Archive for August, 2013


The Kingston Trio’s self-titled debut album, recorded in early 1958, had been successful in capturing their range, but not the excitement or the good humor that the group generated on-stage. Their second LP, recorded live at the “Hungry I” in San Francisco on August 15 and 16, 1958, just a few days after the debut LP’s release, captured a better picture of their total act, distilling down a major chunk of their live act to vinyl.

Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane obviously are all having a great time, and they’re in top form musically, which brings the crowd (and the rest of us) along. Among the established parts of their current and future recorded repertoire represented here are “Zombie Jamboree” (identified as “the song that killed calypso”) and “The Merry Minuet,” interspersed with suitable live material, including “They Call the Wind Maria,” featuring Shane in a breathtakingly beautiful take on the song from Paint Your Wagon.

The recording was about as fine as any live music document of this period – the microphone placement seems almost miraculous in terms of capturing the voices, guitars, banjo, bass, and bongos, plus the crowd reactions, and the only flaw (not perceived as such at the time) was that the show was recorded only in mono, which would eventually doom the album to deletion after more than a decade.

There have since been other live recordings by the group unearthed from this period, and within a year they would record a concert in stereo, but “…From the “Hungry I” is still the album by which most original fans first came to take in their sound, especially as its release coincided with the rise to the top of the charts of the single “Tom Dooley.”  

The Kingsto Trio – …From The Hungry I (1959)
(256 kbps, cover art included         

The Kingston Trio’s self-titled debut album, recorded in early 1958, had been successful in capturing their range, but not the excitement or the good humor that the group generated on-stage. Their second LP, recorded live at the “Hungry I” in San Francisco on August 15 and 16, 1958, just a few days after the debut LP’s release, captured a better picture of their total act, distilling down a major chunk of their live act to vinyl.

Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane obviously are all having a great time, and they’re in top form musically, which brings the crowd (and the rest of us) along. Among the established parts of their current and future recorded repertoire represented here are “Zombie Jamboree” (identified as “the song that killed calypso”) and “The Merry Minuet,” interspersed with suitable live material, including “They Call the Wind Maria,” featuring Shane in a breathtakingly beautiful take on the song from Paint Your Wagon.

The recording was about as fine as any live music document of this period – the microphone placement seems almost miraculous in terms of capturing the voices, guitars, banjo, bass, and bongos, plus the crowd reactions, and the only flaw (not perceived as such at the time) was that the show was recorded only in mono, which would eventually doom the album to deletion after more than a decade.

There have since been other live recordings by the group unearthed from this period, and within a year they would record a concert in stereo, but “…From the “Hungry I” is still the album by which most original fans first came to take in their sound, especially as its release coincided with the rise to the top of the charts of the single “Tom Dooley.”  

The Kingsto Trio – …From The Hungry I (1959)
(256 kbps, cover art included         

Atahualpa Yupanqui (31 January 1908 – 23 May 1992) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century.

Yupanqui was born as Héctor Roberto Chavero Aranburu in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His father was a Criollo descended from indigenous people, while his mother was born in the Basque country. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.

In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed Kennedy brothers uprising against the de facto government of José Félix Uriburu and in support of deposed president Hipólito Yrigoyen. After the uprising was defeated, he was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed “Nenette”, who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym “Pablo Del Cerro”.

Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón’s presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris on July 7, 1950. He immediately signed a contract with “Chant Du Monde”, the recording company that published his first LP in Europe, “Minero Soy” (I am a Miner). This record won first prize for Best Foreign Disc at the Charles Cros Academy, which included three hundred fifty participants from all continents in its International Folklore Contest. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances. While with Nenette they constructed their house on Cerro Colorado (Córdoba).

Recognition of Yupanqui’s ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Facundo Cabral, Mercedes Sosa and Jorge Cafrune recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.
Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina and appeared in Argentinísima II in 1973, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976. In February 1968, Yupanqui was named Knight of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France by the Ministry of Culture of that country, in honor of 18 years work enriching the literature of the French nation. Some of his songs are included in the programs of Institutes and Schools where Castilian Literature is taught.
The album “Don Ata” was edited by Claus Schreiner on the Musicrama label and contains recordings from Buenos Aires between 1980 and 1985. 


