempo songs like "Drinking and Driving", but there is also a harmonica and vocal track, and an old-fashioned holler.
I still think that the more Rock'n'Roll style songs are the greatest.
Just great. You've got to hear it!

The Wheel Man, my review from Barcelona.......2007-05-21

I very much like Watermelon Slim since I heard him in his sensational April 2005 album "Watermelon Slim & the Workers" in which he made an authentic demonstration of how to play Chicago blues with complete respect for the ways of the clasic players. It was simply magnificent. Later I listened to "Up close & Personal", another Slim's acoustic jewel (see my review March 24, 2007 ), and now I have just listened to this CD, which serves me to get confirmation that we are in front of an authentic bluesman with eminent command of both acoustic and electric styles. He's one of the most authentic and original Blues music out there. In this record you can find high level typical electric Blues like "I've got news", " I know one" or "Fast Eddie", phenomenal acoustic Blues "Jimmy Bell" or " Sawmill holler", incredible slow Blues like "Newspaper reporter". In short, great blues stuff. I only can find one shortcoming which is the rock song "Drinking & Driving", this prevents me from grant five stars to the CD, but elesewhere the record gets the quality of a number one. My evaluation is 4,5 stars. Another added value is the very great MAGIC SLIM as the lead guitar in some tunes, fantastic. I recommend it strongly

the real deal!.......2007-04-30

Watermelon Slim and his band, The Workers, are truly the real deal. These guys play blues, rock, and shuffles like they were born to do it. Not a bad song on this disc. No slick production, just a great band playing great music. In a music world of increasing wannabees and looks taking precedent over substance, this band is a breath of fresh air. True lovers of the blues will love this disc. I can't play it enough. Be sure to check out his release from last year as well.

Average customer rating:

Excellent CD by an excellent band
Blues Album of the Year
The Real Deal
A fresh-sounding take on the blues
Excellent!

Watermelon Slim and the Workers
Watermelon Slim & the Workers
Manufacturer: Northern Blues
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

The Wheel Man
Up Close & Personal
Delta Hardware
Do I Move You?
Big Shoes to Fill

ASIN: B000E0LMBC
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Tracks:

Hard Times
Dumpster Blues
Baby Please Don't Go
Devil's Cadillac
Check Writing Woman
Possum Hand
Frisco Line
Ash Tray
Mack Truck
Bad Sinner
Folding Money Blues
Juke Joint Woman
Hard Labor
Eau De Boue

Amazon.com

Bill "Watermelon Slim" Homans sings like a baying basset, drawing the tongue-in-cheek misery of tunes like "Hard Times" and "Check Writing Woman" out in long, dry-mouthed syllables. But it's the slide guitar on this, his third album, that really howls, whether he's playing smooth and shimmery on his original take on the Robert Johnson myth "Devil's Cadillac" or drawing on the ghost of Elmore James on "Hard Labor." That blend of humor--always delivered from a skewed autobiographical perspective--and raw-boned backwoods virtuosity makes this one of the year's more colorful blues albums and should elevate Slim from the genre's underground. And while his backing trio, the Workers, are a crack outfit whose spare accompaniment beautifully frames Slim's laconic musings, the solo "Folding Money Blues"--just Slim moaning along with his acoustic guitar--is a high point, with Slim telling his complaints to all the "dead presidents." He deserves our ears, too. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

Excellent CD by an excellent band.......2007-04-15

I saw these guys live at Legends on a field trip to Chicago...and I was blown away. I'm not your typical blues fan, in fact, I never owned a blues album before this one (I'm more of a metal-head). If you are new to the genre or trying to find something fresh in the blues world, then check out this cd.

Some of my personal favorite songs are "Foldin' Money Blues", "Baby Please Don't Go", and "Bad Sinner". You won't be disappointed with anything on the CD. Watermelon Slim and the Workers really deliver the goods here.

Blues Album of the Year.......2007-01-27

Simply put: This is the best blues album I've heard in years.

