Songs for Political Action: Folk Music, Topical Songs and the American Left [Box set]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 16, 1996)
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Bear Family
• ASIN: B000001B1C
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,901 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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Editorial Reviews

(10-CD LP-sized box-set with 212-page hardcover book) Maybe it didn't bring about the social and economic equality that it strove for, but the American Left of the 1930s and 1940s did leave one lasting legacy: the urban folk song revival. The energetic, politically daring music of the Almanac Singers and its predecessors, contemporaries and successors continue to resonate through today's singer-songwriters. Spanning the years 1926 to 1953, this set features nearly 300 extremely rare recordings on 10 compact discs. The songs offer a comprehensive overview of this enduring music, from the labor choruses and New York's socially conscious theatrical scene of the 1930s, to the Almanac Singers' influential, ground-breaking recordings. It continues through the war years and the postwar idealism of People's Songs and ends with the disturbing anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era that silenced many of these talented, dedicated performers. This set includes a large format hardcover book documenting the era and the recordings it produced in words and pictures.

ARSC Award Winner in 1997: ''Best Research in the Field of Recorded Folk or Ethnic Music''. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing collection of rare political songs, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Songs for Political Action: Folk Music, Topical Songs and the American Left (Audio CD)

This 10 CD set includes some very rare political songs. Many can be considered "folk songs" although there are also some rarities like classical-oriented Communist Party songs. If one is interested in the Almanac Singers, the early recordings of Josh White, or Peekskill, this is a must have. The book which accompanies the collection is very informative. I only give the collection 4 stars instead of 5 since there are some songs which do not hold up so well after so many years, but overall this is fantastic compilation.