Tracklist:

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

<!– if (browserHasRadio()){ document.write('

‘);} //–>

1. Bagualas y caminos ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_001?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=1’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
2. Para rezar en la noche ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_002?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=2’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
3. Madre del monte ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_003?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=3’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
4. De tanto dir y venir ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_004?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=4’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
5. La mano de mi rumor ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_005?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=5’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
6. Chacarera de las piedras ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_006?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=6’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
7. La sonadora ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_007?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=7’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
8. Vidala del cardón ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_008?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=8’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören  
9. El cielo está dentro de mi ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_009?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=9’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
10. El promesante ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_010?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=10’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
11. Mi lindo pago entrerriano ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_011?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=11’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
12. La humilde (fragmento) ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_012?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=12’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
13. La huanchaquena ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_013?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=13’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
14. Milonga del peon de campo ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_014?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=14’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
15. Baguala de Amaicha ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_015?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=15’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
16. Piedra y cielo ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_016?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=16’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
17. Pero a mi nunca jamas ‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_017?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=17’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören
18. Bagualas y caminos

Atahualpa Yupanqui – Don Ata
 (256 kbp, front cover included)

‘);var link = krexLink(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I267/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_018?ie=UTF8&disc=1&track=18’); document.write(link + ‘Reinhören

“The Weavers at Home” is the Weavers’ third Vanguard Records album following “The Weavers at Carnegie Hall” and “The Weavers on Tour”, and as its title suggests, it represents the group’s first studio recordings since leaving Decca Records in 1953. But they have not returned to the orchestral settings they used on many of the Decca tracks; the instrumentation remains spare, with just Fred Hellerman’s acoustic guitar, a banjo, and occasional harmonica passages. (The one exception is “Tina,” which features uncredited trumpet and bongos.)

Things start out the way any Weavers fan might expect, with a spirited performance of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” and they end 40 minutes later with an equally lively reading of “Howard’s Dead and Gone,” and in between are more of the kinds of group efforts the Weavers are known for. But the underlying motivating factor of this album, one only barely acknowledged, is the departure of Pete Seeger and his replacement by Erik Darling, a transition that the LP embodies, since Darling (though credited only as a “guest artist”) stands in for Seeger on five songs – “Meet the Johnson Boys,” “Come Little Donkey,” “Kum Bachura,” “All Night Long,” and “You Old Fool.”

Given that a few other tracks are solo performances, Seeger is actually absent from about half of the disc. And there’s more to it than that. Seeger has only one lead vocal, a remake of his and group member Lee Hays’ “Empty Pockets Blues,” which he previously sang on his 1955 solo album “The Goofing-Off Suite”. Otherwise, even when he is singing and playing, he’s largely in the background. So is Darling on his “guest” appearances. Thus, this is a Weavers album on which Ronnie Gilbert (who solos on the Spanish-language song “Eres Alta” and “Every Night”) and Fred Hellerman (with showcases including “Come Little Donkey” and “Let the Midnight Special”) really stand out, as does Hays, even in a group context on “All Night Long” and his duet with Gilbert on “You Old Fool.”

With Seeger’s gradual exit, the Weavers are becoming a different group with a more even balance among the members. But, as such stirring numbers as the African “Tina” (a “Wimoweh”-like song sung in the Xhosa language) and “Aunt Rhodie” show, they are losing something with the departure of their star.   

