Leftist music

[the masked avenger]

[FONT=Times][COLOR=blue][B]
I am new to this whole website and the ideals. All the music I have really ever listened to is whatever the radio has played or popular music has been shoving down the throats of the youth.

My question to all of you is what are some good leftist bands that I and everyone else should look into?

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Well, it depends - what sort of music are you into? There's some great progressive music in every genre from pop (Chumbawamba), through punk (From the SKA of the Usual Suspects to the bass-driven noise of CRASS), hip-hop (Paris), and folk (David Rovics) . . . there is progressive music comming out of every milieu - you just need to dig to find it, because capitalist society tends to promote capitalist art . . .

[the masked avenger]

I have Chumbawumba's cd. But that thing is old. I have been listening to that since like '96. I just could never understand the depth of the words back then. I may need to bust it backout again.

[Pawn Power]

Leftover Crack

[Bazza]

[COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue][COLOR=blue]
Originally posted by the masked [email protected] 14 2004, 01:50 AM
I am new to this whole website and the ideals. All the music I have really ever listened to is whatever the radio has played or popular music has been shoving down the throats of the youth.

My question to all of you is what are some good leftist bands that I and everyone else should look into?
The Che Men (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/4/thechemenmusic.htm)
Redskins (http://www.redskins.co.uk)
Newtown Neurotics (http://www.neurotics.org.uk/)
Blaggers ITA / Blaggers AKA (http://www.stagebottles.de/german/blaggers_aka/)
The Strike (http://www.thestrike.us/)
The Specials / Special AKA (http://www.thespecials.com)

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Chumbawamba's pre-tubthumber material (Anarchy, Never Mind The Ballots, Pictures Of Starving Children Sell Records, etc.) is better, and much more overt in its meanings.

[The Forum Idiot]

Here's a list of leftist groups I recommend - Note: bands with a * next to them don't have particularly leftist songs but are/were left wing people, and bands with a ^ next to them means "kinda" left wing...You'll have to see the examples to understand

Public Enemy (my personal fave rap band)
Immortal Technique
The Clash
Nirvana*
Sex Pistols^
Newtown Neurotics
The Oppressed
L7
Pearl Jam*
Leadbelly*^
Green Day* (they have a couple politicalish songs)
Anthrax
Megadeth^
The Damned*
Buzzcocks*
The Undertones*
The Dead Kennedys
Jimi Hendrix*
NoFX
REM*
Red Hot Chili Peppers^
Billy Bragg^
The Kinks^
Bob Dylan^
Simon And Garfunkel/Paul Simon*

I'm not 100% sure about all of these but I think I got the majority right. Yea I know most are pretty mainstream but its hard to break into the underground here.

[bunk]

dead prez

[the masked avenger]

I thank you people for your music. Some of these bands I know, some I have heard of, some I have never heard before. Once again thank you.

[celtopunk]

I'd have to agree with many of those mentioned especially Chumbawamba, the Neurotics, Redskins, Blaggers. Oh and Forum Idiot wouldn't you consider Billy Bragg overtly political???

So here's some from me mostly punk stuff:

Adjusters
Bad Religion
Redskins
Clash
Chumbawamba
anything done by Jello Biafra (former Dead Kennedys singer.)
Stiff Little Fingers
The Dils
Striknien DC
Citizen Fish
Subhumans
Culture Shock
Angelic Upstarts
Oi Polloi
Conflict
Les Partisans
Scott MX Turner
Koratu
Banda Bassotti
Anhrefn
Propaghandi
Soledad Brothers
Argies
Reagan Youth
Attila the Stockbroker
Ricanstruction

folk:
Christy Moore
Dick Gaughan
Andy Irvine
Sean Tyrell
Eric Bogle
Fred Stanton
Phil Ochs
Levellers
Steve Earle

Hip Hop:
Public Enemy
KRS-1
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Spearhead
Beatnigs (not really hip hop though)
Steve Zearle
Marxman (the orginal ones from like 10 years ago)
Iron Sheik


This topic comes up quite a bit in one from or another. What you should do is take a look at previous topics in this forum and you will find tons of bands/artists that will fit the bill. Here's a few:

http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=27167
http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25788
http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24053
http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24037
http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=22907

