Search - David Rovics :: Halliburton Boardroom Massacre (W/Dvd) (Dig)

A Great Place to Start for a David Rovics Novice

Loring D. Wirbel | Colorado Springs, CO United States | 09/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rovics has done some compilations before, but for those brought up with 64-track studios, they might have that tentative quality that early Mountain Goats compilations had, before John Darnielle discovered the studio. The new Rovics CD/DVD combination, however, has a mix of electric studio productions (gasp, Dylan at Newport) and simple, almost bluegrass song styles. Now, keep in mind, David is a leftist topical songwriter, and by its nature, that means a certain song structure recalling Seeger and pre-1965 Dylan. But he can spoof his own political orientation, like the great "I'm A Better Anarchist Than You." The CD herein gives a great cross-section of recent songs, some of them re-engineered from the fantastic "Waiting for the Fall" CDR, and some of them brand new. Fans will want to act fast to get the bundled DVD in the early editions, because this DVD has a lot more substance than three-quarters of the bonus DVDs you get with mainstream pop music releases. There's several independent song productions from Fort Benning and the NYC 2005 anti-nuke rally, and a full concert from Toledo. This is the place for someone just getting familiar with Rovics' fantastic songwriting to start."

David Rovics' songs are the modern anthems for our times.

Steve Nenninger | New York, NY | 01/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David expresses in song what people like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn express in the written word. I can't imagine why a right wing person would even review this title, they are not who this music is for. They won't like it any more than I would like attending a fundamentalist sermon. This music resonates for me because it talks about the struggles of disenfranchised peoples. If you are conservative either religiously or politically you won't like it. Unless, of course... you are open to a different perspective. If, on the other hand, your are more left of center - have a concern for forgoten people, the enviornment, and political freedom... Then you will absolutely resonate with this music. The "Behind the Barricades" album is great also."

Deliberately Provocative

Red Cat | Wisconsin, USA | 02/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Rovics is a dedicated, committed, and indeed eloquent progressive activist musician who believes that those who are responsible for perpetuating war and injustice in the interest of profit and greed must be directly opposed. His songs are in part metaphorical, which some of the reactionary reviewers below don't recognize, but in part not. Rovics takes the reality of class struggle seriously, and urges the vast majority to recognize it for what it is--of course ruling class representatives condemn the 'rhetoric of class warfare' because they can wage class war all the more successfully when few recognize it for what it is, let alone fight back. The power employed to exploit, abuse, and destroy, Rovics argues, must be actively resisted; that is the only way it can -- it will -- ultimately be overcome. If you have been paying close attention at all, you will know that a vast plurality of progressive, radical, and, yes, revolutionary, activist musicians are writing, and have been writing, songs arguing similar points in recent years, and indeed this is a time-honored tradition within popular protest music, including in the US. In short, there comes a point where even those deeply committed, in principle, to pacifism, contemplate the need to pursue different strategies. It may continue as non-violent resistance, but more aggressive, creative, confrontational, disruptive, and subversive--and it may move beyond that point. Rovics' songwriting registers what it feels like to be at this point of considering a sharp change in strategy for hitherto entirely peaceful opponents of imperialist war."