Songs of Freedom Combo Pack

Please note: Due to the killer deal being offered, Combo Packs are not available for any further discount to resale customers or Friends of PM.

A fantastic combo pack of politically engaged music and history not to be missed! This combo pack includes:

Songs of Freedom (CD) By The James Connolly Songs of Freedom Band

Songs of Freedom: The James Connolly Songbook By James Connolly and edited by Mat Callahan with a Preface by Theo Dorgan and Foreword by James Connolly Heron

Songs of Freedom (CD) spans the rollicking welcome of "A Festive Song" to the defiant battle cry of "Watchword of Labor," Songs of Freedom accomplishes the difficult task of making contemporary music out of old revolutionary songs. Far from the archival preservation of embalmed corpses, the inspired performance of a rocking band turns the timeless lyrics of James Connolly into timely manifestos for today's young rebels. As Connolly himself repeatedly urged, nothing can replace the power of music to raise the fighting spirit of the oppressed.

Giving expression to Connolly's internationalism, musical influences ranging from traditional Irish airs to American rhythm and blues are combined here in refreshing creativity. As for the songs themselves, nine have lyrics by Connolly, three were written about Connolly, and one, �The Red Flag,� was chosen by Connolly to be in the original Songs of Freedom songbook of 1907, subsequently becoming a classic song of Labor. The instrumentation is acoustic: guitars, uilleann pipes, whistles, fiddle, accordion, and Irish harp, as well as drums and bass.

1. A Festive Song

2. Be Moderate

3. Human Freedom

4. Connolly Was There

5. A Rebel Song

6. Saoirse a R�in

7. When Labor Calls

8. O Slaves of Toil

9. Shake Out Your Banners

10. The Irish Rebel

11. The Red Flag

12. Watchword of Labor

13. Where Is James Connolly?

Songs of Freedom: The James Connolly Songbook: is a celebration of the life and work of James Connolly, the Irish revolutionary socialist martyred by the British government for his role in the Easter Rising of 1916. It is at once a collection of stirring revolutionary songs and a vital historical document. For the first time in a hundred years, readers will find the original Songs of Freedom as well as the 1919 Connolly Souvenir program published in Dublin for a concert commemorating Connolly's birth. Both are reproduced exactly as they originally appeared, providing a fascinating glimpse of the workers' struggle at the beginning of the last century. To complete the picture is included the James Connolly Songbook of 1972, which contains not only the most complete selection of Connolly's lyrics, but also historical background essential to understanding the context in which the songs were written and performed.

See and hear more on James Connolly's page HERE