[The Forum Idiot]

On the Billy Bragg thing I've only heard stuff from "Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy" and didn't find it too political but I know a lot of his stuff is. Anyways, I was wondering if (since you have such a great list of punk bands there) you could suggest some songs for my punk compilation I'm making? Here's the list thus far, Oh, and bare in mind I don't really wanna have more than one song per band:


Anarchy In The UK - Sex Pistols
White Riot - The Clash
Ever Fallen In Love - The Buzzcocks
Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
New Rose - The Damned
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Franco Un-American - NOFX
Nazi Skinhead - Oppressed
Angels With Dirty Faces - Sham 69
John Wayne Was A Nazi - MDC
Sex And Violence - Generation X
Typical Girls - The Slits
Subject To Change - The Faith
Welcome To Paradise - Green Day
Banned In DC - Bad Brains
At Home He Feels Like A Tourist - Gang Of Four


Looking for:
Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie And The Banshees
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
Something by X-Ray Spex
Something by Billy Bragg
Something by Stiff Little Fingers
And something by John Cooper Clarke

Got any suggestions for the list?

[RedAnarchist]

Why dont you save time and just do the songs that ARENT left-wing? :lol:

There are so many of them - and thats gotta be a good thing! :D

[The Forum Idiot]

I don't get that joke...My compilation isn't necessarily a left wing exclusive CD but, as its punk, most of it will be very left wing. I think the only right wing bands on there are The Damned and Sham 69....

[RedAnarchist]

The joke was in regards to the first message in this thread

[The Forum Idiot]

Well....there's very little seriously right wing rock bands...

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Well, there are Screwdriver and The Misfits, haha.
Why is it that, in artistic terms, being right-wing tends to be very closely linked to sucking?

Speaking of radical bands, let's just list off what I've got in my music folder, eh?

2.5 Children Inc. (Really unusually long punk songs, bizarre samples, and a truely twisted sense of humour.)
1905
Against All Authority (Radical "SKAcore" combining horns and unbeats with straight ahead punk and trade-offs betwen two primary growling vocalists.)
Against Me! (Folk and punk collide in simple, but effective sing-along tunes)
Anthrax (Not the fucking metal band.)
Antidote (Members of Chumbawamba and The Ex playing really short, fast, punk/hc.)
Anti-Flag
Anti-Product
The Apostles(Jazz, punk, blues, hardcore, collide in the queer-radical-communist mess of The Apostles. Not always amazing, but always interesting.)
Astronauts
Bikini Kill(The penultimate Riot Grrrl band. Necessary to establish feminist credibility. :P )
Born Against
Capital Death
Choking Victim
Christ On A Crutch
Chumbawamba
Civil Disobedience
Closet Monster (To quote one of their old stickers, "Pop? Politics? Who the fuck are these guys?")
Common Rider (Oh, this is what happened to the good parts of Op Ivy)
CONFLICT
CRASS
Crisis
Crucifucks (One of the most . . . er . . . unique voices in punk spouts some of the most violent lyrics in the genre over midtempo, slightly-more-interesting-than-usual punk rock. Most famous for "Hinkley Had A Vision" and the line, "I wanna take the President, chop off his head, and mail it to them in a garbage bag!)
David Rovics (Radical folk that runs the gamut from the hillarious to the tear-jerking, staying constantly relevent. Rovics also puts on one of the best live performances I've ever seen.)
Dead Kennedys
The Dicks
Dillinger Four (Dense pop-punk that manages to be both "hard" and hook-laden. Trademark multiple vocals kick around lines like . . . actually, you should just dig their page o' lyrics here (http://www.angelfire.com/mn/dillingerfour/).)
The Dils
DIRT
DRI
Feederz
Gang Of Four (Bring the radical disco. "Capital - it fails us now!" *Swings hips*)
Generic
Good Riddance
The Hemingways
Hostage Life
Huggy Bear
I Object!
Icons Of Filth
The (International) Noise Conspiracy (The sequal to Refused is all about the dancable garage rock and abolishion of work. Fuck yes.)
Kronstadt Uprising
Le Tigre
Leftover Crack
Marilyn's Vitamins
MDC
The Mob
Morning Glory
Naturecore
Newtown Nurotics
No Cash
No Commercial Value
Oi Polloi
Operation: Cliff Calvin
Paris (Best radical hip-hop this side of Public Enemy. Seriously. Tending towards less driving beats than I typically prefer, yet strangely great . . .)
Propagandhi
Public Enemy
Rage Against The Machine
RAMBO (Absurd anarchist hardcore. Has to be heard to be understood "Avenge! Avenge! The Anarchy Moose!")
RANDY
Raygunomics
Reagan Youth
Redskins
Refused
Resist
Resist and Exist
Riot/Clone
Second Front (Radical hip-hop from Halifax. Fucking awsome live - the energy makes me think more of a punk show than of hip-hop.)
Six Minute War
The Soviettes
The Spectacle
Stockyard Stoics
SUBHUMANS
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb
UNIT
Usual Suspects
Utah Phillips
The Weirdos
Whorehouse Of Representatives
Woodie Guthrie