Listen to the sound-clips here and check out the free videos on his website. I first heard of Watermelon Slim from hearing/seeing the video of him doing Howlin Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" on his website (somebody recommended I check it out). I was so blown away by what I heard that I immediately got this disc. Very few albums blow me away these days like this one. Amazing blues!

The Real Deal.......2006-10-29

Stunning slide work, great writing and his band rocks...
Okie and proud of it, he writes about what he knows, from
jammin' gears and haulin' garbage to history, woman trouble and
an ecletic list of other topics. Hard to pigeonhole as just a
blues man, his music is totally unpretentious and fresh sounding.
He just doesn't sound quite like anybody else. What a find!

A fresh-sounding take on the blues.......2006-06-21

Bill "Watermelon Slim" Homans sings about misery and treachery, but instead of just going to the well and reroasting the same blues chestnuts he gives the genre a good, swift kick in the rear. "Watermelon Slim and the Workers" is the kind of CD that one should play to a group of friends assembled for a game or cards or dice on the porch. Nobody will know what is playing, but everybody will like this fresh-sounding take on the blues.

Mr. Homans penned most of the tracks here, and he delivers his musical tales in a howl that might raise the hackles on more than a few dogs. His slide and harp playing are on the money, and the Workers, the excellent trio who accompany him, lend plenty of feisty energy to this blues-laden outing. Instead of over-the-top guitar or gutbucket baying, Watermelon Slim and the Workers features crisp arrangements paired with laconic insights instilling new life into a sometimes tired genre.

Excellent!.......2006-05-28

I never heard about Watermelon Slim & the Workers and I bought this CD just for curiosity and for the positive reviews posted below. Thanks guys! One of the best purchase so far in 2006. From start to finish this is an excellent blues album played with feeling and a great respect for the masters of the past. You could define this album as a traditional blues one with a modern twist. To me sometimes it sounds like the great Muddy Waters was back again playing his music. Very solid and tight band, excellent slide guitar playing however it is Mr. Slim singing that deserves a particular mention. His voice is just perfect for the gender and his performance is constantly strong. Really recommended to all the blues lovers.

Average customer rating:

An aural treat for lovers of vocal music
Enchanting
If Angels Ever Recorded A CD
another exquisite performance
Anonymous, but in no way generic

A Portrait Of Anonymous 4
Anonymous , Hildegard of Bingen , and Anonymous 4
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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American Angels
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1000: A Mass for the End of Time / Anonymous 4
The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen
Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols - Anonymous 4 with Andrew Lawrence-King

ASIN: B0000007HW
Release Date: 1997-04-10

Tracks:

Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Venite omnes cristicole
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Ad superni regis decus
Miracles Of Sant'Iago: Music From The Codex Calixtinus: Portum in ultimo
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: O Maria stella maris
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stabat iuxta Christi crucem
The Lily & The Lamb: Chant & Polyphony From Medieval England: Stillat in stellam radium
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Primo tempore alleviata
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Speciosus forma
A Star In The East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music: Mi Atyank Atya Isten
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Puisque bele dame m'eime - Flos Filius
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Ne sai, que je die - Iohanne
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Amor potest conqueri - Ad amorem sequitur
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: Quant yver la bise ameine - In Seculum
Love's Illusion: Music From The Montpellier Codex: On doit fin(e) Amor - La Biaute - In Seculum
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Edi beo thu hevene quene
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Ave maris stella
An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant & Polyphony: Salve virgo virginum
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ther Is No Rose Of swych vertu
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Prolis eterne genitor - psallat mater gracie
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets: Ecce quod natura
Spiritui sancto

Amazon.com

This sampler album of excerpts from seven other Anonymous 4 releases is a good introduction for anyone who is unacquainted with the A4's startlingly pure singing and virtually celestial blend. But if you fall under the spell of this outstanding a capella quartet, the present disc will become extraneous because you'll want to own the complete recordings from which it's drawn. If you prefer complete works to samplers, try taking the plunge with "An English Ladymass" or "On Yoolis Night." --Sarah Bryan Miller

Customer Reviews:

An aural treat for lovers of vocal music.......2007-04-14

If you love vocal music these gals are fabulous! This is a best of album, which is always good as an introduction to a new artist. It gives you a taste of their various albums, so you can go ahead and pursue the ones you like. Enjoy!

Enchanting.......2007-01-10

If you enjoy music that takes you to a different time and place, you will get lost in time with this beautiful work.

If Angels Ever Recorded A CD.......2006-03-16

Four female voices have never blended together so perfectly and beautifully as do those of the 'Anonymous 4.' Their CD titled, 'Portrait' contains a selection of tracks from seven other previous CD's, kind of a "Best Of" you might say.

If angels ever came down from heaven to record a CD this is what they would sound like.

Harmonious, Celestial, Purifying and Eternal.

another exquisite performance.......2006-02-27

This amazing quartette is so talented. The Christmas cd reminds me of Christmas 50 years ago in rural England where I grew up. It contains the only rendition of The Holly and the Ivy I have heard that actually does the carol justice.

Anonymous, but in no way generic.......2001-02-04

I learned about this quartet though a review in Stereophile magazine. Although they don't publish a lot of reviews, I've had exceptionally good luck with their past picks and have been able to branch out successfully in new musical directions as a result.

These four women are virtuoso female vocalists, hauntingly pure of voice. They perform music from centuries ago in the same type of setting that it was originally performed in, with stunning results. I'm generally not one for "religious" material (this is the first recording of this nature I've ever bought), but this music goes so far back in time that it sounds more primal than Christian overall.

Tracks:

She's Got A New Spell
Must Paint You A Picture
Tender Comrade
The Price I Pay
Little Time Bomb
Rotting On Remand
Valentime's Day Is Over
Life With The Lions
The Only One
The Short Answer
Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards

Amazon.com

Even as a very young man, Billy Bragg tempered his socialist politics with songs about affairs of the heart, a combination that's served him well. But no matter how lovey-dovey he may croon, Bragg can't help but rail at oppression in its many manifestations. On Worker's Playtime, producer Joe Boyd (Fairport Convention, Nick Drake) frames Bragg's ragged voice with sympathetic folk-rock arrangements. But the real strength of this 1988 collection lies in Bragg's songwriting. The album may boast the pedantic "Capitalism Is Killing Music," but Bragg's sense of humor is in evidence throughout. "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" mixes Mao with Mott the Hoople, while the heart-stopping sincerity of "The Short Answer" suffers not a whit for bringing up Karl Marx. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

elektra.......2006-01-27

My favorite thing about this album was that they sent out a "Capitalism is Killing Music" promotional coffee mug to the music director at my college radio station...I would kill for that mug today.

Billy Bragg at his best.......2005-10-12

I would never have thought politics and love could go so well together. On this album, every song is political, yet every song is a love song, and the politics and love seem completely inseperable. The words are always great--Billy Bragg's best--and the music always serves to make the words even more powerful. You can hate Billy Bragg's politics, but if you've ever been in love or wanted to be, you still find something for yourself here. "Worker's Playtime" was recorded in the 1980s, yet it still sounds fresh and timeless. It's better than anything Billy Bragg's done in the last ten years (though that's not saying that much) and possibly better than any of his other albums.
"She's Got A New Spell" rocks out jangling, with citar, even. "Must I Paint You A Picture?" uses a female vocalist to tell about a decaying relationship, and then declares, "This would never happen, if we lived by the sea." "The Price I Pay" is one of the best piano love songs ever, full of regret and sad hope. And "Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards" is about as good as songs get, building into an anthem, a collectivist anthem embraceable by anyone who's ever hoped for change. "Here comes the future / And you can't run from it / If you've got a blacklist / I want to be on it!"
This is a great album. It will always remind me of my older brother who first introduced me to (good) popular music, and it will always remind me of what Billy Bragg is capable of. (Now if someone would just remind Billy....)

