Castaway folk (2): political song

For the second of Salut! Live's selections of 10 records for its desert island exile, I have chosen some political songs that have given me particular pleasure.

The idea occurred as I read contributions to a thread at the Mudcat site that began with a request for the guitar chords to Leon Rosselson's outstanding Song of the Old Communist, which naturally wins a place here (as does Oysterband's version of his World Turned Upside Down.

There are omissions, mostly to do with my present out-of-a-suitcase life in the Gulf.

Robb Johnson, Martin Carthy and others should be in there somewhere, plenty more Rosselson songs deserve to be highlighted and American protest ought to be represented. So it is likely that further lists of political songs will appear in due course.

Inclusion of a song does not necessarily mean that I agree with all, most or indeed any of its sentiments. I am able to appreciate lyrics by Left-wing writers even when they are clearly some way to my own Left.

However, I am not sure I could be as open-minded if the Right had lots of its own songs. In one of my earliest columns of folk album reviews for the Daily Telegraph, probably 18 years or so ago, I recalled that the actress Susan Penhaligon had once said she was reduced to a state of disbelief by the discovery that the man next door, who played sublime guitar, was a Tory. She could not reconcile the two aspects of his life, and I must confess that it was easy to see what she meant.

Song of the Old Communist................Leon Rosselson

Farewell Johnny Miner ................................Bob Fox

Sanctuary.........................................Janet Russell

Scapegoats.......................................Christy Moore

Between the Wars..............................Billy Bragg

Country Life.......................................Show of Hands

A Place Called England....................... Maggie Holland

Parcel of Rogues..........................................Dick Gaughan

World Turned Upside Down............................Oysterband

Speech to Parliament.....Tony Benn & The Grimethorpe Colliery Band

* See my introductory list of Castaway Folk

Comments

[Andrew Curry]

Colin,

A great list - but no space for Robert Wyatt (surely a folk singer in spirit if not completely in sound) or anything from either of the two collaborations between Utah Phillips and Ani di Franco ("this is a folk song ... and you are the folk")?

Best wishes

Andrew (crossing over from the blackcats list)