[The Forum Idiot]

Hey, the metal Anthrax are pretty good and are nice and political.

[Bazza]

Originally posted by The Forum [email protected] 16 2004, 03:03 PM
Looking for:
Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie And The Banshees
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
Something by X-Ray Spex
Something by Billy Bragg
Something by Stiff Little Fingers
And something by John Cooper Clarke

Got any suggestions for the list?
Go for "Between The Wars" by Billy Bragg as that's probably his best, although I prefer Nightwatch's cover of it more than the original.

[commiecrusader]

I cant believe no one has mentioned Immortal Technique. I dont think I saw Nas either. Or Tupac... maybe my eyes are just shite.

[The Forum Idiot]

I mentioned Immortal Technique

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Spinal Tap
Gimme Some Money is all about that subtle anti-capitalist symbolism.
=D

[the masked avenger]

I cant fucking believe y'all. All these fucking people here and all this talk of Zach De la Rocha, and No one speaks of Rage Against the Machine, my favorite band. You would think with how much I have seen on Zach that would have been the first outta y'all's mouths.

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by The Forum [email protected] 16 2004, 03:03 PM
On the Billy Bragg thing I've only heard stuff from "Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy" and didn't find it too political but I know a lot of his stuff is. Anyways, I was wondering if (since you have such a great list of punk bands there) you could suggest some songs for my punk compilation I'm making? Here's the list thus far, Oh, and bare in mind I don't really wanna have more than one song per band:


Anarchy In The UK - Sex Pistols
White Riot - The Clash
Ever Fallen In Love - The Buzzcocks
Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys
New Rose - The Damned
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Franco Un-American - NOFX
Nazi Skinhead - Oppressed
Angels With Dirty Faces - Sham 69
John Wayne Was A Nazi - MDC
Sex And Violence - Generation X
Typical Girls - The Slits
Subject To Change - The Faith
Welcome To Paradise - Green Day
Banned In DC - Bad Brains
At Home He Feels Like A Tourist - Gang Of Four


Looking for:
Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie And The Banshees
Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
Something by X-Ray Spex
Something by Billy Bragg
Something by Stiff Little Fingers
And something by John Cooper Clarke

Got any suggestions for the list?
For the X-Ray Spex you can't beat "Oh Bondage Up Yours", Identity is great too.

For SLF, damn that's a hard one, to pick just one song. I'd gop with something from Inflammable Material or Nobody's Hero. Try Fly the Flag, Tin Soldiers, Straw Dogs, Alternative Ulster, Suspect Device, Wasted Life, Law and Order or White Noise. There are plenty others but these are my favorites, the live album Hanx also has some good versions of some of these songs.

Billy Bragg, do you want something rocking or more folksy?
Help Save The Youth Of America®, I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night(f), Like Soldiers Do(f), The Marching Song Of The Covert Battalions(f), My Youngest Son Came Home Today(f), The Price Of Oil, Rotting On Remand(f), There Is Power In A Union, Thatcherites, To Have And To Have Not®, Which Side Are You On, World Turned Upside Down®, All You Fascists®, NPWAA, Take Down the Union Jack(f), Between the Wars. Not all are BB originals but he does the covers justice.
f=folksy, r=rockin, nothing means somewhere in between.

John Cooper Clark I'm not familiar with.

