Xmas No. 1
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The "Friends of Jo Cox" have recorded a cover of The Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want in tribute of the murdered MP. It features musicians such as Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall and David Gray.
Yes, she was a careerist like the rest of them. One of those who wanted to dump Corbyn as he was harming her ascent of the greasy pole.
Let's not forget that in the sixties the Stones were thought to be heralding the collapse of society as we knew it…
Because more people listen to music than to us and if music can be political as in this explicit example why do some take a fundamentalist approach to it as unsocialist. The party even has its own song if I recall correctly. Also it's prominence in the news and the high profile of Xmas no 1 is an unconventional novel opportunity to challenge the notion we should pay tribute to those voting for war while they are also calling for gentler politics.
HollyHead wrote:Let's not forget that in the sixties the Stones were thought to be heralding the collapse of society as we knew it…Which goes to show that music, however "radical", changes nothing.
A suggestion for my Xmas no 1 would be "Winter's Song" by the Late Great Alan Hull. If Elvis Costello thinks it's the best song ever written then who am I to disagree. Also it's a song which expresses many of the feeling that Socialists have about the hypocrisy of this time of year.Hully was one of the unrecognised geniuses of working class music, in my humble opinion.As to the idea that music changes nothing, I disagree completely. Music and especially lyrics change the way people think. It may not, always be specifically Socialist, but songs such as "The Green Fields of France", "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" or from my part of the world the songs of Tommy Armstrong, from the 1880-1920s such as "The Oakey House Strike Evictions" and "The Durham Lockout" have influenced the way people think for generations. A well written song can get a message across in three minutes in ways that an academic discourse can never do. Anyway, it's late and I'm off to dream about a guy called Joe Hill
The Cubans, Chilean, Argentinean, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Spaniard, have written, sang and distributed, ( Radio, Television, and Media ) around the world, and around Latin America, thousands of the so called Protest Music, ( Trovas Cubanas, Nueva Cancion ) with social lyrics, and with the so called social content, and they have not changed anything. Most of them are just blessing left wing governments, leftwing coups, leaders, romantic social situations, and worshipping dictators.
To clarify, Jo Cox didn't vote for war, but abstained. Angela Eagle is an example of an MP voting for war but calling for gentler politics.Jo Cox's partner Brendan Cox is delivering Channel 4's alternative Christmas message.
These people are railing against problems they in part are helping to maintain through their support of capitalism.I suppose anything is better than the Queen's Speech! I do remember some years ago certain politicians complained that her speech was too "internationalist" in tone.
rodmanlewis wrote:HollyHead wrote:Let's not forget that in the sixties the Stones were thought to be heralding the collapse of society as we knew it…Which goes to show that music, however "radical", changes nothing.
I wouldn't be that dismissive. You may as well say that the 112 years existence of the SPGB has changed nothing either but you'd be wrong on both counts. Whatever criticism one may have of John Lennon's Imagine, it remains the widest and best known lyrical encapsulation of the world we want to see, set to music. And as far as the SPGB is concerned, it has, virtually single-handedly and for its entire existence, kept alive the case for real socialism and exposed the myth of socialism/communism having been tried and failed.
It will come as no surprise that I I would go with Imagine, as I don't know of any other socialist song. Plenty of left wing, radical and union songs but not socialist.I think music and comedy videos have an important part to play in changing perceptions.Look at George Carlin for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4SSvVbhLw&list=RDkJ4SSvVbhLw#t=82and Monty Pythonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaWvVFERVAThese are likely to impress workers more than an invitation to a lecture.
How about: 'Harvest for the World' by The Isley Brothers and 'Wake Up Everybody' by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes? And I'm just gettin' warmed up.
Tim Kilgallon wrote:As to the idea that music changes nothing, I disagree completely. Music and especially lyrics change the way people think. It may not, always be specifically Socialist, but songs such as "The Green Fields of France", "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" or from my part of the world the songs of Tommy Armstrong, from the 1880-1920s such as "The Oakey House Strike Evictions" and "The Durham Lockout" have influenced the way people think for generations. A well written song can get a message across in three minutes in ways that an academic discourse can never do. Anyway, it's late and I'm off to dream about a guy called Joe HillI suspect that they were mainly preaching to the converted. Perhaps we could ask how many members joined through hearing "socialist" songs or alternative comedians.Seems to me you only need to hear these songs once–there's no point in hearing them repeatedly. Rather like reciting the DoP regularly if you do.
rodmanlewis wrote:Perhaps we could ask how many members joined through hearing "socialist" songs or alternative comedians.This is an interesting but difficult question to address. We could ask that of any 'socialist activity'. I suspect socialist consciousness is more of a cummulative process. Very difficult to pin down the ONE thing that made you socialist.Anyway, I wish all comrades good will over Xmas and the rest of the year for that matter
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