Experts
In 1981, Leon donated three new songs to the Nuclear Power: No Thanks campaign, which duly appeared on their LP. One of them was "Experts" (the other two being "Who Reaps the Profits? Who Pays the Price?" and "No Cause for Alarm"), all of which seem to have been written especially for the cause, and which were recorded at Gateway Studios in London in August, with Martin Carthy producing. (The campaign and LP have links to Inter-Action and Ed Berman.)
"Experts" leads us in stages towards its conclusion, by running down a number of cases from history where official expertise has proven itself wrong. Examples include the unsinkability of the Titanic and the safety of Thalidomide. By the time Leon gets to the subject at hand, the nuclear industry, we are convinced that those who "know" really don't.
The song would later be re-recorded for one of Leon's standard LPs, after the Chernobyl disaster had brought the issue into stark relief.
"Experts" leads us in stages towards its conclusion, by running down a number of cases from history where official expertise has proven itself wrong. Examples include the unsinkability of the Titanic and the safety of Thalidomide. By the time Leon gets to the subject at hand, the nuclear industry, we are convinced that those who "know" really don't.
The song would later be re-recorded for one of Leon's standard LPs, after the Chernobyl disaster had brought the issue into stark relief.
"I'm not against experts. It's just that when they maintain that, for example, BSE cannot cross the species barrier, it's as well to be sceptical." - LR (sleevenotes to Perspectives, 1997)
Recordings
Version 1 (1981) First recorded version, on a various artists LP
Version 2 (1988)
- Nuclear Power: No Thanks
Version 2 (1988)