Songs for John Doe

Infobox Album | Name = Songs For John Doe
Type = Album
Artist = The Almanac Singers


Released = May 1941
Recorded = A Central Park West studio, New York, Late March or early April 1941
Genre = Folk music
Label = Almanac Records
Producer = Erin Barnay
Last album =
Reviews =
This album = Songs For John Doe
(1941)
Next album = Talking Union
(1941)

"Songs For John Doe" is the 1941 debut album and first released product of influential folk musicians, the Almanac Singers.

The album was released in May 1941, at a time when World War II was raging but the United States remained neutral. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were still at peace, as provided by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. American Communists and their fellow travelers, prominent among The Almanacs, reluctantly followed the anti-interventionist stance dictated by Moscow, which accounts for the appearance of anti-war songs on the album. However, when Hitler's armies invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, the pact was broken and The Almanacs enthusiastically changed direction and began agitating in favor of US intervention in Europe. The album was quickly pulled from distribution and the new political line was evident on the group's 1942 album, "Dear Mr. President."

For the album, six masters were recorded in a two or three hour session. "'C' For Conscription" and "Washington Breakdown" were recorded as a single take.

Track listing

Personnel

*Pete Seeger, vocal;
*Millard Lampell, vocal;
*Josh White, vocal, guitar;
*Sam Gary, vocal

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/3448/doe.html Songs for John Doe (The Almanac Singers) (1941)] , includes complete lyrics
* [http://www.wirz.de/music/gary.htm Sam Gary discography] (with picture of that album's cover)