| Description | Tracks 1-2: Ewan MacColl says he does not believe that popular art has to be 'sub-art' and gives examples from ancient Greek drama, Elizabethan theatre, Commedia del Arte, and nineteenth-century choral music in Wales; he says he believes that we need to take the best of the past in music and add to it - he does not believe that pop music does this and it has not been done yet, but he believes that we can
Tracks 3-4: He talks about the use of folk tunes and ideas by the pop industry, for example Shirley Ellis's clapping song, and talks about the pop industry 'reducing' folk music by imposing bar lines on unmeasured songs and reducing the reality of lyrics, he gives an example of Anthony Newley's use of 'Strawberry Fair' - 'they take works of art and transform them into commodities'; pop music has to have a beat, but the bulk of our traditional music is music without a beat; he discusses Dylan's 'With God on Our Side', protest songs, and anti-war protest, songs neutralising the need for protest
Track 5: He says that protest songs assuage feelings of guilt, without having the effect real protest should have, you should feel disturbed; he talks about recording youngsters for 'On the Edge' who said that they liked the beat of pop music but couldn't quote a verse from any of the songs - therefore pop music is not a revolt but a retreat from reality.
Total: 16.04 mins
Dubber's reference number: PLA KF549C0356380 |