Behind the Barricades: The Best of David Rovics

Behind the Barricades: The Best of David Rovics

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
I'm a songwriter. Most descriptions would hasten to add, a political one, since anyone who writes about something other than their navel these days is generally considered political (due to the entirely deleterious effect of a propagandistic, evil corporate phenomenon known as the "music industry"). I believe music can be more than an escape. It can be a tool for selling products on the one hand, or part of the stockpile of ammunition necessary to build and maintain a social movement.

Since the mid-90's I've been spending most of my time on tour, playing concerts around the US, Canada and various countries in Europe. Often for dozens, fairly often for hundreds, and a few times a year for many thousands, at rallies and protests and such. Those big events are inevitably highlights, when so many people come together to protest against the imperialist warmongers, corporate globalizers, schools of torture, etc. I've had the honor in recent years of sharing the stage with many fine activists including Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Angela Davis, Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon, Ward Churchill, Jello Biafra, Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, and many others. Incidentally, most of the most impressive speakers and performers I've shared the stage with aren't in the list there, and you've never heard of them.

On May 1st, 1993, I went from being a middle-class radical from the suburbs of Connecticut to an aggrieved member of the human family. I was out with my friend Eric Mark in the Mission District in San Francisco. He was the most intimate friend I'd ever had, and one of the most beautiful people I'd ever met. There on Shotwell Street his head was blown off by a point-blank shotgun blast while he was trying to protect another guy.

Losing Eric like this was an experience of such grief, nothing like anything I'd ever experienced, and it opened my eyes to the kinds of things the majority-world goes through so predictably. I had tried writing songs before then. Wrote lots of them, in fact, mostly really awful, preachy shit. A few days after Eric was killed I wrote my first decent composition at that time, songwriting became a survival mechanism, my main way of dealing with life. I still wasn't very good at it, and songs didn't come often. But by around '98 they started coming more predictably, due to nothing more mysterious than a combination of effort, practice, and an open hearts and lots of speeches by George W. Bush.

Product Description
"David Rovics is the musical version of Democracy Now!" (Amy Goodman, Host, Democracy Now!) "If the great Phil Ochs were to come back from the dead tonight he'd probably be hailed as the new David Rovics." (Andy Kershaw, BBC Radio 3). This is the second release in a series of politically charged folk recordings from Daemon Records and AK Press.

Behind the Barricades: The Best of David Rovics,David Rovics,Daemon Records,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Politically charged folk music,Pop

Average customer rating:

David Rovics' songs are the modern anthems for our times.

WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB?

Telling it like it is...

Welcome back Woody

The real thing

Behind the Barricades: The Best of David Rovics
David Rovics
Manufacturer: Daemon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000V46K4
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Tracks:

Shut Them Down
Drink Of The Death Squads
Saint Patrick Battalion
We Are Everywhere
Minimum Wage Strike
Hang A Flag In The Window
Jenin
In One World
Behind The Barricades
Song For The Earth Liberation Front
Intro To Song For The BBB
Song For The BBB
I Remember Warsaw
Intro To Henry Ford Was A Fascist
Henry Ford Was A Fascist
If I Die Tomorrow
Intro To The Flag Desecration Rag
The Flag Desectration Rag
Who Would Jesus Bomb?
Operation Iraqi Liberation
I Wanna Go Home

Album Description

"David Rovics is the musical version of Democracy Now!" (Amy Goodman, Host, Democracy Now!) "If the great Phil Ochs were to come back from the dead tonight he'd probably be hailed as the new David Rovics." (Andy Kershaw, BBC Radio 3). This is the second release in a series of politically charged folk recordings from Daemon Records and AK Press.

Customer Reviews:

David Rovics' songs are the modern anthems for our times........2007-01-16

David expresses in song what people like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn express in the written word. I can't imagine why a right wing person would even review this title, they are not who this music is for. They won't like it any more than I would like attending a fundamentalist sermon. This music resonates for me because it talks about the struggles of disenfranchised peoples. If you are conservative either religiously or politically you won't like it. Unless, of course... you are open to a different perspective. If, on the other hand, your are more left of center - have a concern for forgoten people, the enviornment, and political freedom... Then you will absolutely resonate with this music. The Haliburton album is great also.

WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB?.......2006-02-07

Quintessential collection by the leading figure in the current folk revival. Rovics, like Dylan of long ago, has a distinctive delivery, is a provocatively competent and accomplished musician, and speaks about the most important things in a way which everyone must hear. The now justly famous "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" is the most 'to the chase' anthem of the anti-Iraq War movement I've heard to date. DR has a generous web site on which you can hear his current material including the wrenching "New Orleans".

