English Rebel Songs 1381-1984
Encyclopedia
English Rebel Songs 1381–1984 is a 2003
studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba
. It was originally released in 1988
with a slightly different tracklist as English Rebel Songs 1381–1914. Composed mostly of traditional English protest songs, the recording was a stark contrast to the group's previous punk recordings, pointing towards their future integration of choral and a cappella
music, as well as a greater focus on harmony
in their musical sound.
Some of the songs come from Stand Together by Hackney and Islington music group, 100 Songs Of Toil by Karl Dallas, A Touch On The Times, and A Ballard History of England by Roy Palmer
. Many of the songs are still performed by modern English folk bands such as The Houghton Weavers and Coope, Boys & Simpson
.
The original LP recording (1988) was released on CD in 1994
by One Little Indian Records
. Chumbawamba re-recorded the album (and modified the title) in 2003, adding two extra tracks, releasing it under their newly formed MUTT Records label.
From the 2003 re-release: "Now, fifteen years later, we felt we'd learned enough about our voices to try again, updating and rearranging the songs against a backdrop of US/British warmongering. The songs were discovered in songbooks and in folk clubs and on cassette tapes, chopped and changed and bludgeoned into shape with utmost respect for the original tunes."
According to the 1994 CD notes: "The words are sung, with a couple of exceptions. exactly how we found them written. To start chopping and changing them all to fit in with modern language and ideas would have destroyed the reason why we wanted to do them like this (Which isn't to say that folk music isn't to be changed, edited and modernised.) Consequently the language and meaning seem a bit peculiar at times."
1988 recording
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
. It was originally released in 1988
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
with a slightly different tracklist as English Rebel Songs 1381–1914. Composed mostly of traditional English protest songs, the recording was a stark contrast to the group's previous punk recordings, pointing towards their future integration of choral and a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
music, as well as a greater focus on harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
in their musical sound.
Some of the songs come from Stand Together by Hackney and Islington music group, 100 Songs Of Toil by Karl Dallas, A Touch On The Times, and A Ballard History of England by Roy Palmer
Roy Palmer
Roy Palmer was a U.S. jazz trombonist.Palmer was born in the Carrollton neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Early in his career he also played violin, guitar and trumpet. He worked with brass bands including the Tuxedo and the Onward, with Papa Celestin, and with Richard M...
. Many of the songs are still performed by modern English folk bands such as The Houghton Weavers and Coope, Boys & Simpson
Coope Boyes and Simpson
Coope, Boyes and Simpson are an English vocal folk trio, formed around 1990. Their sound is rich and often has unusual vocal harmonies.The group comprises singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes and Lester Simpson, and almost all of their music is sung entirely a capella, although they have occasionally...
.
The original LP recording (1988) was released on CD in 1994
1994 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....
by One Little Indian Records
One Little Indian Records
One Little Indian Records is a London-based independent record label that rose from the ashes of punk record company Spiderleg Records. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarchist punk bands, and managed by ex-Flux of Pink Indians Derek Birkett. The first success came with A.R. Kane and...
. Chumbawamba re-recorded the album (and modified the title) in 2003, adding two extra tracks, releasing it under their newly formed MUTT Records label.