            
Tracklist:

A1 This Land Is Your Land 2:41
A2 Aweigh, Santy Ano 2:32
A3 Wild Goose Grasses 2:53
A4 Meet The Johnson Boys 1:32
A5 Aunt Rhodie 1:55
A6 Tina 1:59
A7 Eres Alta 2:30
A8 Come Little Donkey 2:30
A9 Kum Bachura 1:27
B1 All Night Long 2:20
B2 You Old Fool 2:34
B3 Every Night 3:04
B4 Let The Midnight Special 2:34
B5 Bury Me 1:57
B6 Almost Done 2:55
B7 Empty Pocket Blues 3:14
B8 Howard’s Dead And Gone 3:07

The Weavers – The Weavers At Home 1959
(256 kbps, cover art included)

“The Weavers at Home” is the Weavers’ third Vanguard Records album following “The Weavers at Carnegie Hall” and “The Weavers on Tour”, and as its title suggests, it represents the group’s first studio recordings since leaving Decca Records in 1953. But they have not returned to the orchestral settings they used on many of the Decca tracks; the instrumentation remains spare, with just Fred Hellerman’s acoustic guitar, a banjo, and occasional harmonica passages. (The one exception is “Tina,” which features uncredited trumpet and bongos.)

Things start out the way any Weavers fan might expect, with a spirited performance of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” and they end 40 minutes later with an equally lively reading of “Howard’s Dead and Gone,” and in between are more of the kinds of group efforts the Weavers are known for. But the underlying motivating factor of this album, one only barely acknowledged, is the departure of Pete Seeger and his replacement by Erik Darling, a transition that the LP embodies, since Darling (though credited only as a “guest artist”) stands in for Seeger on five songs – “Meet the Johnson Boys,” “Come Little Donkey,” “Kum Bachura,” “All Night Long,” and “You Old Fool.”

Given that a few other tracks are solo performances, Seeger is actually absent from about half of the disc. And there’s more to it than that. Seeger has only one lead vocal, a remake of his and group member Lee Hays’ “Empty Pockets Blues,” which he previously sang on his 1955 solo album “The Goofing-Off Suite”. Otherwise, even when he is singing and playing, he’s largely in the background. So is Darling on his “guest” appearances. Thus, this is a Weavers album on which Ronnie Gilbert (who solos on the Spanish-language song “Eres Alta” and “Every Night”) and Fred Hellerman (with showcases including “Come Little Donkey” and “Let the Midnight Special”) really stand out, as does Hays, even in a group context on “All Night Long” and his duet with Gilbert on “You Old Fool.”

With Seeger’s gradual exit, the Weavers are becoming a different group with a more even balance among the members. But, as such stirring numbers as the African “Tina” (a “Wimoweh”-like song sung in the Xhosa language) and “Aunt Rhodie” show, they are losing something with the departure of their star.   

            
Tracklist:

A1 This Land Is Your Land 2:41
A2 Aweigh, Santy Ano 2:32
A3 Wild Goose Grasses 2:53
A4 Meet The Johnson Boys 1:32
A5 Aunt Rhodie 1:55
A6 Tina 1:59
A7 Eres Alta 2:30
A8 Come Little Donkey 2:30
A9 Kum Bachura 1:27
B1 All Night Long 2:20
B2 You Old Fool 2:34
B3 Every Night 3:04
B4 Let The Midnight Special 2:34
B5 Bury Me 1:57
B6 Almost Done 2:55
B7 Empty Pocket Blues 3:14
B8 Howard’s Dead And Gone 3:07

The Weavers – The Weavers At Home 1959
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Photobucket
“I was the first son-of-a-gun out there. Me and Chuck Berry. And I’m very sick of the lie. You know, we’re over that black-and-white crap, and that was all the reason Elvis got the appreciation that he did. I’m the dude that he copied, and I’m not even mentioned.”
– Bo Diddley, 2005

“Bo Diddley” is the debut album by rock and roll pioneer and blues icon Bo Diddley. It is a compilation of his singles since 1955 and collects several of his most influential and enduring songs. An innovative guitarist, prolific songwriter, and sensational vocalist (check out “Dearest Darling”), Diddley had an influence on rock music from Buddy Holly to U2 that was all pervasive.