Now back to the other songs you have, drop Green Day add the Subhumans, Citizen Fish or ther Redskins in their place, and for the Damned I'd still pick Smash it Up, Male Model for the Undertones, and Orgasm Addict for the Buzzcocks.

Just my 2 cents.


Now to comment on other posts:
Nice list there Virgin, I'll have to look up a few of them.

And getting back to Avenger, I never mentioned Rage or Zach because well most if not all the stuff I mentioned is better. I say that as someone who respects those two artists and enjoys some of their music.

I also forgot to mention one of the greatest folk singer/songwriters Leon Rosselson, if you don't know who he is, then you are really missing out.

[The Forum Idiot]

I think I mentioned Rage already...

On teh suggestions: Thanks but I'll keep the Buzzcocks/Damned/Undertones as they are...They're the real important songs in punk so meh...But thanks for all the other suggestions...I'll check 'em out...I'm gonna keep Green Day but if there ends up not enough space with your suggestions it'll be the first to go.

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by The Forum [email protected] 17 2004, 03:05 PM
I think I mentioned Rage already...

On teh suggestions: Thanks but I'll keep the Buzzcocks/Damned/Undertones as they are...They're the real important songs in punk so meh...But thanks for all the other suggestions...I'll check 'em out...I'm gonna keep Green Day but if there ends up not enough space with your suggestions it'll be the first to go.
Sure thing, they were merely suggestions with my own obvious biases.

[NoiseUnited]

Skinny Puppy has very socially aware music. I have listed some of their lyrics in the Great Lyrics category, see for yourself. If you want a suggestion of one song, I say maybe try "Deep Down Trama Hounds", the pledge allegiance part is pretty appropriate. Also, Minor Threat and Fugazi are very good punk bands that have a great message. Maybe I over looked it or it's too obvious, but Bob Marley is very good.

EDIT: Public Image Ltd.'s song World Destruction ain't too bad either

[PRC-UTE]

The album 'Saoirse go Deo' is an openly socialist album.


Saoirse go deo by Ray Collins was orignally recorded in the early 1980s to celebrate the lives of fallen Republican Socilialists and the successes of the INLA.

If you're interested in it, you can find a copy here (http://www.cafepress.com/rsmshop.6371294) and there's sometimes one floating around ebay.

Woodie Guthrie is a good listen and he is a socialist.

These have already been mentioned, but I would second on recommending: Billy Bragg, some Drop Kick Murphys (although some of their stuff is reactionary!), Leadbelly, Dead Kennedys.

I'm wary of Rage Against the Machine. True, they do spread leftist politics, but they make a lot of money and could do more for the cause imo.

If you're looking for a movie to watch, I'd recommend 'Land and Freedom', a really good flick about the Spanish Civil War or 'Some Mother's Son,' about the struggle in occupied Ireland.

[The Forum Idiot]

WOW I found another Leadbelly fan. I'll take all these suggestions into consideration...It obviously depends on what songs I can find cheap/free and how much will fit etc. But meh, it should rock.

[Bazza]

Talking of Billy Bragg, has anyone heard the Grag Milka Crowe cover of Help Save The Youth Of America? If not, then CLICK HERE (http://www.rwpo.ca/sounds/gmc_helpsavetheyouthofamerica.mp3)

[Bazza]

My favourite John Cooper Clarke track is "Beasley Street".
You can pick up a compilation "Snap Crackle & Bop" by John Cooper Clarke pretty cheap which includes "Beasley Street".

[Commie Rat]

basicly any real punk stuff will be anti-cappie

Bad Religion
Anti-Flag
AfI
The Distillers
ect ect ect

[The Forum Idiot]

Erm....Its highly questionable whether the distillers count as "real" punk.

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by The Forum [email protected] 23 2004, 04:07 PM
Erm....Its highly questionable whether the distillers count as "real" punk.
No less real than AFI or Anti-flag in my opinion.

[Hate Is Art]

how are nirvana political?

[Invader Zim]

Manic Street Preachers, nothing more needs to be said.

Just listen to their first three albums, the Holy Bible album is the best leftwing albums of all time, by far. The manics are hands down the best leftwing band still going strong.

