The soundtrack for the Occupy movement includes Michael Moore singing Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ (not bad, actually). In fact, “Occupy This Album: A compilation of music by, for, and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99%” spans the musical spectrum: ’60s folk music, indie rock, electronica, and hip-hop.
Among the musicians who contributed the collection’s 99 songs are Ani DiFranco, Debbie Harry, Thievery Corporation, The Guthrie Family, Jackson Browne, Loudon Wainwright III, Girls Against Boys, Yo La Tengo, and Yoko Ono. David Crosby and Graham Nash team up; so do James McMurtry, Joan Baez, and Steve Earle with the strong and very current We Can’t Make it Here Anymore.
It opens with Something’s Got to Give by singer-songwriter Matt Pless. Three days after Occupy Wall Street moved into Zuccotti Park, album producer Jason Samel met Pless, who was playing guitar and harmonica.
Samel says that Pless inspired him to start asking other musicians to appear on an Occupy album. He created the Music For Occupy record label; its success in recruiting musicians far surpassed his initial vision of a showcase for little-known artists. Originally planned for completion late this year, Occupy This Album went on sale in mid-May.
Listen to a few tracks, including Something’s Got to Give.
“Occupy This Album” comes in two 99-song, downloadable digital versions; a third option, a physical 4-CD, set contains 78 songs. All three cost $9.99; proceeds from all sales go to supporting the Occupy movement. Add a Restoring Your Voice Through Music T-shirt to your order and get both for $20.
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