Where are all the protest songs?

Originally posted by EverythingYouDespise

Originally posted by jimbo999
Has anyone ever listened to The Clash? The Sex Pistols? How about Sham 69? The Avengers? The Dils? DOA? The Tom Robinson Band? Maybe Stiff Little Fingers or Crass??

The late 70's till late 80's were the most prolific period of protest song writing ever to be wittnessed. Made the Dylan era look decidedly tame in cmparison

Protest music is out there still - but you gotta get off your butt and look for it...

J.

I'm pretty sure those bands have all disbanded by now (unless you count the Pistols silly reunion shows) and a lot of the punk from that era wasn't exactly protesting against anything in particular. They were just being rebellious.

I disagree. That's the way the UK media tried to present it at the time though - I'm assuming your from the UK right? The Clash? SLF? Crass? Not protesting anything?? I think you'd better tell them that, they need to know about this new revelation

J.

[edit on 8-5-2008 by jimbo999]

reply to post by jimbo999


Ahh yes I just love the way people think that all punk rock is, is being rebellious. Punk bands are the most politically driven bands out there.

reply to post by kbgunn


Chicken Little invented 'The Second Coming' didn't he?? I'm sure that was the guy.

Sorry but the 'solar' theory went out the window a few weeks back. Google it.

Say, these are incredibly right-wing statements for a thread on 'Protests Songs' ain't they? Are you sure your on the right thread??

J.

Originally posted by theendisnear69
reply to post by jimbo999

 

Ahh yes I just love the way people think that all punk rock is, is being rebellious. Punk bands are the most politically driven bands out there.

Agreed. Anyone wanna post 'The Callup' video by the Clash here - or perhaps 'Washington Bullets' and try and tell me they are not political protest songs??

I'd LOVE to hear that argument!!
J.

Wanna hear real protest music?? Anyone ever hear of 'Pirate Radio'?? There were major pirate stations all over europe in the 70's. With todays technology, it would be a 1000 times easier and cheaper....

"This Is Radio Clash - On Pirate Satelite"!!

Heh

J.

I was thinking something along these lines the other day when I heard Edwin Collins on the radio "too many protest singers. Not enough protest songs"

All the decent protest singers are either to old/stoned (Bob Dylan) or dead (John Lennon / Frank Zappa) I know FZ is not your traditional protest singer but was able to get alot of attention. It would be very interesting to see what they would have to say should they be alive now....

The younger bands of today are too much into themselves and may write something edgy for the sake of contoversy or to impress fans but the feeling and sincerity of days gone by is just not there.

Very simple. No draft.....no songs. Funny thing is they know it too. It was important that we have an all volunteer force.

See why it was so important...no one cares...no one cares...all volunteers and lot's of technologie plus dumb volunteers equals no resistance...

I feel bad for the grunts that wanted to go to college...im a po boy 2.

Sorry guys just trying to figure out how to post youtube links??? The clip i tried to post is called "Tell the Truth" by Immortal Technique, Mos Def, Jadakiss and Eminem, check it and let me know what you don't agree with, peace

reply to post by Karlhungis


Most music is going Indy.

My favorite protest song is from one of my favorite bands ever, Jimmy's Chicken Shack's new album, Fail on Cue:

Caught Down

i'm caught in a bad situation
there's just no way to get out
we keep on pushing but we don't know how to kill this
and now it seems we'll never find a way out

the birth and the death of a nation
there's just no easy way out
we keep on killing but we know we'll never cure this
another nightmare gets it's chance to play out

like a mock wave
about shoulder high
but we haven't begun to feel that

pain is real in their eyes
they are ordinary men who cheat
hate steal kill and lie in your face

blame is fear undenied
extra ordinary men don't cheat
hate steal kill and lie to your face

like a shock wave that noone survives
we haven't begun to deal so

why would we waste time in this place
what will it take 'til we get what we deserve
lies can't erase lives you've displaced
if there's a god then you'll get what you deserve

caught down in a bad situation
and there's no way to get out
another prophet that we know will not fulfill us
and now his fantasy is sure to play out

dead born in the wrong generation
won't take the simple way out
why fight when we know it's
predestined for us to blow this

with a mock wave ten thousand stories high
that in time will reveal it's self

in a shock wave that noone survives
we haven't begun to heal so

why do we waste time in this place
what will it take 'til we get what we deserve
lies can't erase the lives you've displaced
if there's a god then you'll get what you deserve

argue your case and attempt to save face
while redefining the oath you claim to serve
history erased will be your saving grace
my only hope is one day you'll get yours


You can listen to this song on their MySpace page.

Also, alot of Metal bands such as Otep have some really good protest songs. Music is alive and well... and they are definitly protesting. I don't think I've heard a new album come out that doesn't have at least one protest type song on it... at least not the music I listen to (I tend to shy away from big label bands, except for a few...)

Originally posted by Leo Strauss
Very simple. No draft.....no songs. Funny thing is they know it too. It was important that we have an all volunteer force.

