Songs For Political Action: Folkmusic, Topical Songs And The American Left 1926-1953

(10-CD LP-sized box-set with 212-page hardcover book) Maybe it didn't bring about the social and economic equality that it strove for, but the American Left of the 1930s and 1940s did leave one lasting legacy: the urban folk song revival. The energetic, politically daring music of the Almanac Singers and its predecessors, contemporaries and successors continue to resonate through today's singer-songwriters. Spanning the years 1926 to 1953, this set features nearly 300 extremely rare recordings on 10 compact discs. The songs offer a comprehensive overview of this enduring music, from the labor choruses and New York's socially conscious theatrical scene of the 1930s, to the Almanac Singers' influential, ground-breaking recordings. It continues through the war years and the postwar idealism of People's Songs and ends with the disturbing anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era that silenced many of these talented, dedicated performers. This set includes a large format hardcover book documenting the era and the recordings it produced in words and pictures.
ARSC Award Winner in 1997: ”Best Research in the Field of Recorded Folk or Ethnic Music”.