2003 JANUARY 6 #006
Red Shadow (The Economics Rock & Roll Band) - Understanding Marx
"Read Marx and Lenin it will really turn you loose!" Nothing like a groovy now sound take on Marxism. Happy-go-lucky singers with spoken stories. Classic.
- Otis Fodder
TT-5:05 / 4.66MB / 128kbps 44.1khz
from LP, "Live At The Panacea Hilton" (Physical Records 21-005, 1975)
Ev Ehrlich (Beta hat) member of Red Shadow writes:
News of your discovery -- rediscovery? uncovery? -- of Red Shadow (JANUARY
6) has reached Red Shadow via a friend who reads the Guardian. We salute you
for appreciating the one enduring value of our work of almost 30 years ago --
the fun we were having. Best to you.
Eric Wonderman found band member Ev Ehrlich here:
http://www.twbookmark.com/authors/37/1324/index.html
"Ehrlich wrote his first novel, Big Government, in a series of furtive moments
and late night somnambulisms over the past 15 years, intent on capturing the
culture and values of politics before they captured him. He has also written
radio plays, been an aspiring comic book artist, and was cofounder of Red Shadow:
The Economics Rock & Roll Band, an all-economist, political band that sounded
as bad then as the idea does now."
Irwin Chusid writes:
As Ronald Reagan, my favorite statesman, once said, "How do you tell a
communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell
an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."
Forksclovetofu writes:
This might be a given, but I was surprised to see that
there was no note to accompany the "Understanding
Marx" track to comment that it was a take on the
great '68 Ray Charles track "Understanding".
Anyone else find it a bit off-putting that this up-with-the-proletariat
ditty has its roots in a song where a man threatens to
bury a "double blade axe" in his loving woman?
Wasn't this where communism eventually led us anyway?
Here's the lyrics courtesy of: http://www.thepeaches.com/music/raycharles/Understanding.txt
Carl Howard writes:
So while listening to all these angry young go-getters
getting turned loose and getting their heads straightened
out, and basically whatever else it takes to become
an angry young libertarian (and future kneejerk right-wingers,
if history's taught us anything), I began to wonder,
where in all of this jaunty, peppy screed was the name
Friedrich Engels? Well let's just forget about that
because... apparently they all did. This is probably
the jauntiest, peppiest screed I've come across since
Neil Diamond's fabled "Pot Song."
DJ Princess Wendy writes:
Are you aware that the backup singers in the Marx
song sound too much like the female backup singers
in Lou Reed's (annoying) song "Walk On The Wild
Side". Do you think they shared the same session
singers? Now I'm gonna go snowmobile my way to the
forest of inner peace...
Patrick B writes:
I'm convinced "Understanding Marx" was the inspiration for Schoolhouse
Rock:
Manufacturing injunction, what's your function?
Giving the workers control of the means of production.