Track listing (2003 version)
| # | Song Name | Length | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Cutty Wren Cutty Wren The Cutty Wren and its variants like The Hunting of the Wren are traditional English folk songs. The origins and meaning of the song are disputed... " |
1:55 | 1381 | Written during the Peasants' Revolt Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the... |
| 2 | "The Diggers Song" | 2:31 | 1649 | Written by Gerrard Winstanley Gerrard Winstanley Gerrard Winstanley was an English Protestant religious reformer and political activist during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell... , leader of the Diggers |
| 3 | "Colliers March" | 2:28 | 1782 | Written by John Freeth; Refers to a march of workers in Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... protesting at the price of bread |
| 4 | "The Triumph of General Ludd" | 3:02 | 1812 | Refers to the Luddite Luddite The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life... Rebellion |
| 5 | "Chartist Anthem" | 1:34 | 1840s | Refers to the People's Charter drawn up by the Chartists Chartism Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world... in 1838 demanding universal suffrage Universal suffrage Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens... |
| 6 | "The Bad Squire" | 3:54 | 1847 | Adaptation of a poem by Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:... written in defence of poachers. The original text can be found here |
| 7 | "Song on the Times" | 2:35 | 1840s | Written after the repeal of the Corn Laws Corn Laws The Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846. The barriers were introduced by the Importation Act 1815 and repealed by the Importation Act 1846... |
| 8 | "Smashing of the Van" | 2:09 | 1867 | Refers to the Manchester Martyrs Manchester Martyrs The Manchester Martyrs – William Philip Allen, Michael Larkin, and Michael O'Brien – were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an organisation dedicated to ending British rule in Ireland. They were executed for the murder of a police officer in Manchester, England, in 1867, during... who were hanged in Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... for shooting a policeman while rescuing two Irish men from jail |
| 9 | "The World Turned Upside Down The World Turned Upside Down The World Turned Upside Down is an English ballad. It was first published on a broadside in 1643 as a protest against the policies of Parliament relating to the celebration of Christmas. Parliament believed the holiday should be a solemn occasion, and outlawed traditional English Christmas... " |
1:22 | 1647 | The title comes from a Diggers pamphlet |
| 10 | "Poverty Knock" | 3:14 | 1890s | Written by factory workers |
| 11 | "Idris Strike Song" | 2:49 | 1911 | Written in 1911 about a strike Strike action Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became... at the Idris soft drink factory in Wales; The Idris brand is now owend by Britvic Britvic Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks. It is the number two soft drinks producer in the UK. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index... |
| 12 | "Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire is a war song of World War I. The song sarcastically recounts the location of various army members, not to be found in the combat zone, and concludes by describing the location of the old battalion: "hanging on the old barbed wire"... " |
2:02 | 1918 | Written by soldiers during World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... |
| 13 | "Coal Not Dole" | 2:00 | 1984 | Written by Kay Sutcliffe & Mat Fox; About the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) |
From the 2003 re-release: "Now, fifteen years later, we felt we'd learned enough about our voices to try again, updating and rearranging the songs against a backdrop of US/British warmongering. The songs were discovered in songbooks and in folk clubs and on cassette tapes, chopped and changed and bludgeoned into shape with utmost respect for the original tunes."
Track listing (1988/1994 versions)
- "The Cutty WrenCutty WrenThe Cutty Wren and its variants like The Hunting of the Wren are traditional English folk songs. The origins and meaning of the song are disputed...
(Part 1)" - "The Diggers Song"
- "Colliers March"
- "The Triumph of General Ludd"
- "Chartist Anthem"
- "Song on the Times"
- "Smashing of the Van"
- "The World Turned Upside DownThe World Turned Upside DownThe World Turned Upside Down is an English ballad. It was first published on a broadside in 1643 as a protest against the policies of Parliament relating to the celebration of Christmas. Parliament believed the holiday should be a solemn occasion, and outlawed traditional English Christmas...
" - "Poverty Knock"
- "Idris Strike Song"
- "Hanging on the Old Barbed WireHanging on the Old Barbed WireHanging on the Old Barbed Wire is a war song of World War I. The song sarcastically recounts the location of various army members, not to be found in the combat zone, and concludes by describing the location of the old battalion: "hanging on the old barbed wire"...
" - "The Cutty Wren (Part 2)"
According to the 1994 CD notes: "The words are sung, with a couple of exceptions. exactly how we found them written. To start chopping and changing them all to fit in with modern language and ideas would have destroyed the reason why we wanted to do them like this (Which isn't to say that folk music isn't to be changed, edited and modernised.) Consequently the language and meaning seem a bit peculiar at times."
Personnel
2003 re-recording- Lou Watts
- Harry Hamer
- Danbert NobaconDanbert NobaconDanbert Nobacon was a vocalist and occasional keyboard player in the Leeds based anarchist band Chumbawamba...
- Jude Abbott
- Boff WhalleyBoff WhalleyAllan Mark "Boff" Whalley is the lead guitarist for the band Chumbawamba.-Early life and education:Whalley was born Allan Mark Whalley in 1961 in Burnley, Lancashire...
- Neil Ferguson
- Simon "Commonknowledge" Lanzon
1988 recording
- Harry
- Simon Commonknowledge
- Lou
- BoffBoff WhalleyAllan Mark "Boff" Whalley is the lead guitarist for the band Chumbawamba.-Early life and education:Whalley was born Allan Mark Whalley in 1961 in Burnley, Lancashire...
- Mavis Dillon
- Cobie Laan
- Danbert NobaconDanbert NobaconDanbert Nobacon was a vocalist and occasional keyboard player in the Leeds based anarchist band Chumbawamba...
- Alice Nutter was otherwise engaged
- Dunst was reading football fanzine