The Past Didn't Go Anywhere
Encyclopedia
The Past Didn't Go Anywhere is an album by American
folksinger
Utah Phillips
and American singer-songwriter
Ani DiFranco
. It was released October 15, 1996, on Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe Records
.
The album consists of recordings of Utah Phillips telling stories at concerts that have been set to musical background by Ani DiFranco. There are no songs as such on the album, and DiFranco only provides background vocals on the first and last tracks as part of her remixing efforts.
The album was followed by Fellow Workers
, a second collaboration between Phillips and DiFranco, which focused on Union songs associated with the Industrial Workers of the World
and contained singing as well as spoken word pieces.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folksinger
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
Utah Phillips
Utah Phillips
Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...
and American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
. It was released October 15, 1996, on Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe Records
Righteous Babe Records
Righteous Babe Records is an American independent record label. It was created by progressive folksinger Ani DiFranco in 1990 to release her own songs in lieu of being beholden to a mainstream record company.-History:...
.
The album consists of recordings of Utah Phillips telling stories at concerts that have been set to musical background by Ani DiFranco. There are no songs as such on the album, and DiFranco only provides background vocals on the first and last tracks as part of her remixing efforts.
The album was followed by Fellow Workers
Fellow Workers
Fellow Workers is an album by American folksinger Utah Phillips and American singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. It was released May 18, 1999, on Difranco's own Righteous Babe Records. Fellow Workers is DiFranco's and Phillip's second collaboration, following The Past Didn't Go Anywhere...
, a second collaboration between Phillips and DiFranco, which focused on Union songs associated with the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
and contained singing as well as spoken word pieces.
Track listing
All tracks written by Utah Phillips and Ani DiFranco.- "Bridges" – 8:03
- "Nevada City, California" – 6:41
- "Korea" – 8:30
- "Anarchy" – 6:27
- "Candidacy" – 1:45
- "Bum on the Rod" – 4:18
- "Enormously Wealthy" – 0:43
- "Mess With People" – 6:44
- "Natural Resources" – 2:31
- "Heroes" – 1:07
- "Half a Ghost Town" – 4:22
- "Holding On" – 6:13
Personnel
- Ani DiFranco – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, vocals, thumb pianoThumb pianoThe thumb piano is an African musical instrument, a type of plucked idiophone common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:Each note of a kalimba, mbira, etc. is a separate idiophone, and in orchestral terms, the instrument as a whole belongs in the bar percussion family...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer, sampling, artworkVisual artsThe visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes.... - Utah PhillipsUtah PhillipsBruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...
– spoken wordSpoken wordSpoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
, vocals, guitar - Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
– spoken word excerpt - Darcie Deaville – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Mark Hallman – engineer
- Marty Lester – engineer
- Chris Bellman – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Blair Woods – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...