Tuesday Tunes 118: Revolution

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I saw a news commentary piece last week which was suggesting that on both sides of the Atlantic the right wing parties were veering close to a revolution against democracy. That may be overstating things, but probably not by much! However, it did give me the theme for this weeks tunes, as I know several about revolution. And in one case I’m cheating a little as the word is in the band’s name, rather than the song title, but I’m (allegedly) in charge here so I can make it up as I go along, right? If Sunak and Truss can do it, so can I. So here is my selection of revolution songs for your delectation and amusement.

I feature The Beatles a lot in my posts, as they are still, in my view, the best band of all time. You may have noticed that I rather like them, so my starting point for this week will probably come as no surprise to you:

You knew that was coming, didn’t you! I love the way that John’s opening words are a bit lost, and the camera then shows George mouthing something to Paul. My lip reading skills are good enough to pick this up as him saying “John’s mic is shit” after which he smiles. A band very much at the top of their game. In case you need reminding, this one was on the album formally titled The Beatles, but which immediately became known as The White Album as the original sleeve was plain white, with the title The Beatles embossed on the lower right front corner – I remember my copy well! The album was released in November 1968 and, of course, went to #1 just about everywhere and has sold more than 17m copies worldwide. It was an ambitious double album, with the band taking in a huge range of musical styles, and was very much their magnum opus. This track was the opener on side four, where it was actually called Revolution 1, to distinguish it from the long, rambling, talking piece Revolution 9 which came later on the album. The song had made its first appearance in August 1968 as the B-side to Hey Jude, which also went to #1 in both the UK and the US, and in just about every other country that Wikipedia lists. In the US their charts also credited B-sides in their listings, and this got to #12 there in its own right.

You may well know today’s second song too:

As someone has remarked in the comments on YouTube: “No overdone makeup , no expensive dress, no dramatic stage lights , just pure talent.” I completely agree with him. This was the opening track on Tracy Chapman’s eponymous debut album, which was released in April 1988, and topped the charts in the UK and the US, as well as several other countries. For me, it was a wonderful album which is still a favourite to this day, and it was great to see a new singer-songwriter being so successful. Her subsequent albums haven’t fared quite that well, but they are all lovely, full of carefully crafted songs sung in that rich voice of hers. Fast Car was the single chosen to accompany the album’s launch, and it also did well, reaching #6 in the US and #4 in the UK. This was taken as the second single in July of that year, but I guess by then we all had the album, as it only got to #75 in the US and #85 here in the UK. It is still for me a great song from a great album, which is one of the best sellers of all time – over 20m copies worldwide.

Let’s crank up the speed and volume a bit for the next tune, shall we:

Revolution Radio was the title track of Green Day’s twelfth album, which came out in October 2016 and topped the charts in both the US and the UK, as well as in many other countries. It may not be up there with American Idiot – my favourite of their albums – but it is still pretty good, and received a positive response from critics, not that that means much sometimes! The song was the third single taken from the album, in May 2017, and enjoyed moderate chart success. In the UK it reached #85 on our downloads chart, and #6 in our Rock chart. It appeared on several of the airplay charts in the US, its best performance being #9 in the Mainstream Rock version.And Billie Joe Armstrong does write choruses that are fun to sing along with!

Another change of pace now, and I’m betting this will be a new one for just about everyone:

Cosmic Rough Riders were a Scottish band, who didn’t exactly set our charts alight but the album this comes from – Enjoy The Melodic Sunshine – is one that I bought and played a lot: I’m a sucker for good tunes, harmony vocals and jangly guitars! The album was released in November 2000, and although it only got as high as #82 here it spent seventeen weeks in our Albums chart, qualifying for a silver disc when it passed 60k sales and eventually going beyond the 100k sales mark. Revolution (In The Summertime?) was the third single taken from the album, released in July 2001 and peaking – as the video showed, at #35 in the UK singles chart. Their follow up album, Too Close To See Far, is also excellent. Daniel Wylie, the lead singer, wrote most of the band’s songs and has since continued as a solo artist, though he has released three albums since 2015 under the name Daniel Wylie’s Cosmic Rough Riders, the most recent of these being last year. I have them in my Apple Music library!

I’m guessing that this next one might be new for many of you, too. I’ve played several Steve Earle songs before, and rank him as one of my favourites, so I couldn’t overlook this one:

And you thought he was ‘just a country singer,’ eh? He can rock with the best! As Craig Ferguson says in his introduction to the band, The Revolution Starts Now was the title track of what was actually Steve’s eleventh album, released in August 2004 and getting to #89 in the US and #66 in the UK. It also reached #12 on the US Country chart, which I guess was down to the way they had always categorised him, as the album has a much rockier feel than some of his others. It also reached #7 on the Independent Albums chart, which I think is a fairer reflection of its genre. This track was released as a single, and made #15 on the US Adult Alternative Airplay chart, which is based on radio airplay. As I have previously said, I am a big fan and I have all of his albums in my collection: they get played often.