When Billy Was Great. .......2005-06-29

What to say about Workers Playtime? Listening to it is like going back to college and reliving your youth. I'm sure Mr. Bragg feels the same way about it. It's only 11 songs long but it's impossible to think that the music could be much better.

On this album, the master of urban folk created melodies concerning politics and love that are as outstanding as anything found in his oeuvre. "Waiting For The Great Leap Forward" needs little explanation but the tune includes lyrical nuggets like "the revolution is just a t-shirt away." Honestly, there's not a bad song on the CD even though I didn't like the a cappella, "Tender Comrade," at first. Now it goes down like Chimay Ale.

Even though I bought my copy about 15 years ago, I still sing along to the tracks when they play. Workers Playtime is an inspired mix of rock, folk, and late eighties pop. What a combination. It begins with the earnest joy of "She's got a New Spell," which is the perfect tune with which to introduce friends to Billy Bragg. Its lyrics are original and you cannot sit still while listening to it. "Must I Paint You a Picture" and "The Price I Pay" are both intense and passionate. They also showcase his complexity as a lyricist. Personally, I spent years laughing about the line, "I hate the a--hole I become when I'm with you," in "Life with the Lions." The sentiment is quite accurate about many a relationship.

As for the album's zenieth, I would have to say that "The Only One" is right up there with "St. Swithins Day," as Billy's most beautiful love song ever. It'll haunt you for life; just like the rest of this release.

An album I can't live without ..........2005-06-18

Long before I hunkered down in a small Chicago club to hear Billy's cockney crooning "Ingrid Bergman" through a fine Wilco cheesecloth, I was won over by THIS album. (Yeah, they're still albums to me.) It's just ... it's one of 5 I'd take to a deserted island. There's no dross in the mix; it's all shiny. And strong. And witty like Elvis C. Romance and politics in an eminently charming salad, fresh from the Garden, good AND good for you. Just try to resist it.

Amazing!.......2002-10-06

This CD is absolutely flawless. Every song is passionate, beautiful and truthful. I never ever get tired of listening to it. Definitely one of the very best CDs I have evr owned. Billy Bragg is unique and outstanding. This is by far my favorite album of his.

Average customer rating:

Ode of an Old Wobblie
In A Wobbly's Living Room
quit whining and listen...
Inspired by adversity.
The soul of working people

Fellow Workers
Ani DiFranco , and Utah Phillips
Manufacturer: Righteous Babe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Past Didn't Go Anywhere
Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World
Don't Mourn - Organize!: Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill
We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years
Imperfectly

ASIN: B00000IWML
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Joe Hill (Instrumental)
Stupid's Song
The Most Dangerous Woman
Stupid's Pledge
Direct Action
Pie In The Sky
Shoot Or Stab Them
Lawrence
Bread And Roses
Why Come?
Unless You Are Free
I will Not Obey
The Long Memory
The Silence That Is Me
Joe Hill
The Saw-Playing Musician
Dump The Bosses
The Internationale

Amazon.com

Following their successful 1996 The Past Didn't Go Anywhere collaboration, anticorporate folksinger Ani DiFranco and vagabond historian-storyteller Utah Phillips gather for another rousing round, though Fellow Workers is a looser, funkier, more acoustic affair than its predecessor. These sessions step lively: the performers burst into seemingly spontaneous applause, cheers, and laughter. Phillips honors civil disobedience, leftist matriarch Mother Jones, and the complex feelings entwined with the promise of a better America. The album's core lies where "The Long Memory"'s soulful organ, bass, and trumpet flow into the powerful "The Silence That Is Me." DiFranco and band provide mellow fingerpicking, shattered beats, hopped-up Wurlitzer, and bass-heavy funk, beautifully complementing Phillips's wry tales and paying homage to the invaluable oral tradition. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews:

Ode of an Old Wobblie.......2006-03-20

This review was originally written as a commentary on Utah Phillip's Songbook- Starlight on the Trial issued in 2005. Looking it over I believe that the comments can be applied to this CD as well, obviously noting the differences in format. Utah has been consistent throughout his career in both the kind of songs he writes and sings about. He has also maintained his same basic political philosophy so my comments about our political differences also apply. Nevertheless, treasure any CD of his you can get your hands on.

