Songs about San Francisco 1906 earthquake

Subject: RE: Songs about San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: GUEST,victoria varga
Date: 24 Oct 15 - 12:10 PM

I remember a really driving song that had the line: "8.2 on the Richter Scale" but I can't find it anywhere.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: radriano
Date: 20 Apr 01 - 05:11 PM

Right, M Ted, it is a bit confusing but here's how it works. If an official map doesn't exist for an area yet then no disclosure need be made. As I mentioned in my post the Seismic Hazard Maps are new. As funding comes in more areas will be zoned. The idea is to mitigate future geologic disasters. As a result of the Loma Prieta earthquake, much of the Marina district in San Francisco suffered heavy damage, much of which was due to liquefaction.


Richard

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Chicken Charlie
Date: 20 Apr 01 - 02:24 PM

Richard--Good site! (Doesn't have to do a whole lot with folk music, but as I pretend to work as an archivist, it fits right in.)

Everybody else: OK, OK, so it's "Born on the Fault Line," not "Livin'..." and I'm still looking for better descrip.....

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Apr 01 - 01:10 PM

Bruce, I'll bet you were near Hollister, which is South of San Jose, on California State Highway 25, and from what I remember, is hit by more earthquakes than any other town in California.

Radiano, I am curious as to how people can comply with the California Law requiring that they disclose that they are in a Seismic Hazard Zone when Geologists have not yet completed mapping out the Seismic Hazard Zones?

Does anyone know if there were broadside songs from the time?

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: LR Mole
Date: 20 Apr 01 - 12:23 PM

I remember Mama Cass singing"California Earthquake" on the old Smothers Brothers show (They say that the fault line/runs right through here...) "Livin On the Fault Line" is latter-day Doobie brothers. Let us not conjure this up, folks.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: radriano
Date: 20 Apr 01 - 12:04 PM

Well, Chicken Charlie, I guess it's only fair play when I think of all of the bad puns that I have inflicted on others.

The California Division of Mines and Geology offers many resources concerning geologic hazards. Check out our website:

California Division of Mines & Geology

Many people confuse us with the U.S. Geological Survey which is run by the federal government and deals with all states. Of course there is some overlap between their work and ours.

We publish many kinds of maps including the Fault Activity Map of California and the Geologic Map of California as well as reports on all aspects of California geology.

With specific respect to geologic hazards we make two kinds of official maps. One is the Earthquake Fault Zone map which shows the precise location of major active faults. The other is a newer series called Seismic Hazard Zone Maps which show areas prone to liquefaction or earthquake induced landslides. Both of these kinds of maps are at a scale that shows individual streets (1:24000 scale). If you are buying (or selling) property in California disclosure of the property being in an Earthquake Fault Zone or a Seismic Hazard Zone is a legal obligation.

Most of the Seismic Hazard Zone maps available are for Southern California. The only areas zoned so far for Northern California are the City and County of San Franciso, the City of Oakland, and parts of San Jose. A team of geologist has been assembled to produce more maps for Northern California and are currently working in Santa Clara County.


Richard

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: raredance
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 08:42 PM

California Earthquake (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On)

Lyrics: Rodney Crowell
Music: Rodney Crowell

There was a California earthquake, in the year of '83
It shook the living daylights out of the Owens County Seat
Not a building still left standing when the dust had cleared away
Just a rumble in the distance all the way to San Andrea

Oh Sherman Buck was driving his old mule into town
When a big one came and shook so hard, that it knocked him to the ground
Lord there opened up a hole so big, he thought his time was up
And it swallowed up that poor old mule and it just missed Sherman Buck

Chorus
California earthquake you just don't know what you've done
We may fall off in the ocean, but you'll never make us run
You're a partner to the devil, but we ain't afraid of him
We'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

Then came the quake of '99 that levelled Mission Creek
The earth was like an ocean churning, with waves of twenty feet
Lord it sounded like a thousand trains were screaming underground
Clean across to San Joachim, they heard that mournful sound
[chorus]

Then came one day the holocaust on San Franciso Bay
[Ninety] miles of walls came down like old Jericho that day
Might near everything the earthquake missed, a holy fire consumed
Just left 'em Holy Smoke and Ashes,what's a dream that can't be ruined
[chorus]

Build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

Recordings:
The Rodney Crowell version was on his LP "Ain't Living Long Like This" [WB BSK-3228] which has never been reissued on CD.
Seldom Scene (with Linda Ronstadt singing harmony vocals) is on "New Seldom Scene Album" [REBEL CD-1561].

rich r

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Chicken Charlie
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 08:26 PM

Richard--does that mean it was all your FAULT??

