THE SPECIALS: Il nuovo album “PROTEST SONGS 1924 – 2012” in uscita il 24 settembre
Dopo aver pubblicato nel Febbraio 2019 l’album ‘Encore’ che ha avuto un’ottima accoglienza sia da parte del pubblico che della critica, gli Specials hanno passato quasi tutto l’anno in tour in UK, Europa e Stati Uniti.
Finito il tour mondiale la band ha iniziato a pensare ad un nuovo album in studio, programmando l’inizio delle nuove registrazioni per il Febbraio 2020. Dopo qualche idea abbozzata… hello Covid-19…
Lunedì 23 Marzo 2020 la Gran Bretagna sperimenta il suo primo lockdown e tutti i piani del gruppo saltano. Il 2020 diventa un anno di attesa e speranza, oscurità e paranoia da lockdown.
E poi, protesta… L’assassinio di George Floyd accende le proteste di massa negli Stati Uniti e gli Specials decidono di dedicarsi ad un nuovo progetto musicale estemporaneo, con l’idea di incidere un intero album di ‘protest songs’… Dopo aver compilato una lunga lista di canzoni di protesta scelte negli ultimi cent’anni, ne hanno scelte 12 che hanno inciso lo scorso Aprile.
Il nuovo album degli SPECIALS comprende 12 cover di canzoni politiche di protesta, selezionate in un periodo compreso tra il 1924 e il 2012.
Queste canzoni sono ancora tristemente attuali oggi come nel momento in cui vennero originariamente scritte.
THE SPECIALS, ‘Protest Songs 1924 – 2012’ esce il 24 Settembre 2021 in CD, CD DeLuxe, LP e Digitale
L’ALBUM TRACCIA PER TRACCIA
FREEDOM HIGHWAY
Written by Pops Staples and performed by the Staples Singers in 1965. The song was written for the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights.
EVERYBODY KNOWS
Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson. Taken from the album ‘I’m Your Man’. Described as ‘bitterly pessimistic, yet funny’ the best of both worlds. In June 2008, the song was used in an Australian anti-smoking advert.
I DON’T MIND FAILING IN THIS WORLD / I LIVE IN A CITY
Two songs written by San Francisco singer/songwriter and political activist Malvina Reynolds. Her best known composition was ‘Little Boxes’ which was recorded by Pete Seeger in 1962. Both of these songs have a gentleness and respect for the working man/woman.
BLACK, BROWN AND WHITE
Big Bill Broonzy, born Lee Conley Bradley in 1893 (or 1903 depending on which story you read) recorded ‘Black, Brown and White’ in 1947. A wry comment on discrimination against black Americans, the song has been used globally in education about racism.
AIN’T GONNA LET NOBODY TURN US AROUND
The oldest song on this selection – the first recording of this old spiritual was made by the Dixie Jubilee Singers in 1924. The lyrics were printed in 1927 in a book entitled ‘Forty Negro Spirituals’ by Clarence Carter White. It became a torch song for the civil rights movement in America in 1962.
FUCK ALL THE PERFECT PEOPLE
This song was written with prison inmates in mind by Chip Taylor in 2012, which makes it the most contemporary tune on this album. Taylor also wrote ‘Wild Thing’. The song rails against all those people who are So. Damn. Right.
MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR
Originally released on the Excello label in 1957 by Jerry McCain and His Upstarts. McCain was born in 1930 near Gadsden, Alabama. We found this song on an album called ‘Songs of Complaint and Protest’ which was issued by the Library of Congress (Folk Music in America, volume 7) in 1977.
TROUBLE EVERY DAY
Written by Frank Zappa in Echo Park, Los Angeles during the 1965 Watts riots but eerily prescient. Taken from the album ‘Freak Out’ and released in 1966.
LISTENING WIND
Taken from the Talking Heads album, ‘Remain in Light’. We stripped it down to Rastafarian drums and some Count Ossie horns.
SOLDIERS WHO WANT TO BE HEROES
Written by Rod McKuen and originally released by The Gateway Trio in 1963, the song was re-recorded and released again in 1971 when American involvement in Vietnam was at its height.
GET UP STAND UP
Written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Released in 1973 on the Wailers ‘Burning’ album.