The political consciousness developed in my youth coincided with an expansion of my musical tastes under the influence of the great blues and folk revivals of the 1960's. Unfortunately my exposure to the blues greats was mainly on records as many of them had been forgotten, retired or were dead. Not so with the folk revival this was created mainly by those who were close contemporaries. Alas, they too are now mainly forgotten, retired or dead. It therefore is with special pleasure that I review Utah Phillips Songbook while he is very much alive.

Many of the folksingers of the 1960 have attempted to use their music to become troubadours for social change. The most famous example, the early Bob Dylan, can be fairly described as the voice of his generation at that time. However, he fairly quickly moved on to other concepts of himself and his music. Bob Dylan's work became more informed by the influences of Rimbaud and Verlaine and the French Symbolists of the late 1800's and thus moved away to a more urban, sophisticated vision. From the start and consistently throughout his long career Utah has acted as a medium giving voice to the troubles of ordinary people and the simpler ethos of a more rural, Western-oriented gone by day in the American experience. He evokes in song the spirit of the people Walt Whitman paid homage to in poetic form and John Dos Passos and John Steinbeck gave in prose. He sits conformably in that very fast company. Utah Phillips can justly claim the title of a people's troubadour.

A word about politics. Generally, one rates music without reference to politics. However, Utah has introduced the political element by the way he structured the Songbook. Each song is introduced by him as to its significance heavily weighted to his political experiences, observations and vision. Thus, political comment is fairly in play here. Utah is a long time anarchist and unrepentant supporter of the Wobblies (International Workers of the World, hereafter IWW). Every militant cherishes the memory of the class battles led by the IWW like the famous Lawrence strike of 1912 and honors the heroes of those battles like Big Bill Haywood and Vincent St. John and the militants they recruited to the cause of the working class in the first part of the 20th century. They paved the way for the later successful organization drives of the 1930's.

Nevertheless, while Utah and I would both most definitely agree that some old-fashioned class struggle by working people in today's one-sided class war would be a very good thing we as definitely differ on the way to insure a permanent victory for working people in order to create a decent society. In short, Utah's prescriptions of good moral character, increased self-knowledge and the creation of small intentional communities are not enough. Under modern conditions it is necessary to take and safeguard political power against those who would quite consciously deny that victory. History has been cruel in some of the bitter lessons working people have had to endure for not dealing with the question of taking state power to protect their interests. But, enough said. I am more than willing to forgive the old curmudgeon his anarchist sins if he'll sing `I Remember Loving You' the next time he tours the Boston area.

In A Wobbly's Living Room.......2004-06-17

I come to you not as a member of Ani's Army, but as an appreciative listener to Utah Phillips for maybe fifteen years. It was for that reason that I bought this CD--at a Utah show--and it is on that basis that I review it. For anyone who has seen Utah live ("and it comes to us highly recommended"), most of the usual cast of Labor characters can be found here: Stupid, Herb Edwards, Mother Jones, and of course Joe Hill. Indeed what is mostly captured on Fellow Workers is classic, colorful Wobbly Utah. On that basis alone, this CD is worth the time; collected here are many of the tales and simple songs that make up his off-kilter Union repertoire. THAT is what makes it a good listen, perhaps even a necessary listen, as Utah regales us with the stories of "those extraordinary lives that can never be lived again."

So what does Ani DiFranco bring? Aurally speaking, a band and production chops. Wisely she keeps that as a backdrop to Utah's words. Except for a few instrumental pieces, the band simply gives Utah a sort of funky, acoustic groove to rap over. This is the capturing of a live show (in New Orleans), and Ani has mostly downplayed studio trickery to keep the intimate, living room feel of the concert. But, of course, what Ani really brings is her Army. And the real purpose is to introduce Ani's followers to a man who is now an elder statesman of Direct Action. I already knew about Utah, and I already knew how to sing "Pie in the Sky." For me, and for fans of Utah, this album works because Utah is up front and in good form; it's an "Essential Recording" for Utah, if not necessarily Ani. For the Army...welcome to the history we were never taught. Take a seat and pay attention.

quit whining and listen..........2003-11-21

i just got through reading all of these reviews on this album and i must say we have a lot of whining here, a waste of money,too much talking, not enough ani, blah blah blah. first of all, it is a 13 dollar c.d. get over it. go sell it to a music store that buys c.d's. i am sure they would give you at least 4-5 bucks for it, so your only out like 8 or 9 dollars. i am sure you have spent more at mcdonalds. or on a pair of nikes. now what i percieve this collaboration to be is ed-u-cation-al. do u know what that is? this c.d. is a well established musician helping another well established musician get a point across. realize the importance of labor unions and pay homage to the past labor heroes who gave us what we have now, labor laws, if it weren't for them we would be working as soon as we could walk. quit worrying about how many times you heard ani and concentrate on what the artists are trying to teach you. in order to understand you must first examine, so try to examine these two brilliant musicians so you may better understand them and their messages.

Inspired by adversity........2003-07-09

Ani DiFranco is the name that will get copies of Fellow Workers into people's homes and into their stereos. But it's Utah Phillips, her grizzled partner on this album, who will keep the CD playing.

Fellow Workers isn't an album of alternative rock or folk pop by any stretch. Rather, it's a musical stage on which Phillips tells stories of the American workers' plight and their struggle for rights as the nation developed. And it's a bloody powerful tale he tells, shot through with hardship and death, corruption and plain dirty dealing, and the indomitable spirits of the American men and women who refused to bow down and take less than they deserved.

Some he tells in straight storyteller fashion, with DiFranco and Phillip's Mensabilly Band providing a musical backdrop. Others he sings, sometimes alone, sometimes with a harmonic accompaniment by DiFranco and others in the band. Believe me, when Phillips first opened his mouth for a sing-songy chant called "Stupid's Song," I was prepared to dislike this album immensely. But then he launched into the story of Mother Mary Harris Jones, the miners' friend, who at age 83 was labeled by President Theodore Roosevelt "the most dangerous woman in America" -- a fiesty champion of underground workers across the country, driving scabs from the coal pits with a broom and singlehandedly facing down a militia.

And I was hooked.

The soul of working people.......2003-05-22

I really love this collection. Sure, it doesn't have a slick, polished studio sound. It sounds like real people making real music and telling real stories in the front parlor. This is what real people sound like- before the technicians and marketing people suck out the soul and turn them into a mass product.

These are some great old union songs combined with a bit of labor history in between. Yet this isn't dead and sterile history, for nothing could be more timely in today's world. In fact, this is one reason why I'm glad that Utah's voice isn't more polished- it doesn't distract from the lyrics and the message. And the message is that it is the workers that actually make this society run, we have the actual power, and the bosses don't give you anything out of the goodness of their hearts! You have to fight for it! You have to organise to get it! That was true a hundred years ago and it is just as true today.

In a time when workers are constantly being brainwashed by the corporate and political powers-that-be into thinking that they are disposable "losers" and paracites, it is refreshing to be reminded that it is the bosses that are the real disposable paracites. They live off our labor- sing it out! They are nothing without us- or without the workers in the foriegn countries where they are shipping our jobs.

This isn't simple minded nostalgia. It is deep rooted truth. This is an intelligent piece of work (Utah's back up is the Mensabilly band- like the High IQ society.)