See why it was so important...no one cares...no one cares...all volunteers and lot's of technologie plus dumb volunteers equals no resistance...

I feel bad for the grunts that wanted to go to college...im a po boy 2.

I think that you could be right. I think that the lack of a draft really is what is keeping the social unrest in check right now. I think a lot of the youth still feel detached from the war but I would expect a draft to set them off like a powder keg.

Side note, thanks to the mods for keeping this in ATS. I think it is a valid topic and there are some good responses. Thanks to everyone for their contributions.

Originally posted by Karlhungis
Am I just old and out of touch, or is music really dead?

Nope. Just FM radio.

I haven't listened to FM radio on purpose in nearly 10 years now, and I'm one of the highest paid audio-processing consultants in broadcasting today. (i recently turned down huge gigs at BBC and Tribune, to pursue my own work/company) Go figure.

There's not very many people seriously programming radio online even today yet though too. But it's already eons better than FM.

I think what it basically comes down to is that mainstream music is made purely for money now-a-days. I mean there are still protest songs and good music out there but it isnt mainstream. Ex. Lamb of God, Clutch, ministry just to name a few... but the majority do not adress issues directly

There's plenty of activist/protest music out there.

I can't believe that some of it hasn't even been mentioned in this thread, especially considering the nature of ATS.

Here's some I have not seen on this thread so far. I apologize if I somehow missed them.

KMFDM, especially their WWIII album and the song "WW3"

Nine Inch Nails' album the Year Zero is a Protest album. It has some great songs on it, like: "Survivalism", "The Good Soldier", "The Great Destroyer", "Capital G", and "The Beginning of the End".

NIN's With Teeth album also has some political songs, like "The Hand that Feeds".

Megadeth

even Rob Zombie's Educated Horses has some political music.

Ministry

Rammstein, especially "Amerika"

Puscifer

A Perfect Circle's eMOTIVe album is pretty political.
It has on it the single handedly greatest recent political song, "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums." by A Perfect Circle.






[edit on 10/5/08 by MikeboydUS]

www.youtube.com...

This is one of my favorites!

www.youtube.com...

Bjork is great as well.

[edit on 11-5-2008 by maus80]

Originally posted by Karlhungis
Current approval ratings of our government are at all time lows. We have been fighting a war that +70% of the people don't want. Yet, the only protest songs I ever hear are from the 60's and 70's. Once in a while, we will get current bands covering those same songs, but nothing is getting any air play.

Am I just old and out of touch, or is music really dead?

The venue and organization is not there for it... the 60's and 70's had powerful tools that helped shape and order as well as change a shared consciousness coupled with groups of people such as the black panthers and the bloods and the crips which eventually turned sour due to Cointel, CIA, etc.. together the blacks and the counter-culture united on most fronts and from these groups many inspired poets and musicians made their mark and expressed themselves because they had large groups behind them to also support them.
There is propaganda out there that makes it career suicide to imagine doing such a thing now because they are either bought off, suppressed in other fashions or threatened and since the "new" musicians see this they haven't even attempted the same avenues as the major commercial artists have instead they use the internet, youtube, myspace, mp3.com etc .. or they stay local and no one ever hears them except a small group, not to mention that media itself is too diverse now, you only had so much programming back in the 60's and 70's ... we've been riding the coat-tails of the 60's and 70's music ever since because that time period created them literally and people noticed this was happening, that legends and icons were being created and they couldn't have that, so they threatened them with jail (lennon, etc) or watched them like a one eyed eagle, err hawk..

It could happen again, and most likely will if things get "heated" enough here at home.... an odd correlation to the war in iraq, iran and israel is the increase in drug use in their culture... it's not as intense as the 60's and 70's but it is a tremendous change which could spur people in their society & culture to create some art, music and poetry.

I am a musician myself but with the propaganda out there it's hard to sound accurate when facts change from moment to moment and people are so at odds with each other and whats going on, as far as the anti-war material goes... Where are the concerts? or Festivals?... Who will finance it? The people will market it,.. that isn't a problem.. if you build it.. they will come ..

There are protest songs out there... but getting all those people together... all the different genres in one place, and all of the respectful fans is what is necessary.

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet but Immortal Technique has really put together quite a few songs that really dig into what's been going on and well, .. before any of this got any major attention there was a young black male by the name of Tupac Amaru Shakur / Makaveli who made a record named The Don Killuminati comprised of two words 'Kill' and 'Illuminati' .. The 7 Day Theory which is highly controversial, people knew his stance on the government and war, .. with such lines as,

You know it's funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
it ain't no hope for tha future
And then they wonder why we crazy
I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
And even though you're fed up
Huh, ya got to keep your head up

[edit on 5/11/2008 by PuRe EnErGy]

www.youtube.com...

This guy has it down .... He explains it quite well.

Here is a song/video I made a while back -- a dark electronic pop piece. Time paradox fu. I think of it as a protest song anyway:

Youtube Link

reply to post by Karlhungis

www.youtube.com...

We are the world, we are the children. .... There's a choice we're making ...