Presidential Campaign Songs: 1789 - 1996

Oscar Brand | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B00000IWN9
• In-Print Editions: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,551 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Attack ads, "character assassinations," and "spin doctors" are not new in American Presidential campaigns. Before radio and television, campaign songs were written and published to transmit similar ideas and influence voters. This collection includes one song from the campaign of every President, from George Washington to William Clinton performed by folk singer Oscar Brand and recorded in 1998. Set to marches and popular tunes, accompanied by banjo, guitar, percussion, and wind, these songs present some of the enduring themes of American political campaigns and the events that have influenced them. Includes "Follow Washington," "Jefferson and Liberty," "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too," "Lincoln and Liberty," "Grant, Grant, Grant," "Roosevelt the Cry," "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "Buckle Down With Nixon," "California Here We Come," "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" and 33 others. For ages 9 and up. 69 minutes. Extensive liner notes. "One of the most thoroughly unique folk records released in 1999, Presidential Campaign Songs is also a thorough and unique look at America's political history. An important and well-crafted historical document, Presidential Campaigning Songs educates and entertains in equal measure." —Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oscar Brand's Election Song Tribute Wins Comfortably, July 19, 1999

By 

Oldest & Wisest (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Presidential Campaign Songs: 1789 - 1996 (Audio CD)

As a long-time Oscar Brand fan, I was delighted to hear that he and Folkways\Smithsonian Records had issued on CD a new version of his vinyl tribute to that now nearly obsolete form of popular culture, the Presidential campaign song. Now that I have actually listened to it, I have no grounds for disappointment. Brand has recorded a song for nearly every U.S. President, some well-known, some fairly obscure for this excellent collection. I deny it a five-star rating only for a couple of factual errors in the liner notes and an extremely mild ideological bias, alas, all too typical of the folk-singing community (why is the song for President Reagan by far the shortest in the collection?) Still, highly recommended, if for no other reason than it is, to my knowledge, only the second CD on the subject released as of this date!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Music!, October 3, 2009

By 

James B. Saunders (Astoria, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Presidential Campaign Songs: 1789 - 1996 (Audio CD)

Campaign election songs, particularly Presidential campaign election songs are a vital part of American history. They are funny, vicious, accurate and inaccurate, and mmsically delightfull. Oscar Brand's CD of these classic songs is a treasure.
They don't sing songs like "Get On the Raft With Taft" anymore. (It's an interesting analogy; Taft weighed over 300 pounds!) And Oscar Brand's voice amazes me. He sounds the same as he did on the "Bawdy" ballads we listened to in college forty years ago!

James B. Saunders

5.0 out of 5 stars Campaign Songs, November 23, 2008

By 

Conners (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Presidential Campaign Songs: 1789 - 1996 (Audio CD)

This is an excellent collection of campaign songs. I teach US government in a high school in Philadelphia, and I use these songs in my class to help commemorate some presidential birthdays. It's quirky, but the students enjoy it, and learn about the presidents, their campaigns, and the times. I recommend this to any history or govt teacher.