Tracks:

Calling All Workers
The Haunted Ballroom
Vanity Fair
Jumping Bean
Destiny
The Boulevardier
Pas De Quatre
The Watermill
The Devil's Galop
Dusk
Puffin' Billy
Bells Across The Meadows
The Old Clockmaker
Dreaming
Elizabethan Serenade
Coronation Scot
Nights Of Gladness

Customer Reviews:

Many middlebrow masterworks in the mix.......2002-06-09

Eric Coates' "Calling All Workers" and Edward White's "Puffin' Billy" (used as Captain Kangaroo's theme music!) are the two main reasons to buy this first-rate CD. The former work, from 1940, is an elegantly rousing and structurally flawless march in symmetrical binary form, with the second section making its final appearance in augmentation, the note values doubled for wonderful dramatic effect. Such by-the-book perfection is news when encountered in Mozart or Beethoven, and it should be given its due here. The equally effective "Puffin' Billy" is breezily structured by comparison, with a minimum of thematic material transformed through theme and variation and frequent modulations into a charming and satisfyingly complete train journey. The piece is repetitious as can be, but it doesn't sound that way, and therein lies the miracle of its composition. These two works steal the CD, hands-down.

But there are several close seconds, including the marvelous, Satie-worthy "The Boulevardier," and "The Haunted Ballroom," a piece that evokes the title in a way that is almost spooky. And there's a corny but lovely piece by Albert ("In a Persian Market") Ketelbey called "Bells Across the Meadows." Ketelbey cunningly and cleverly suggests the bells of the title through the subtlest of means--namely, bells sounding in the distance. Across the meadows, almost. But the music works, and that's all that matters.

Fills a need for many music collections ..........2000-11-09

Intelligent, entertaining light orchestra music is something I find fills a great space in my collection. It's perfect for those days you just don't feel up to Mahler or Wagner, but still want some music in your life. This excellent first volume in one of Hyperion's most popular series is a great way to get started.

All of the tunes on this generously-filled CD are written by British masters of light music and played with fizzing energy and a sense of fun by Ronald Corp and his fine orchestra. No piece outstays its welcome and some may be familiar to you -- especially "Puffin' Billy," which was used as the theme for the old Captain Kangaroo children's show! Many are probably very familiar to British listeners, having been used as openers for popular BBC radio and TV shows over the years.

Tuneful and entertaining, this CD is a great find and could become one of your favorites. Give it a chance -- like me, you may find yourself hunting after others in the series: British Light Music Classics 2 and 3, American Light Music Classics, and European Light Music Classics.

British music we don't hear enough of.......2000-11-07

This CD brings a smile to my face. Vanity Fair and the Boulevardier will make you light on your feet. Dusk is another beauty. The CD is full of wonderful, clever music. I'm looking forward to getting CDs 2 and 3. The music may have been around for a while but it is a fresh as ever.

Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World

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Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Flying Fish Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Don't Mourn - Organize!: Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill
We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years
Fellow Workers
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ASIN: B000000MNA
Release Date: 1993-09-01

Tracks:

Preamble To The IWW Constitution - Utah Phillips
The Organizer - Jeff Cahill, Mark Ross
Little Red Hen - Faith Petric
Which Side Are You On - Bob Bovee
The Two Bums - Utah Phillips
Banks Of Marble - Fred Holstien
Put It On The Ground - Marion Wade
The Popular Wobbly - Eric Glatz
Song Of The Rail - Mark Ross
Hold The Fort - Bruce Brackney
We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years - Bruce Brackney
Ain't Done Nothing If You Ain't Been Called A Red - Faith Petric, Mark Ross
Hallelujah I'm A Bum - Bob Bovee
The Boss - Utah Phillips
The Preacher & The Slave - Jeff Cahill, Mark Ross, Robin Oye
Mysteries Of A Hobo's Life - Mark Ross
Stung Right - Fred Holstein
Joe Hill's Last Will - Kathy Taylor, Robin Oye
Mr. Block - Utah Phillips, Mark Ross
Power In The Union - Utah Phillips, Marion Wade, Bob Bovee, Bruce Brackney,Faith Petric, Jeff Cahill, J.B. Freeman...

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