There is an interestingly scored contemporary song called "Livin' on the Fault Line," which is not directly tied to Frisco in ought-six, but is mentally and musically interesting; I'll try to research singer & get back.

McPhee's book has good info. I just wish he didn't write so stream-of-consciousness. I don't give a rat's whether he was wearing cords or denims when he crossed the divide; but then, I'm not a Pepsi generation type dude.

"Put the Blame on Mame" would have a line or two about '06, but not the whole song.

Chicken Late-for-Dinner-Gotta-Go Charlie

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 08:06 PM

John McPhee is the author of the book "Assembling California" which I mentioned earlier. He really give you an idea of how young the Earth as we know it is and how it continues to change. And, as I said before, a second by second recount of what happened in the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Bat Goddess

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 01:22 PM

There's a road out of San Jose, CA going south that my sister took me on. It's got to be patched at one place about every two months. That's where the road crosses the San Andreas fault, and the north and south parts of the road keep slipping sideways.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Amergin
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 01:13 PM

Oh, Mrrzy....here's a hug for you....

(((((((((((((((Mrrzy)))))))))))))))))

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 01:09 PM

My dad was on a homestead in the Dakotas at the time. He said that even the Northern Pacific had several long trains everyday carrying stuff to rebuild SF. That went via Seattle, then south. I can't imagine what the UP and SP lines looked like.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Fiolar
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 11:44 AM

To Mrrzy: My condolences on the death of your father. I think the singer you are thinking about is John Hartford. Several artists have recorded "Gentle on My Mind" but as far as I am aware only John has recorded both.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Mrrzy
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 11:04 AM

The 18th is also the anniversary of the first bombing of the Beirut Embassy which killed my father. I've wondered ever since if the 1906 earthquake wasn't some kind of terrible shock running backwards through time...

And I had California Earthquake by whatever his name was, he did Gentle on my Mind, and Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation... and I really thought it was about that earthquake... who WAS he?

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 11:00 AM

Just came back from visiting my "baby" sister who sits square on the Hayward Fault in San Leandro. The Bay area is magnificent! And as long as you're not living on filled ground, I don't think living astride an active fault is any more dangerous than living in tornado alley or in the path of annual hurricanes, flooding, forest/brush fires, or mud slides.

A good book to check out is "Assembling California", the name of the author escapes me (I'll post it later). Geology written in a very entertaining way (originally published in sections in The New Yorker). He gives a second by second account of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Fascinating!

Bat Goddess

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: radriano
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 10:47 AM

This is facinating. I wasn't aware there were any songs about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

I know many people refer to the 1989 event as the San Francisco earthquake but that is quite incorrect. It was the Loma Prieta earthquake and it was centered in Santa Cruz. I happen to work for the California Division of Mines and Geology which is the State Geological Survey.

Richard

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Midchuck
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 10:19 AM

The Seldom Scene have a song called "California Earthquake" which is on "The New Seldom Scene Album" (Rebel C-1561). It's about 3 different earthquakes, of which the 1906 one was the third. No author is given.

I think there's a vocal above John Duffey's line, which shouldn't be humanly possible, which might be Linda Ronstatd.

Peter.

Subject: RE: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: MMario
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 09:58 AM

well - there is this one

Subject: San Francisco 1906 earthquake
From: Fiolar
Date: 19 Apr 01 - 09:32 AM

Today April 18th is the 85th anniversary of the earthquake which partially destroyed San Francisco in 1906. Has there been any ballads commemorating the event?