Starvation Army Band Music No. 1 – Songs of the IWW and the Salvation Army
This is quite a vintage-sounding performance, but it has spirit. It even has a little Beaver & Krause facility that possessed their “Walkin’ By the River,” & “A Real Slow Drag.” This effort is all brass & guts with suave arrangements played modern-day & not missing a trick. Yes, it’s songs of protesting but in a more dignified manner than in recent times. Note the substitution cleverly of “salvation” for “starvation.”
The melodies of these dusty tunes possess an invigorating performance without being rendered comedic. All have exuberant slices of fighting back – musically. These protestors knew to win they needed the sympathy of the public & not their disdain.
Respectfully played by the Brass Band of Columbus with the NY Democratic Socialist Choir. Who assemble to sing songs from the IWW “Little Red Song Book.” Some songs were by the legendary Joe Hill, Charles Ives, unnamed fellow workers, as well as, Christian hymns & satirical lyrics in a labor singing tradition.
So, let’s not get our underwear in a twist – this is primarily entertainment & for recollecting an era that did things differently. There are 15 pieces scattered throughout Starvation Army Band Music No. 1 – Songs of the IWW and the Salvation Army (Drops May 3/Free Dirt Records/PM Preserve/Trade Root Music/48:00). Band conductor Chris David-Munoz & featured bass-baritone Harris Ipock is good on the church-like “A Dream.”
The CD package is designed with an antiquity touch, but it never compromises the quality of the showcase. Recorded in Granville, Ohio & in a Brooklyn, NY studio it was produced by Christina Giacona & Patrick Conlon.
There’s lots of history behind this material & that’s outlined in a handsome 20 pp stitched insert. It may be a little too aged for some ears, but it’s recorded pristinely without that scratchy 78 rpm overlay. The chorale shines in the near hymnal “Never My Job To Thee,” a well-thought-out parody of a spiritual song.
Some of the shorter pieces are well-arranged instrumental interludes. It breaks up the gung-ho of the vocalists & the recording is filled with classic melodies that’ll be instantly recognizable. But it’s more for completists & those who thoroughly enjoy nostalgic throwbacks to the music of another realm. Some of our best music of the past did come from rebellion.
Highlights – “Hallelujah (Hallelujah, I’m a Bum)/My God, I Am Thine,” “Out on the Breadline/Throw Out the Lifeline,” “The Preacher & the Slave/We Shall Win,” “Salvation, or General William Booth Enters Into Heaven,” “Never My Job To Thee/Nearer My God, To Thee,” “Covenant,” “A Dream,” “Christians at War/Onward Christian Soldiers” & 2 bonus meticulous acapella tunes.
Musicians & Singers – Too numerous to mention but listed in the insert.
CD @ Apple + Amazon & https://freedirt.net/products/starvation-army-band-music-no-1-songs-of-the-iww-and-the-salvation-army & https://store.iww.org/shop/starvation-army-band-music-no-1/