I played a T. Rex song last week and by a kind of coincidence they also have one which fits the bill for me this week too:

T. Rex released Children Of The Revolution as a single in September 1972. It peaked at #2 in the UK which, for them, was a relative failure, as four of their previous five had got to #1. The band were hugely successful here and in Europe, but never repeated that in the US: they had one top ten single over there, plus three others that made the lower reaches of the top 100, but this one was after that and they never featured in the US charts again. This wasn’t on any of their studio albums, but has since featured on many compilations. If you want to know a little more about Marc you’ll need to go back to last week’s post, here.

I seem to be taking a path through some lesser known tracks this week, and this next one is another which I’m guessing you may not know. I’ve played something from World Party before, about six months ago, and it feels right to do it again:

World Party is largely the creation of Karl Wallinger, who writes the songs and takes lead vocal, with whatever collection of musicians he has assembled at that point. He began the ‘band’ after he left The Waterboys, and named it after a song he wrote for them. Private Revolution was the title track of his new band’s first album, released in March 1987, which reached #56 in the UK and #39 in the US, though it actually did best in the Antipodes: #13 in Australia and #18 in New Zealand. This track was released as a single but didn’t make the charts, though the one I have played before, Ship Of Fools, made #42 in the UK and #27 in the US. I have all of their albums, and can recommend them: Karl is a very good songwriter and shares his concern for the environment in his work. This is a fun video and, in case you were wondering, yes that is Sinéad O’Connor on backing vocals and manic dancing!

I said at the outset that I was cheating a bit with one of today’s tunes, by using the part of a band’s name to give me my link. I’ve saved this till last, but you have probably already guessed who I mean. In the context of current politics, which is where today’s revolution theme derives from, this feels appropriate:

Let’s Go Crazy was the opening track on the Purple Rain album by Prince and the Revolution, which was both his sixth album and the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. It was released in June 1984 and reached #1 in the US, Canada, and several other countries, and got to #7 in the UK. After Prince’s death in 2016 there was the usual resurgence of interest that an artist’s passing brings about, and this time it peaked at #2 in the US but did better than previously in the UK, reaching #4. This song was released as a single in July 1984, making #1 in the US and #7 in the UK. It became a concert favourite, perhaps not surprisingly as an opening song. I chose to end with it today, as I think it is a fitting point to round up from where I began and the news commentary that prompted this theme. Democratic countries being led down the path towards voting for autocracy is, to me, about as crazy as it gets!

I’m off now to read the paper, to see if we are any closer to that revolution against democracy or if there are delays in the process. But as every day it seems that the GOP in the US finds another clown to spout lies and encourage people to give up their freedom, and here the two Tory leadership candidates find new ways to show us how out of touch they are with real life, I’m not hopeful. Enjoy your week, try to ignore the politicians, and I’ll see you again soon 😊

43 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 118: Revolution”

  1. Pingback: August | Take It Easy

  3. As soon as I saw the theme, my mind immediately went to The Beatles. You did not disappoint.

    Love the comment you referenced about Tracy Chapman from YouTube. She is what a musician should be.
    Perhaps my favorite track of the day was by Green Day.

    As you predicted, I had never heard of Cosmic Rough Riders. This is a song I’d listen to again.

    I’ve been following you long enough to remember you like Steve Earle. I’m signing up for this one too.

    Not crazy about the singing on the T-Rex song, but I dig the beat.

    The song by World Party fits into the good not great category for me. I’d listen to it again. What is Sinead O’Connor up to these days?

    I don’t like every Prince song, but this is one of my favorites. What a talent!

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    • Thanks, Pete. The Beatles were the obvious place for me to start, and I’m glad you enjoyed most of the others too. I think you’re the first so far to vote for Green Day: not one of their best known but I rather like it too.

      Sinead O’Connor hasn’t released anything since 2014 but is supposed to be bringing out a new album this year. But her personal life has been so troubled that I guess that may not happen. She suffers from bipolar disorder and has been hospitalised more than once, most recently earlier this year after one of her children committed suicide and she threatened to do the same. She has had a very hard time of it.

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      • It seems that musicians have an inordinate amount of personal problems. I’m sorry for Sinead and her family.

        By the way, I watched an excellent documentary last night on Netflix about an American tennis player named Mardy Fish. I don’t know if you follow the sport, but the story was fascinating. He rose to the Top 10 at 30 (during the Federer, Nadal, Djokovic era), an age when many players are starting to decline. He became 100% fixated on improving as a player. He lost 30 pounds and developed an insane regimented lifestyle, including sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. With fame came intense pressure. It was scary yet inspirational; he was one of the first tennis players who openly talked about his struggles with depression and anxiety.

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      • It might be that they have a vehicle through their music to share their message. I wrote a post on this some months ago.