For anyone who wants to play rock & roll, real rock & roll, this is one of the few records that you really need. Along with Chuck Berry, Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and a few select others, Bo Diddley was one of the founders of the form & he did it like no other. Diddley had only one real style, that being the Bo Diddley beat: a syncopated, rhythmic drive, loaded with tremolo. There are many examples of it on this record, and that is about all you need. It’s one of those records that, after listening to just a few cuts, will find you tapping the beats on every available surface. Diddley’s guitar and vocals have a gruff feeling that recalls bluesmen such as Waters, yet he has his own style. Buttressed by drums, funky piano, and usually maracas, it’s absolutely infectious.

Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley (1986)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

The music on this album was recorded live in August 1977 in Mexico City, during the festival “Jornadas de Solidaridad con la Cultura Uruguaya en el Exilio” (” Days of Solidarity with the Uruguayan Culture in Exil”). The featured artist are Roberto Darwin, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Daniel Vigletty and Camerata Punta del Este from Uruguay, Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanés and Miriam Ramos from Cuba, Los Folkloristas and Amparo Ochoa from Mexico an Tania Libertad from Peru.

 

In the late 1950s, partly because of a world-wide decrease in demand for agricultural products, Uruguayans suffered from a steep drop in their standard of living, which led to student militancy and labor unrest. An urban guerrilla movement known as the Tupamaros emerged, engaging in activities such as bank robbery and distributing the proceeds to the poor, in addition to attempting political dialogue. As the government banned their political activities and the police became more oppressive, the Tupamaros took up an overtly armed struggle.
President Jorge Pacheco declared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972. In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces closed the Congress and established a civilian-military regime.  Around 180 Uruguayans are known to have been killed during the 12-year military rule of 1973 to 1985. Most were killed in Argentina and other neighbouring countries, with 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay.

A new constitution, drafted by the military, was rejected in a November 1980 referendum.
Following the referendum, the armed forces announced a plan for the return to civilian rule, and national elections were held in 1984.

Tracklist:


01. Adagio en mi país (Alfredo Zitarrosa)
02. Tierra mestiza (Los Folkloristas)
03. Mariposas (Silvio Rodríguez)
04. Soy latinoamericano (Roberto Darwin)
05. Gris tango (Camerata Punta del Este)
06. Tengo (Pablo Milanés)
07. Andes lo que andes (Tania Libertad)
08. Masa (Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez y Miriam Ramos)
09. Te quiero (Amparo Ochoa)
10. Sólo digo compañeros (Daniel Viglietti)

VA – El Canto de un Pueblo (1977)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

The music on this album was recorded live in August 1977 in Mexico City, during the festival “Jornadas de Solidaridad con la Cultura Uruguaya en el Exilio” (” Days of Solidarity with the Uruguayan Culture in Exil”). The featured artist are Roberto Darwin, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Daniel Vigletty and Camerata Punta del Este from Uruguay, Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanés and Miriam Ramos from Cuba, Los Folkloristas and Amparo Ochoa from Mexico an Tania Libertad from Peru.

 

In the late 1950s, partly because of a world-wide decrease in demand for agricultural products, Uruguayans suffered from a steep drop in their standard of living, which led to student militancy and labor unrest. An urban guerrilla movement known as the Tupamaros emerged, engaging in activities such as bank robbery and distributing the proceeds to the poor, in addition to attempting political dialogue. As the government banned their political activities and the police became more oppressive, the Tupamaros took up an overtly armed struggle.
President Jorge Pacheco declared a state of emergency in 1968, followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972. In 1973, amid increasing economic and political turmoil, the armed forces closed the Congress and established a civilian-military regime.  Around 180 Uruguayans are known to have been killed during the 12-year military rule of 1973 to 1985. Most were killed in Argentina and other neighbouring countries, with 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay.

A new constitution, drafted by the military, was rejected in a November 1980 referendum.
Following the referendum, the armed forces announced a plan for the return to civilian rule, and national elections were held in 1984.