If there is one thing to do before you die, or reach 30 at any rate, and that is listen to the track "IFAMERICATOLDTHETRUTHFORONEDAY
IT'SWORLDWOULDFALLAPART".

[Hate Is Art]

its ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfa llapart

but PCP is better and so is Repeat (UK) not (Stars and Stripes)

[iwwobblie]

Ani Difranco

[Invader Zim]

Originally posted by Digital [email protected] 23 2004, 10:28 PM
its ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfa llapart

but PCP is better and so is Repeat (UK) not (Stars and Stripes)
Thats what I thought, but take a look for your self: -

http://uk.sonymusic.co.uk/manics/music04/item.php?id=31

Repeat is a shit song, whichever version, the dance or the rock. But if you want to get itno better songs, motorcycle emptiness is better, slash n' burn, Methadone pretty, sleepflower, La Tristesse Durera, Gold gainst the Soul, Of Walking Abortion, Roses In the Hospital, Yes, Archives of pain, etc. Lots of songs are better, but for simple anger against the system, its has to be if...

[The Forum Idiot]

Originally posted by Digital [email protected] 23 2004, 08:57 PM
how are nirvana political?
Did you ever read the key on the post which I said that? I made it clear that while the music is not really political the people were. Idiot.


The Manics are not the best political band ever....it depends on your taste.

I like lots of political bands....my favourite would probably be REM (if they count) or the Clash or Megadeth

Oh, and another few additions:

Steve Earle (if I haven't already mentioned him)
Kasabian (kind of - revolutionary but not very political song writers)
The Music (kind of - revolutionary but not very political song writers)

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Everything I've heard by Steve Earl is musch more country than the folk I tend to enjoy... Is there something by him that is maybe less "country" and more folk?

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2004, 11:35 AM
Everything I've heard by Steve Earl is musch more country than the folk I tend to enjoy... Is there something by him that is maybe less "country" and more folk?
I think everything of his will have some twang to it but if you can get past that...

[The Forum Idiot]

The Revolution Starts Now is pretty rocky...But I think its mainly country...I'm not exactly an expert on country or folk...If anyone wants some Earle MP3s just email me or contact me on AIM or MSN and I can send you some.

[celtopunk]

My friend does a version of Taneytown:

http://www.scottmx.com/cgi-bin/download.pl?file=Snipers10

[Paavo from Hungary]

Do you ken Boikot? They a punk band. They prepared Hasta la victoria siempre. It's awsome. Please write your notion here,

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by Paavo from [email protected] 29 2004, 07:31 PM
Do you ken Boikot? They a punk band. They prepared Hasta la victoria siempre. It's awsome. Please write your notion here,
THat's the only song of theirs that I've heard. I like it.

[DISTURBEDrbl911]

ok how about the four best political bands/artists ever
- System of a Down
*Steal This Album
*Toxicity
*System of a Down
- Bob Dylan
* Highway 61 Revisited
* The Times they are a Changin'
* all the other ones too
Rage Against the Machine
* all of them
The Fugs
* EVERYTHING

[Invader Zim]

DISTURBEDrbl911 none of the artists/bands you mentioned are better than either the manic street Preachers or the Clash.

[RhetoricalAbsurdity]

Geez, no ska, kids? That makes me sad... well, now I get the honour of being the first to mention THE greatest political/ska band ever: RX Bandits. Peace, Love, and Anti-Consumerism/Capitalism. Plus they have horns. They're awesome, check out the sig.

[celtopunk]

Originally posted by [email protected] 6 2005, 10:46 PM
ok how about the four best political bands/artists ever
- System of a Down
*Steal This Album
*Toxicity
*System of a Down
- Bob Dylan
* Highway 61 Revisited
* The Times they are a Changin'
* all the other ones too
Rage Against the Machine
* all of them
The Fugs
* EVERYTHING
You need to get out more.

[The Forum Idiot]

I agree with Celtopunk. SOAD get boring after the 3000th time...Get ahold of some Newtown Neurotics or Oppressed off Celtopunk. Or The Clash, NOFX, etc.

And there is no "best" political band. Its all a matter of opinion.

[RABBIT - THE - CUBAN - MILITANT]

nobody has said Black Star or The Last Poets



Tupac (has been mention …but its Pac :D )