Good 'Rock,' protest songs?

Subject: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: The Shambles
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 12:55 PM

The very interesting, 'The Best Protests Singers Of The Sixties' thread made me think...... Whether it was good or bad, and as far as the general public was concerned anyway, the 'protest' movement moved in to the 'Rock' field. The nature of 'Rock', being concentrated on 'image' and the 'now', does not usually produce lasting songs.

What 'Rock' songs (if any) from this period have proved memorable? One I would suggest is The Who's (Pete Townsend's), 'We Won't Get Fooled Again.', containing the lines, 'Here comes the old boss, same as the old boss'. Good line that, was it his?

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: wildlone
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 04:38 PM

Jimi Hendrix springs to mind,also Moody Blues not realy rock but some good lyrics.

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: MarkS
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 04:41 PM

Remember "The Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire? That must qualify somewhere. Of course "Give Peace a Chance" by John and Yoko surely must count among the top ten.

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: wildlone
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 04:52 PM

Good news Week: Hedgehoppers Anonymous

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 04:57 PM

You don't get me, I'm part of the Union - the Strawbs...

LTS

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: GUEST,Caitrin
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 08:35 PM

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Find the Cost of Freedom" is one of my favorites. Beautiful harmonies.

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Mbo
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 08:47 PM

The Kinks whole album "Lola Vs. Powerman & The Money-Go-Round" is a protest on everything from welfare lines to music publishers to big business to free speech. Powerful stuff. Also, ELO's "Kuiama" is a beautiful & heart-rending anti-war love song. Oh yeah, I LOVE The Moody Blues, and their song "Question" is a great political song.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: GUEST,ddw
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 09:31 PM

There was a Country Joe and the Fish song that comes to mind, but I don't remember the title.

"And it's one, two, three, what're we fighting for?>br>Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Next stop is Viet-nam
And it's five, six, seven, open up the Pearly Gates.
Ain't no cause to wonder why, whoopee, we're all gonna die."

Maybe somebody can remember the name.

david

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Metchosin
Date: 30 Jan 00 - 09:35 PM

Buffalo Springfield's Stop Hey What's That Sound.. Don't remember the proper title of it,my memory is foggy around that time......

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Grab
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 10:03 AM

Try Don Maclean's 'Regret' - that guy really doesn't like lawyers! Not quite rock, but a bit too fast and rhythmic for trad folk. Add a drummer and you've got a fair rock song on your hands.

Can we mention more recent stuff too? Oh what the hell, I will anyway. Try Garth Brooks's 'We shall be free' is pretty good, although more gospel than rock. It's one of those ones you're sure you've heard before - does anyone know if this is actually written by Brooks, or if he's covering an authentic 60s/70s protest song?

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: sophocleese
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 11:02 AM

I like the Boomtown Rats "I Hate Mondays".

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: GUEST,jane
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 12:37 PM

"Here comes the NEW boss, same as the Old boss!" "Won't Get Fooled Again!" Much like "Same ol' same old" = "No Change Available (from this administration, see clinton)" Remember "Peter Pan & Me?" by Mickey MacConnell? 1969 Belfast protest history, perfect. Sung by his brother Cathal McConnell at Kent State's 1989 Memorial Concerts, hearable at WKSU online. Both Cathal & Mickey have new Cds out. Cathal McConnell's is "Long Expectant Comes at Last," & yes it is!! I don't know what Mickey MacConnell's new CD is called. Cathal told me he'll be in Wisconsin soon to promote. If you hear when/where, won't you let me know? Thanks 2000 times!!

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 01:59 PM

Here's a link to a site about Billy Bragg with lyrics and pictures and that.

Labels don't mean too much, but I think he'd count more as rock/punk than folk. Great singer and great songwriter anyway.

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 02:30 PM

Heavy rock band "Magnum" now defunct did a song that was as good as any anti war song and with lyrics that could have been (but wern't) by Wilfred Owen etc called les Morte d'enfant. Bloody good rock band they were-now called hard rain. There must be quite a good few songs out there, Try Taxman by the Beatles! Eric

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 02:40 PM

Heavy rock band "Magnum" now defunct did a song that was as good as any anti war song and with lyrics that could have been (but wern't) by Wilfred Owen etc called les Morte d'enfant. Bloody good rock band they were-now called hard rain. There must be quite a good few songs out there, Try Taxman by the Beatles! Eric

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 02:46 PM

The Sex Pistols 'God Save The Queen"

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Caitrin
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 04:06 PM

Metchosin, the song title is "For What It's Worth". : )
More good rock protest songs: Charlie Daniels Band: "STill in Saigon", Dave Matthews Band "Too Much", and Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 09:05 PM

Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had a Rocket Launcher"

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Brendy
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 09:18 PM

Steppenwolf's 'Born to be Wild'

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: MarkS
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 09:38 PM

To Guest - DDW - That song was the Draft Dodger Rag - pretty sure!

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Metchosin
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 10:14 PM

Thanks Caitrin, I think I remember all the lyrics so I guess I wasn't really there. :)

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Mbo
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 10:19 PM

How about Creed's "One." That's a good song.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 11:19 PM

Volunteers

What's that happening out in the street?
Got a Revolution!
Hey, I'm dancing down the street
Got a Revolution!
Ain't it amazing all the people I meet
Got a Revolution!
C'mon tell 'em people, now, who are we?
We are Volunteers of America!
Volunteer's of America!

and

All your private property
Is target for your enemy
And your enemy
Is me

and

In loyalty to their kind
They cannot tolerate our minds
In loyalty to our kind
We cannot tolerate their obstruction

Jefferson Airplane The most consistant musical revolutionaries of their time.

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: lamarca
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 11:41 PM

Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Four Dead in Ohio"

Dire Straits' "Money for Nothin'"

The Kinks' "Father Christmas, Bring Me Some Money"

2/3 of Bob Marley's repertoire

The soul/R&B song that started "War!Uh-huh -What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'!"

And I'm with Liz the Squeak; Hudson & Ford's "Union Man" from The Strawbs "Bursting at the Seams" album was a wonderfully nasty piece of satire from the days in England before Iron Maggie busted the unions; here's the lyrics for my fellow Americans who may not have heard The Strawbs (one of my favorite English groups from my college days)

Union Man (to the obvious tune)

Now I'm a union man
Amazed at what I am
I say what I think,
That the company stinks,
Yes, I'm a union man.

When we meet in the local hall
I'll be voting with them all
With a hell of a shout,
It's "Out, brothers, out!"
And the rise of the factories' fall!

Chorus:

You don't get me I'm part of the union,
You don't get me, I'm part of the union,
You don't get me, I'm part of the union,
Til the day I die, until the day I die!

As a union man I'm wise
To the lies of the factory's spies
And I don't get fooled
By the factory rules
'Cause I read between the lines.

And I always get my way
When I strike for higher pay
When I show my card
To the scotland Yard
And this is what I say...

Chorus

Before the Union did appear
My life was half as clear
Now I've got the power
Of the working hour
And every other day of the year.

So though I'm a working man
I can ruin the government's plan
Though I'm not too hard,
Well, the sight of my card
Makes me some kind of Superman!

Chorus

Subject: RE: Good 'Rock,' protest songs?
From: Mbo
Date: 31 Jan 00 - 11:54 PM

Ooh! Forgot about "Volunteers." Kickin' song! WAIT! What about Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic "Fortunate Son"--"Some people are born with star-spangled eyes, and ooh they send you off to war--and when you ask how much you should give, they say more, more, more...."

UH-HUH!

--Mbo