$8.99
Sold by music on Tradebit
The world's largest download marketplace
3,271,821 satisfied buyers
The world's largest download marketplace
3,271,821 satisfied buyers
MP3 Raymond Crooke - Who Needs Reality? (feat. Lew Dite & Ukulele Katie)
17 MP3 Songs in this album (66:00) !
Related styles: Folk: Modern Folk, Folk: Political Folk, Type: Vocal
People who are interested in Burl Ives Malvina Reynolds Woody Guthrie should consider this download.
Details:
This album contains seventeen original songs which, although very diverse in subject matter, all deal in some way with either the harsh realities of life or ways of rising above everyday reality. Some of the songs here are surrealistic in nature, inspired by artists such as Salvador Dali and Bob Dylan, to name two of my heroes. The most obvious song in this category is “Burning Giraffe,” a tribute to Dali and several other surrealists. “Polly Ann” began as part of the same song and then went its separate way. “Blackmail,” like “Polly Ann” is about a relationship, a rather manipulative one in this case, but refers in passing to wider issues such as misplaced idealism, the population explosion and genocide. “The Way It’s Gonna Be” also takes on the theme of male-female relationships, in an attempt at a Country and Western style with a twist at the end.
One way of rising above the real world is to reflect on it through literature, and two of the songs here are based on great literary works. It gradually becomes clear that “If You Love Me” is a modern retelling of one of the great dramatic works of William Shakespeare, and “The Collector” is obviously based on the first half of John Fowles'' classic novel of the same name. As in the original story, the speaker has a very warped view of the real world. “The Ballad of Nakhoda Manis” is a retelling of a well-known South-East Asian legend about the importance of filial piety in Asian culture. It is the best known story in Brunei, where I lived for over two years, and has counterparts in Indonesia, where it is known as Malin Kundang, and Malaysia, where it is called Si Tanggang. The story explains the origins of Jong Batu, a rock in the Brunei River, shaped like a ship, and is set in Kampong Ayer, the world''s largest water village, located in the capital of Brunei, Bandar Sri Begawan.
“Another Little Murder” is also inspired by a book, though, in this case, a factual one. “Just Another Little Murder” was written by Phil Cleary, a well-known footballer and left-wing politician, who I taught with many years ago. It tells the story of the physical abuse and eventual murder of his sister by her partner, and the attitudes of society to domestic violence. Other social issues dealt with are sexual abuse of children (“Uncle John”) and exploitation of cheap foreign labour, especially in Asia and the Middle East (“God Bless the Domestic Servant”).
“Red Ribbon Rebels” tells a story from Australian history about the harsh reality of life on the Victorian goldfields and the beginnings of the push for democracy, much as is happening in the Middle East today, as the miners rebelled against the unreasonable demands of the unrepresentative government of what was then an English colony.
Religion is one way of trying to make sense of the real world, and “Nourish Your Soul” attempts to look beyond the divisions caused by organized religions to what lies behind them. “The Devil Made Me Do It” is an ironic look at the hypocrisy that too often finds its way into the church.
Irony is also evident in “Animals Rule”, a tongue-in-cheek comment on the animal rights movement, and in “John Jenkins”, the shortest song I ever wrote, which concludes the album as a contrast to the penultimate song, “The Ballad of Nakhoda Manis”, the longest song I have ever written.
“Rita Hagan’s Lawn” is about my personal experience in meeting up with a very colourful character in Newfoundland. There is a Canadian television documentary about the tragic events of her life and how she managed to overcome them, which can be seen here: https://www.tradebit.com My YouTube video of this song is featured in the program, and it is that version I have used for this album, as it includes the lilting Irish accent of Rita herself.
The title song of the album is a satirical comment on the effects of modern technology on the way we live our lives and communicate with each other. The chorus is based on Woody Guthrie’s “Ain’t Got No Home In This World Any More”.
These songs are not background music. The lyrics need to be listened to and thought about. Hopefully there will be something here that will provoke some discussion and perhaps a song or two that you would like to learn to sing and play yourself.
File Data