Just bought the best political record

[ZoCrowes]

I have heard in a VERY long time. It's Everyone Deserves Music by a group called Michael Franti & Spearhead. It's politically charged hip-hop. I'm not a huge hop hop fan (The Roots, Common, Dre and Snoop are about the extent of my listening) however this record is amazing. It transcends the boundaries of hip-hop. They are a live band like the Roots but unlike the Roots the MC actually sings so it's more R&B than true rap. It's VERY hard to describe. Just think the Roots meets Bob Marley/Burning Spear (Sly and Robbie play on two tracks) meets Al Green meets Public Enemy. If you have never had any exposure to hiphop I would strongly suggest getting this album (or The Roots Come Alive.) It's a breath of fresh air in a world full of Eminems.

A sampling of lyrics:

Please tell me the reason
Behind the colors that you fly
Love just one nation
And the whole world we divide
You you're "sorry"
Say "there is no other choice"
But god bless them people
Who cannot raise their voice

We can chase down all our enemies
Bring them to their knees
We can bomb the world to peices
But we can't bomb it into peace

Military madness
Violence brings one thing
More of the same
So I sing to all the madness
Stand up if you're still sane
To all of us gone crazy
I sing this one refrain

Power to the peaceful

I dont understand the reason why
You're telling us all that we need to unify
To rally around the flag
And beat the drums of war
Sing the same old songs
Ya know we've heard them all before

You tellin me it's unpatriotic
But I call it what I see it
When I see it's idiotic
The tears of one mother
Are the same as any other
Drop food on the kids
While youre murdering their fathers
But dont bother to show it on CNN
Brothers and sisters dont believe them
It not a war against evil
Its really just revenge
Engaged on the poorest by the rich men

Other albums I bought this weekend
The Gotan Project (Ediath Piaf meets Air)
The Derek Trucks Band-Soul Serenade (blues/jazz jam rock from the Allmans guitar virtuoso)
Best of Queen
Prince-Live At the Aladin 2002 DVD
Neil Young-On The Beach (FINALLY ON CD!!)

[Fenris]

1. On The Beach!

Yep. Picked that one up.

I'll have to try this record you like. If it's good enough for YL...

Haven't seen you post here in a long while. Geez, I changed my name and everything. ;-)

(By the way, I understood that "Hawks & Doves" and "American Stars and Bars" were also supposed to be released. Any idea if they are or when they are going to be released?)

[ZoCrowes]

3. On the beach kicks ass

I can't believe it took them this long to get them on record!

American Stars and Bars, Hawks and Doves and one more (I'll have to check) have all been reissued. In my overinflated opinion On The Beach is the only one of those worth owning (from what I've heard of them.)

Definitely check out Spearhead. We've been missing politics in our music lately. Songs to check out What I Be, We Don't Stop, Bomb The World and Everyone Deserves Music.

Is that Morrisey? Smithsfan?

I've been very very busy this summer but I finally had a chance to settle down and some more music reviews lol

[Fenris]

7. Yep, smithsfan

Yeah, AS&B and H&D pale in comparison to On The Beach, but I still like those records enough to add them to my collection. Curse of the namesake I suppose...rock and roll parents tend to get creative with the nomenclature of their children. Someone said "Hey, let's name our kid after Neil Young" and that was that. They also had Dylan in mind, which would have been very cool.

I'll definately check out those songs. Good hip hop is hard to find. And good political hip hop is even harder to find.

Keep those reviews coming, YL.

:hi:

[AnnabelLee]

2. Another great Spearhead song

Crime to be Broke in America

I take the needle off the record
and shove it in my arm
whenever I feel life is
comin' on too strong
they left me in a clinic fulla
cynical motha fuckin' bureaucrats
and other kinda ding bats

Livin on the tracks
the tracks in my arm said
it all depends which side the tracks your on.
tellin' me what to wear
tellin me cut my hair
and tryin to convince me that they
really really care
all about my health and about my wealth
but still they built the Stealth
'cause everybody's
just lookin out for they self

So then I ask 'em
can I have a clean needle
"Hell no that's illegal!"

(chorus)
'Cause it's a crime to be broke in America!
and it's a crime to smoke dank in America!
(repeat)

"Yeah hit those drums now"
they lockin' brother's in the poorhouse
who can't afford Moorhouse
politicians nervous
it's the only free service they provide
you wanna go inside
there's a hot meal waitin' for ya
a deal we can score ya
on a bed for a night or two
or three or four months.

They say they lockin' us up in cells
to protect us from ourselves
it smells like they got anotha
plan in store house
or should I say warehouse
fulla niggas and other misfits
that couldn't turn tricks in the courthouse
it's a justice whorehouse

(chorus)
It's a crime to be broke in America!
and it's a crime to be Black in America!

But there's a mutiny on the bounty
in ever single county
we remember Attica
but don't forget to pat a few
other on the back as a matter of fact
sister Asatta Shakur and Geronimo Pratt
'cause Amnesty international
is fightin' for political
but if your analytical
you know it's much more critical than that
percentages black is really, really whack
can I kick a few facts yes?

Sx percent in college
from livin on the block
twenty five percent in prison
the school of hard knocks
fifty percent in poverty
is livin on the rocks
five hundred brothas on a death row box

The punishment is capital
for those who lack in capital
because a public defender
can't remember the last time
that a brother wasn't treated like an animal.

They say they blame it on a song
when someone kills a cop
what music did they listen to
when they bombed Iraq?
give me one example so I can take a sample
no need to play it backwards
if you wanna hear the devil
cause music's not the problem
it didn't cause the bombin'
but maybe they should listen
to the songs of people starving..

(chorus)
'Cause it's a Crime to be broke in America!
it's a crime to smoke dank in America!
it's a crime to be black in America!
it's a crime to be black in America!
it's a crime to be Puerto Rican
African
Native American
Asian Hatian
a Woman

[oustemnow]

4. Spearhead; right on

terrific stuff, and defintely of a good political persuasion.

Franti used to be in a group called Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy; definitely worth checking out if you like Spearhead.

[ZoCrowes]

5. I'll have to check that out

I just discovered them because I have a copy of their set at Bonaroo. They have an acoustic album I need to pick up.

[Skittles]

6. ZOCROWES

I have missed you. There have been several guitar threads you need to weigh in on - PAGE/CLAPTON and ZAPPA/HENDRIX.

:hi:

[ZoCrowes]

8. Page/Claton?

WHERE??!!

[Skittles]

9. HERE......I just kicked it

should be at the top

[ZoCrowes]

11. Gracias

You're a dear

[jus_the_facts]

10. I've got the Best of Queen too.....

...and that Prince DVD sounds chioce...never seen it though....

Diggin' those lyrics man...but I AM a known lyric junkie! ;-)

"...we can bomb the world to pieces but we can't bomb it into peace."

:hi: