80's "protest songs"mixtape ideas needed

Grahamchard

Trouble Loves me
Hi Guys,

I am feeling rebelious ha ha and was thinking of the time of THATCHER:sick:REAGAN:sick: MINERS STRIKE:mad: ect and fancy making a mixtape(CD) of songs from way back when, that showed the hatred of the political system then.....

3 to start it off....................

1. THE BEAT.... STAND DOWN MARGRET

2. THE SPECIALS.... GHOST TOWN

3. FRANKIE GOES BLAH BLAH...... TWO TRIBES

Any others greatly accepted and once compiled I will upload it and maybe we can re ignite the mixtape craze
:guitar:
 
Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela

Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding

Billy Bragg - New England

Morrissey - Interesting Drug

Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down


This topic has been discussed on BBC London's Robert Elms show sometime ago, if I remember I'll add more.
 
Last edited:
Great start,

I had forgot completely SHIPBUILDING
 
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy is a bit protesting.

Margaret on the guillotine? The triteness would possibly send up any noble intentions you may or may not have had.
 
Aint gonna play Sun City by the bloke who played in Springsteen's E Street band

Choice by The Blow Monkeys

Heartland by The The

Good Morning Britain by Aztec Camera & Mick Jones

We Are The World / Let Them Know It's Christmas Time:D

Jukebox Jury
 
Aint gonna play Sun City by the bloke who played in Springsteen's E Street band

Choice by The Blow Monkeys

Heartland by The The

Good Morning Britain by Aztec Camera & Mick Jones

We Are The World / Let Them Know It's Christmas Time:D

Jukebox Jury


Good Morning Britain is actually released in 1990, stricly not an 80s protest song. :p
 
Nothing Ever Happens by Delamitri

World Destruction by Afrika Bambatta and John Lydon

Jukebox Jury
 
Last edited:
Really good idea, Gramham.

Painted Moon - The Silencers
People Have The Power - Patti Smiths
Rock The Casbah - The Clash
Streets Of Sorrow/Birmingham Six - The Pogues
Tramp The Dirt Down - Elvis Costello & The Attractions

And almost anything by Dead Kennedy's, Billy Bragg and some REM
 
Great idea!

The Jam:Town called Malice (1981)
The Style Council:Walls Come Tumbling Down (1985)

Lyrics:
You don't have to take this crap
You don't have to sit back and relax
You can actually try changing it
I know we've always been taught to rely
Upon those in authority -
But you never know until you try
How things just might be -
If we came together so strongly

Are you gonna try to make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see things can change -
YES an' walls can come tumbling down!

Governments crack and systems fall
'cause Unity is powerful -
Lights go out - walls come tumbling down!

The competition is a colour TV
We're on still pause with the video machine
That keep you slave to the H.P.

Until the Unity is threatend by
Those who have and who have not -
Those who are with and those who are without
And dangle jobs like a donkey's carrot -
Until you don't know where you are

Are you gonna realize
The class war's real and not mythologized
And like Jericho - You see walls can come tumbling down!

Are you gonna be threatend by
The public enemies No. 10 -
Those who play the power game
They take the profits - you take the blame -
When they tell you there's no rise in pay

Are you gonna try an' make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt -
You see things CAN change -
YES an' walls can come tumbling down!

and all the songs from TSC: "Our Favorite Shop"
 
The Communards -- "Breadline Britain" and "Reprise". QUINTESSENCE of the times, in my opinion. The Communards were Jimmy Sommerville's (of Bronski Beat) project with classical pianist Richard Coles, fyi. They had some very smashing songs, but I'd recommend these for your tastes.
 
I'm sure just about any song from the first two or three Billy Bragg albums would work.

As for the United States and Ronald Reagan, "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now" by the Dead Kennedys comes to mind:



Last call for alcohol.
Last call for your freedom of speech.
Drink up. Happy hour is now enforced by law.
Don't forget our house special, it's called a Trickie Dickie Screwdriver.
It's got one part Jack Daniels, two parts purple Kool-Aid,
and a jigger of formaldehyde
from the jar with Hitler's brain in it we got in the back storeroom.
Happy trails to you. Happy trails to you.

I am Emperor Ronald Reagan
Born again with fascist cravings
Still, you made me president

Human rights will soon go 'way
I am now your Shah today
Now I command all of you
Now you're going to pray in school
I'll make sure they're Christian too

California Uber alles
Uber alles California

Ku Klux Klan will control you
Still you think it's natural
n***** knockin' for the master race
Still you wear the happy face

You closed your eyes, can't happen here
Alexander Haig is near
Vietnam won't come back you say
Join the army or you will pay

California Uber alles
Uber alles California

Yeah, that's it. Just relax.
Have another drink, few more pretzels, little more MSG.
Turn on those Dallas Cowboys on your TV.
Lock your doors. Close your mind.
It's time for the two-minute warning.

Welcome to 1984
Are you ready for the third world war?!?
You too will meet the secret police
They'll draft you and they'll jail your niece

You'll go quitely to boot camp
They'll shoot you dead, make you a man
Don't you worry, it's for a cause
Feeding global corporations' claws

Die on our brand new poison gas
El Salvador or Afghanistan
Making money for President Reagan
And all the friends of President Reagan

California Uber alles
Uber alles California

:D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Guys,

Its a long long while since I uploaded anything and just hoping I have got this correct, Tried using megaupload as I seem to be able to get my head around it a bit easier hope thats ok.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VLC6VI58

Disenchanted Angry Young Man ( apart from Patti Smith obviously:) )

1 - Boy George - No clause 28

2 - Bronski Beat - Small Town boy

3 - Frankie Goes To hollywood - Two tribes

4 - Del Amitri - Nothing Ever Happens

5 - James - Promised Land

6 - Elvis costello - Tramp Down The Dirt

7 - The Jam - Town Called Malice

8 - The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down

9 - The Pogues -Streets Of Sorrow/ Birmingham Six

10 - Communards - Breadline Britain

11 - Robert Wyatt - Ship Building

12 - Patti Smith - People Have The Power

13 - Aztec Camera - Good Morning Britain

14 - Billy Bragg - New England

15 - Billy Bragg - To Have And To Have Not

16 - Afrika Bambatta + John Lydon - World Destruction

17 - The Beat - Stand Down Margaret

18 - The Specials - Ghost Town

19 - Morrissey - Margaret On The Guillotine
 
I like the "funky gay sex is nice" tone of the opening tracks. All up, I think we've come up with an awesome compilation! :)
 
Yes those first 3 tracks fitted together well, glad you like it. I have had it on in the car the past week ha ha
 
Nothing Ever Happens by Delamitri

World Destruction by Afrika Bambatta and John Lydon
Jukebox Jury

Great choice! I love that song.

BTW: I recommend a lot of the hardcore/streetpunk at the time. Bands like Dead Kennedys, MDC, and Reagan Youth in the US, and UK bands like Crass, Conflict, Oi Polloi, etc. The 80's was the heyday of UK anarcho/streetpunk so theres' a pretty large pool to draw from.
 
1. Still ill
2. Heaven Knows
3. The whole point of no return
4. Going Underground
5. Sheep
6. Sitting on a fence
7. Olivers army
 
Back
Top Bottom