        Thanks for that tip. I saw him play at Wimbledon some years back, he was fun to watch. I’ve added the documentary to my watchlist.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. you are correct that this post trended towards some lesser-known tracks, at least for me. At least I guessed what the first song would be!

    The Steve Earle song was new to me – but it was terrific. Have you ever seen him in concert?

    I also enjoyed the Cosmic Rough Riders song…

    we need some kind of revolution to bring both countries back to their senses!

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    • It felt that way when I was making the selection, but it doesn’t make the songs any less good, does it? The first one was obvious to anyone who knows my taste!

      That was one of Steve Earle’s less well-known albums, but I like them all. Yes, I saw him play live at the Southbank Centre not long before I retired, which probably means spring/summer 2013. He didn’t disappoint!

      I’m pleased you liked the Cosmic Rough Riders, as they went very much under the radar here and did nothing anywhere else. But the two albums I mentioned are great: they have a real 60s west coast feel to them.

      We definitely need something to sort our politicians out!

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  5. As always, a few nice surprises in your selections. Like Steve Earles song, and also like the slower Beatles ‘Revolution’ too. As for your parting comments, it seems like Democracy only is valid if the Right party wins, otherwise ‘we wuz robbed…’

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    • I’m pleased you found some surprises to enjoy here. I deliberately included a few that I thought would be unfamiliar, as I think that adds something to the mix.

      Sadly, politicians in both the US and the UK are following that path, and I imagine that’s true elsewhere too.

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  6. Hi Clive. What a good topic – although I’m not sure anyone is capable of organising a revolution. I would have struggled to find as many songs with ‘Revolution’ in the title but you have some good ones there.
    I always liked the Beatles ‘Revolution’. I’ve still got the single with Hey Jude on the A side.
    Always nice to hear a bit of Green Day.
    I love the Cosmic Rough Riders and I have the album. I thought they were American when I first heard them. They sound so West Coast retro ‘hippy’.
    I hadn’t heard the the Steve Earle one. It puts me in mind of ‘The Hold Steady’.
    Also I hadn’t heard the World Party one. I do like the song and video. Sinead looks good and I love her manic dancing!

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    • Thanks, Paul. It kind of came out of nowhere but once I got started it wasn’t hard to find the songs. I had Hey Jude too but all my vinyls are now long lost. It’s good to find someone else who likes the Cosmics and has that album. I had the follow up too, and there are some equally good tracks on it.

      I think the Steve Earle one is probably best known to fans: it isn’t his most successful album.

      I loved World Party and bought all their albums. This video is a lot of fun, and it’s great to see Sinead happy and smiling – an unusual event!

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  8. Hello Clive
    If you could have seen my smile with the closing song – I think you would know how much I liked that closing song
    I totally forgot that prince’s band was the revolution and that fit here so well!
    J never knew how much I appreciated prince’s music until he died!
    —
    you are right about Steve Earle and how he can rock!
    The opening Beatles song was a great start to the post because when I saw the title I had the ear worm and was pleased it opened here!
    —
    Oh and Tracy Chapman’s simple stage set and classic playing was minimalism at its best so we could feel the music and experience the lyrics and beautiful harmony!

    ☀️😊🎵🎵🎵💦

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    • Hi Yvette. I’m glad to have brought that smile to your face. Prince made some great music, and this one is one of my favourites. The video is great, too.

      Steve, The Beatles and Tracy were the first three I thought of for this one – all are also among my favourites. 😊

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      • Those first three were a nice trio to start with
        And getting back to prince
        I was also reminded how some of his fun lines are so powerful alone!

        Like this:

        Dearly beloved
        We are gathered here today
        To get through this thing called life

        🎵🎵🎵

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      • I’m pleased you thought that. I don’t always go for slower ones early in the piece but they worked for me! Prince wrote loads of great songs, and not only just his own versions. Have you seen the video of Sinead O’Connor singing Nothing Compares 2 U? It’s absolutely beautiful.

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      • Yes – I know that video – even if I didn’t see many videos that one came my way because I think it was iconic and a bit of a culture storm!
        Her voice – her hair (or lack of) and the content of the song
        –
        And you know we both remember certain commutes with detain songs – and the “Nothing Compares 2 U” song always brings me back to Winter Park, FL early 90s.
        Have you heard of Cathy Dennis? Her CD was also part of those early 1990s musical memories
        🎵🎵🎵

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      • That video was very special. The tear wasn’t planned, it was her natural reaction to the song.

        Yes, I remember Cathy Dennis but I’ve never really listened to her, sorry!

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      • Oh no worries about Cathy Dennis – not yes how I ended up with her CD (think it was joining a club and we had to pick 13!) but I also saw her in an interview (90 or 92ish) and for a non-tv watcher it was rare to see any artist interviews so It stood out to me
        ☀️🎵

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