Customer Reviews

Freedom Train and the Welsh Transatlantic Concert

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I was in Junior High when this incredible concert occurred, and I remember hearing about it without understanding all the whys and wherefores. What a powerful experience it was to listen to this for the first time.

For those who aren't familiar with the history, the well-written program notes tell the story of Paul Robeson and how he was blacklisted in the US, had a career in Britain where he met up with and made a film about the South Wales coal miners, and how the State Department froze his passport and wouldn't let him leave the country for a number of years, not even to perform at this singing festival in Wales.

The trans-Atlantic phone cable was new on the scene, so the festival organizers arranged for Paul Robeson to "appear" by telephone. The CD includes the introduction by the organizer, selections by Paul Robeson, and selections by a Welsh choir, singing for him. In the final selection, the audience of 5,000 people in Wales sings, "We'! ll Keep A Welcome in the Valleys" - a very poignant selection under the circumstances.

The recording of the concert was made on the Welsh side, with Mr. Robeson's voice coming through the phone wire, so the quality of the recording may not satisfy some listeners. Still, the power of Mr. Robeson's voice comes across loud and clear, as does the emotion of the occasion.

This is a must for Welsh-Americans and African-Americans, as well as anyone who wants to see what the US government was capable of doing to its citizens back in the Cold War days.

I call this an extraordinary privilege because it's an artifact of a man who fought for freedom with the fervor of Martin Luther King, Jr, but without his fame. This is a recording of a Paul Robeson concert which should have been performed in Wales. However, although Paul Robeson was a U.S. citizen, he had his passport denied for 8 years because of his civil rights actions. Robeson never allowed the voice of freedom to be stilled. The concert went on over the newly installed transatlantic phone cable! The recording begins most appropriately with Paul Robeson performing the poem by Langston Hughes, "Freedom Train", with strength and truth that led Paul Robeson in becoming a giant in human rights. This recording clarifies that emotions were high on both sides of the Atlantic! The voices of Robeson's baritone and the Welsh men's choir, fantastic! Eyes surely were streaming with tears at the conclusion of this 1957 concert in both New York and Porthcrawl, Wales, just as mine overflowed when Robeson offers his Thanks to the Welsh people and promises to see them soon, The choir, across the ocean, adds their promise of invitation with "We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside". Words from this reviewer are nothing. You must become a listener yourself. That's the only way to have this extraordinary privilege!