Telling it like it is..........2005-11-24

>
There are a lot of good singer/songwriters and bands
around today but their lyrics are bland, they don't
get to grips with the modern world and its' issues.
Here's one singer/songwriter who does.
Having trumpeted the American protest singer David Rovics
more than once, I think I should now give my impressions
of him now that I've finally seen him.

On his recent British tour I caught up with him at the
North Bridge Inn at Exeter.

The posters outside the pub announcing 'David Rovics'
Seemed to show two big bearded guys singing, but I couldn't
see any big bearded guys in the place - in fact about
20 mins before the show there were only about 8 of us in
the pub.
The landlord went over to the door to collect the tickets
and the people started coming in - a thin tall
distinguished guy first with a black-African girlfriend
in national dress.

The armchairs and sofas filled up and there must have
been about 60 people in the place with some playing cards
up the back. The tall distinguished guy (looked like a
teacher about 33 years of age) was talking to someone
and I realised he must have been David Rovics.

David Rovics sung his set just accompanying himself with
urgent guitar. I think he kicked off with 'Shut them
Down' about shutting down the multi-national companies
which are potentially doing so much harm to the environment.
The audience listened appreciatively, laughing at the
satirical jokes in the lyrics, and clapping
enthusiastically. Strong social comment, very anti-war,
as a mate of mine said "Dave is no wishy washy liberal
folk singer!". Another friend told me "He's got a better
voice than Dylan."

David lounged back on a sofa with his girlfriend at
the interval about to enjoy a magic moment and I stuck my
head between them:

"David could I ask you a couple of questions?"

~ "O.K."

"With America being more conservative than England,
when you perform over there do you get a lot of
people protesting at you from the audience?"

~ "No, generally the audiences are very supportive."

"I thought that you might have got some criticism from
Jewish groups because of the pro-Palestinian stance you
take in some of your songs?"

~ "I'm not anti-Semitic - my father is Jewish. A lot
of Jewish people in America are anti - Zionist. We object
to the aggressive/acquisitive actions of Israel towards
the Palestinians."

"In my magazine I suggest that they solve the problem by
moving Israel to Montana - the least populated state in
the U.S."

~ "If you're going tongue-in-cheek, Israel should be moved
to Bavaria and all the people from Bavaria moved into
Austria, that would be ironic as Bavaria was
Hitler's homeland!"
If you want an insight on the Israel/Palestinian's
situation you should read The Absence of Peace by
Nicholas Guyatt."

"People are saying that you are the new Bob Dylan what
do you think about that?"

~ "Well I'm very flattered, but Dylan is a far more
personal songwriter than I am."

"Thankyou very much".

I had to leave the Inn soon after but I feel David hit
the nail on the head there on why he hasn't been heard
of, or played on the radio stations like Dylan. Two
reasons:
There are standard folk song tunes and David employs a
lot of these to carry his lyrics, this results in the
lyrics being great but the tunes sounding samey. He
should try writing a few of his own tunes. Dylan's tunes
are always a twist away from what's been written before.
That's if David wants to take his message to a wider
audience.

Secondly, he's right about Dylan's songs being more
personal. I love David's overt political lyrics, could
listen to him all night long, but to the majority of rock
and folk fans too many protest songs one after the
other becomes like a party political broadcast,
and they switch off. Throw in a couple of love songs,
or a song about sailing or something; or a Dylan/Beatles
type psychological song to break things up. You've got
the protest singing off pat.

Having said that I bought David's `Behind the Barricades -
the best of David Rovics' CD while in the pub and it
hasn't been off my record player since (except to
play Morrissey, Gillian Welch, Twista, Jackie Leven,
Josh Ritter, Bob Dylan...) - but Dave's been in there with them.

Welcome back Woody.......2004-03-30

I thought protest music was dead, until I heard the two CDs from David Rovics and watched him perform at the Crawford, Texas anti-war rally on March 20, 2004. I have ordered copies for every member of my family. Thank you for Jenin, The Death of Rachel Corrie, In One World, Palestine and so many, many others. You give those of us who have been activists for the Palestinians real hope.

The real thing.......2004-01-11

This is truly relevant progressive and anti-war folk music. It is the sound of maintaining your First Amendment Freedom of Speech. Play it loud to many people. Its what Woody Guthrie would be doing if he were here now. Rovic's singing is perhaps reminiscent of Steve Goodman (of "City of New Orleans" fame); his guitar playing is perfect for his messages. Rovics' recordings are not on one of the huge corporate labels, and for good reason: Big corporations don't care if you to hear these words or think independently. Although this is the only Rovics album carried by Amazon so far (thanks for this at least, Amazon) if you like this sampler you can get many other great albums directly from David. Folk music also recommended along these lines: Pat Humphries, Stephan Smith, Seize the Day, Billy Bragg, Ani DiFranco. Remember Peace with Justice....

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