Music wedded to politics can work very well, or it can backfire. Here, in my opinion, are four examples that work very well.
I've posted these elsewhere and am now posting them here.
The Ex - Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years, 1980-1990
The Ex are committed philosophical idealists and political activists, who also happen to be a long existing and deeply influential punk band. The Ex - from the Netherlands - formed in the late '70s, and began recording in the early 80s, releasing singles, EPs and LPs on various indie labels, and participating in the creation and maintanence of politcal punk scenes in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. This recording compiles much of their early work, and sounds very raw and abrasive, as well as minimalist and lo-fi. Most of the songs are sung in English (though some, such as Lied Der Steinklopfer, are not), and offer socially critical and political themes and topics. While a number of the songs sound a bit same-ish, some do stand out. Among these are Human Car, which explores the analogy of man:machine, and does so over classic hardcore punk riffs, and some of the more explicitly topical or political songs, such as Cells, Weapons for El Salvador, Enough is Enough (which also features a kind of Middle Eastern sounding motif within the song), and the dirgelike Memberhips. Highly recommended for fans of noise bands and/or leftist message oriented punk. Perhaps less so for the casual listener.
The Ex's members have included: G.W. Sok, Andy Ex, Tom Greene, Terrie Hessels, Terrie Ex, Katrin Bornfeld, Wineke T. Hart, Luc Klaassen, Jos Kley, Sabien Witteman, René, and Geurt
The Gang of Four - Solid Gold
When I saw the Gang of Four perform live in the early 80s, bassist Dave Allen, a brilliant musician, was, sadly, gone, though in his place was a fairly decent replacement, Sara Lee. The Go4 were true post-punk progressives, who sought to elevate women rock musicians as the equals of men, at a time when this was still a novel concept. In fact, the Gang of Four's progressivism was partly the result of the earthshaking consequences of 1970s British punk, of which this band was definitely a part (their first recording - the Damaged Goods EP - was released in 1978, still the punk heyday). Their progressivism was also a result of their university education in philosophy, and specifically, in the neo-marxist critical theory of scholars like Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse, and Antonio Gramsci, all of whose work informs the Gang's lyrical content and sensibilities. But these were also smart young men, loaded with talent, living in a world in which they felt alienated. Seeing them live was great! They rocked, and they connected with the audience, a large gathering of mostly Americans who were deeply in to them. And lead singer John King certainly had the funky white guy thing going on, as he was constantly in motion on stage, as guitarist Andy Gill riffed away, fearlessly and energetically.
Here, on Solid Gold, mixing punk, postpunk, funk, dance, and just a bit of free jazz, the Gang of Four wildly succeed in producing one of the 80s finest musical hours. The key to this record are probably the tight rhythms which the band produces. In fact, the bass lines here are anything but simple, whereas the guitar lines are effectively simple, and sharply rhythmic. Also, the band's messages are a bit less cryptic and thus a bit clearer than on Entertainment, which seemed so immersed in social theory (though, of course, this recording has a song called Why Theory?, about praxis, with the clever split of the vocals between King and Gill). The messages of song's like Capital (It Fails Us Now), History's Bunk!, and If I Could Keep It For Myself are pointedly clear, not to mention very insightful.
One other observation. This has some of this band's best, and best known, songs, including What We All Want (which they've recently re-recorded), In The Ditch, Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time, and To Hell With Poverty.
The MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
Throughout rock history, there have been a number of bands, particularly from the Midwest, vying to be known as *the* all American, working class "people's band." This is a trend which, I would say, probably accelerated with Grand Funk, continued through the 70s with groups like the Michael Stanley Band, as well as Bob Seger (whose Get out of Denver is a classic, and whose Night Moves remains for me a personal favorite of its era), and others, and then picked up steam in the 80s with John Mellencamp (an aside - there is a contemporary punk band, I don't know what they sound like, but they call themselves John Cougar Concentration Camp, which I find amusing, albeit in a non-PC way), and probably dozens of others. Most recently, we've had Kid Rock.
However, I've always thought the true representatives of the repressed condition of the heartland working class were more the rebels and miscreants like the MC5 and the Stooges, (or in England, Black Sabbath from the industrial city of Birmingham would have been more or less the equivalent) and then later on, bands like the Dead Boys and even Pere Ubu , or today, the novelty-rap act Insane Clown Posse. No disrespect intended to the working class, or for that matter, the Midwest; I come from working class roots myself, and spent three enjoyable years of my life in the Midwest.
Listening to this blend of garage band power chords, proto heavy metal and protest rock, what you hear, beyond a somewhat murky sound, is the blood, sweat and tears of a fine group of rebel rockers. These guys deserve to be thought of as a seminal precursor to punk, particularly the more politically driven punk of bands like the Clash, Dead Kennedys and Millions of Dead Cops. Here, then, is a chance to hear what the MC5 sounded like live. It may have been the 60s, but mellow is not a word to describe them.
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombation In 12 Bursts
I got first turned onto punk in the late 70s, while in high school, after hearing the first two Ramones records. I then tried to listen to and read about punk, and particularly favored bands that had some originality or a style all their own.
In the eighties, as punk went in at least two directions (i.e., postpunk/noise and hardcore), there were many bands but few standouts; Husker Duh, Black Flag, the Flesh Eaters, X, P.I.L., Gang of Four were among the standouts.
So here it is, early in the 21st century, and what is punk, now? Some would argue that its glory is largely a thing of the past, and what passes for punk now is basically a rigid formula and a pale imitation of what once was. While that may be largely true, I know that its also always possible to over idealize the past and to not see it as it actually was. In fact, there were mediocre punk bands in the 70s and there are at least some excellent ones in the late 90s/early 00s; Refused are one such band.
I recently got turned onto this band, and this record in particular, and boy is it good, really good in fact. Sounding a bit like a combination of Fugazi, the Rollins Band, and a number of punk-metal bands from over the years with just a sprinkling of jazz and techno thrown in to enhance the recipe, Refused play really tight, have a wide variety of arrangements to keep things from getting monotonous (a problem with a lot of bands), and offer sharply satirical lyrics containing a sort of anarchist rage at global capitalism and forms of repression. All in all, a complete package on a record which will likely wind up on a lot of critics lists of the best punk of all time. What this all proves: punk lives!
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