Music Is Revolution is a beautiful CD that has been released by Book Beat Gallery/The End Is Here Docusound, which is run by Cary Loren from Oak Park, Michigan. The CD is a historical document of Detroit’s radical, psychedelic and high-energy movement of the late sixties and early seventies, a period that saw a unique and powerful mix of music, art, graphic design and political activism.
PRESS RELEASE:
“MUSIC IS REVOLUTION is a 72 minute spoken word audio CD that tells the history of the radical politics of the late 1960’s through the voices of the radical left. The CD was compiled from original source material in the archives of the John and Leni Sinclair library at the Bently Historical Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was edited from over 50 hours of taped conversations and interviews.
Both John and Leni Sinclair were founders of the Detroit Artist Workshop and the White Panther Party, from which sprang forth bands such as the MC5 and the Stooges. John Sinclair became the first manager of the MC5 which became the mouthpiece of his “Rock and Revolution” platform. Included on the CD is the infamous “Weather Report and Declaration of War” by Weathermen founder Bernardine Dohrn, a jailhouse interview with Black Panther founder Bobby Seale, Zenta religious ramblings by MC5 announcer and spiritual leader J.C. Crawford, the revolutionary band THE UP on health food and Yin-Yang, WABX free-form radio pioneer air-aces, Joseph Jarman of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and many others… There are also actual meetings and political discussions of the White Panther Party and later Rainbow People’s Party Central Planning committee. The CD charts the turbulent mixture of culture and politics in the late 1960’s from its working class origins in Detroit, when John Sinclair first crossed the wires of rock ‘n roll, avant-garde jazz and the politics of revolution.
A 16 page photo booklet is included with many excerpts from the visual and written material in the library. The booklet contains Gary Grimshaw art, MC5 photos, early MC5 rock flyer-art — underground advertisements and excerpts from the radical press. 30 track listings cover about 72 minutes.”