VA - Let Freedom Sing - The Music of the Civil Rights Movement (2009)

Much of the power of the civil rights movement came with its speeches, but the movement lived just as actively through music. Whether it was blues, folk, gospel, jazz, or R&B, and whether the artist was part of the cause or simply feeling the same yearnings, the music of the civil rights movement provided focus, unity, strength, and power. Time Life's three-disc box set, Let Freedom Sing! Music of the Civil Rights Movement, not only appeared at an auspicious moment in civil rights history – early 2009, when the United States inaugurated its first black president – but it easily ranks as the most thorough look at the music that came to be identified with civil rights. Virtually every single anthem is here, and most of them are performed by the artists who made them popular and powerful, with no regard for label restrictions. And far from focusing on a moment in time – such as the early '60s, when the movement was most fervent – the box set makes a great case for spanning decades, whether particular songs occurred in the pre-history of the movement or dated from a later time, when equality was being celebrated (or still not being felt). Arranged in chronological fashion (roughly), the set is bookended by a version of "Go Down Moses" from 1941 and a 2008 recording of "Free at Last" by the Blind Boys of Alabama. Between those two songs comes a parade of momentous recordings: "We Shall Overcome," "Blowin' in the Wind," "I Shall Not Be Moved," "A Change Is Gonna Come," "If I Had a Hammer," "People Get Ready," "Is It Because I'm Black?," "Stand!," "Respect," "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?," "Strange Fruit," "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel to Be Free)," "Mississippi Goddam," "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud," "Yes, We Can," and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)." (One small caveat: it's difficult to call a civil rights compilation definitive when it fails to include Sam Cooke, although his landmark song, "A Change Is Gonna Come," is heard in one of its best versions, Otis Redding's.) The set moves seamlessly from gospel and blues to later voices such as soul, funk, and hip-hop (even if rap only gets two songs), and although the vast majority of these tracks are familiar, there are many intriguing choices, such as the work of radio DJs and obscure acts. The compilers (Colin Escott, Bas Hartong, Mike Jason) must be saluted for assembling a priceless collection of music.

Tracks:
1.01. The Southern Sons - Go Down Moses (2:46)
1.02. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (3:14)
1.03. Josh White - Uncle Sam Says (2:41)
1.04. The Golden Gate Quartet - No Restricted Signs (3:01)
1.05. Brownie McGhee - Black, Brown, and White (2:38)
1.06. The Weavers - The Hammer Song (If I Had A Hammer) (2:20)
1.07. The Ramparts - The Death Of Emmet Till, Parts 1 & 2 (4:56)
1.08. Big Bill Broonzy - When Do I Get To Be Called A Man? (3:21)
1.09. Brother Will Hairston (Hurricane Of The Motor City) - The Alabama Bus (4:39)
1.10. Nat 'King' Cole - We Are Americans Too (2:53)
1.11. The Staple Singers - Why (Am I Treated So Bad)? (2:53)
1.12. The Harmonizing Four - I Shall Not Be Moved (2:58)
1.13. Harry Belafonte with the Belafonte Folk Singers - Oh Freedom (3:21)
1.14. Louisiana Red - Ride On, Red, Ride On (2:54)
1.15. Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam (4:53)
1.16. Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind (2:48)
1.17. Mahalia Jackson - We Shall Overcome (2:46)
1.18. Phil Ochs Jackson - Too Many Martyrs (2:49)
1.19. J.B. Lenoir - Alabama Blues (3:15)
1.20. The Jubilee Hummingbirds - Our Freedom Song (3:21)
1.21. Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come (4:12)
2.01. Oscar Brown Jr. - Forty Acres and a Mule (3:28)
2.02. The Impressions - People Get Ready (2:40)
2.03. The Mighty Clouds Of Joy - Nobody Can Turn Me Around (2:10)
2.04. Solomon Burke - I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) (2:52)
2.05. Aretha Franklin - Respect (2:26)
2.06. John Lee Hooker - The Motor City Is Burning (2:52)
2.07. George Perkins & The Silver Stars - Cryin' In The Streets, Part 1 (3:20)
2.08. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Abraham, Martin and John (3:04)
2.09. Ray Scott - The Prayer (3:40)
2.10. James Brown - Say It Loud-I'm Black and I'm Proud, Part 1 (3:02)
2.11. Nickie Lee - And Black Is Beautiful (3:02)
2.12. Bill Moss - Sock It To 'Em, Soul Brother (2:27)
2.13. B.B. King - Why I Sing The Blues, Part 1 (3:44)
2.14. James Brown - I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself), Part 1 (3:14)
2.15. Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (3:08)
2.16. The Temptations - Message From A Black Man (6:00)
2.17. Sly Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black (3:58)
2.18. Swamp Dogg - I Was Born Blue (3:02)
2.19. Lee Dorsey - Yes, We Can, Part 1 (3:31)
2.20. Curtis Mayfield - We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue (6:06)
2.21. Bob & Marcia - Young, Gifted, and Black (3:14)
3.01. Gill Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (3:06)
3.02. The Chi-Lites - (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People (3:54)
3.03. The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes (3:17)
3.04. Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (5:29)
3.05. Aaron Neville - Hercules (3:41)
3.06. Bob Marley and the Wailers - Get Up, Stand Up (3:16)
3.07. The Isley Brothers - Fight The Power, Part 1 (3:21)
3.08. The O'Jays - Give The People What They Want (4:13)
3.09. Jungle Brothers - Black Is Black (3:39)
3.10. The Neville Brothers - Sister Rosa (3:32)
3.11. Chuck D - The Pride (4:28)
3.12. Sounds Of Blackness - Unity (3:53)
3.13. Solomon Burke - None Of Us Are Free (5:31)
3.14. The Sojourners - Eyes On The Prize (3:46)
3.15. Mavis Staples - Down In Mississippi (4:58)
3.16. The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Free At Last (3:31)