Tracklist:


01. Adagio en mi país (Alfredo Zitarrosa)
02. Tierra mestiza (Los Folkloristas)
03. Mariposas (Silvio Rodríguez)
04. Soy latinoamericano (Roberto Darwin)
05. Gris tango (Camerata Punta del Este)
06. Tengo (Pablo Milanés)
07. Andes lo que andes (Tania Libertad)
08. Masa (Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodríguez y Miriam Ramos)
09. Te quiero (Amparo Ochoa)
10. Sólo digo compañeros (Daniel Viglietti)

VA – El Canto de un Pueblo (1977)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

40 years ago, between July 28 and August, 5, 1973 the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students took place in East Berlin.

Under the motto “For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship” over 25.000 international participants from 140 countries – including delegations from West Germany and West Berlin – visited the festival.

A claimed 750,000 young people from all over the world descend colourfully on the German Democratic Republic to show solidarity with those fighting imperialism in Vietnam, Palestine, Chile and elsewhere.

 As well as a lot of parades, music and dancing,  a visit to the memorial at the Buchenwald concentration camp, a tribute ceremony to Soviet soldiers killed liberating Europe from Fascism, and a lot of discussion events were elements of the fetival schedule.

For many former-East Germans who were teenagers or young adults at the time of the festival, the event is recalled as a time of real openness in which the stringent social controls normally in place were suspended, if only briefly. Participants’ reminiscences are filled with stories of partial nakedness in public fountains, camping at the foot of the Berlin TV tower and trysts with exotic visitors in city parks. These sorts of behaviours would normally not have garnered just a wink and a nod from the “Volkspolizei”, but the accounts of the event suggest that authorities, eager to leave a good impression, largely left participants to themselves.

You can watch a documentary film in english languag about the festival on http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/filmvideo/worldfestival/.

The album “Für antiimperialistische Solidarität, Frieden und Freundschaft – X. Weltfestspiele der Jugend und Studenten 1973 Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR” features tracks by Franz Josef Degenard,
Hanns Dieter Hüsch, Fasia Jansen, Dietrich Kittner, Dieter Süverkrüp, Hanns Ernst Jäger, Floh De Cologe and others.

VA – Für antiimperialistische Solidarität, Frieden und Freundschaft – X. Weltfestspiele der Jugend und Studenten 1973 Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR
(192 kbps, cover art included)

40 years ago, between July 28 and August, 5, 1973 the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students took place in East Berlin.

Under the motto “For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship” over 25.000 international participants from 140 countries – including delegations from West Germany and West Berlin – visited the festival.

A claimed 750,000 young people from all over the world descend colourfully on the German Democratic Republic to show solidarity with those fighting imperialism in Vietnam, Palestine, Chile and elsewhere.

 As well as a lot of parades, music and dancing,  a visit to the memorial at the Buchenwald concentration camp, a tribute ceremony to Soviet soldiers killed liberating Europe from Fascism, and a lot of discussion events were elements of the fetival schedule.

For many former-East Germans who were teenagers or young adults at the time of the festival, the event is recalled as a time of real openness in which the stringent social controls normally in place were suspended, if only briefly. Participants’ reminiscences are filled with stories of partial nakedness in public fountains, camping at the foot of the Berlin TV tower and trysts with exotic visitors in city parks. These sorts of behaviours would normally not have garnered just a wink and a nod from the “Volkspolizei”, but the accounts of the event suggest that authorities, eager to leave a good impression, largely left participants to themselves.

You can watch a documentary film in english languag about the festival on http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/explorefurther/filmvideo/worldfestival/.

The album “Für antiimperialistische Solidarität, Frieden und Freundschaft – X. Weltfestspiele der Jugend und Studenten 1973 Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR” features tracks by Franz Josef Degenard,
Hanns Dieter Hüsch, Fasia Jansen, Dietrich Kittner, Dieter Süverkrüp, Hanns Ernst Jäger, Floh De Cologe and others.

VA – Für antiimperialistische Solidarität, Frieden und Freundschaft – X. Weltfestspiele der Jugend und Studenten 1973 Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR
(192 kbps, cover art included)