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Bringing the News from Nowhere (songbook)
1992, Fuse Records
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Come 1992, it had been more than a decade, and four studio
albums, since Leon’s
last songbook (For The Good of the Nation), and so the time was right to
publish an updated collection. From the evidence available, this new anthology
was a few years coming; the 1990 CD Rosselsongs carried a notice that “The
Leon Rosselson Songbook will be published in January 1990”, which turned
out to be this volume.
When Bringing The News From Nowhere finally landed, it did not disappoint – far from being an update containing recent songs, this lavish 320-page tome contained sheet music which covered a substantial part of his career, including nearly all of his known 1960s songs and virtually everything since. (A note on page 318 laments that Wo Sind Die Elefanten “arrived too late for this songbook”.)
The songbook orders his work according to over-arching themes – Winners; Losers; Deserts of Stone; Satirical Sallies, and so on. It also contains many photographs, and illustrations from the book’s designer, Jini Rawlngs.
Leon penned an introduction to the book, which includes among the 125 songs, 21 titles which have never yet appeared on his records or CDs, although most of them had been published in one or more of his earlier songbooks. There are also numerous previously unpublished poems.
When Bringing The News From Nowhere finally landed, it did not disappoint – far from being an update containing recent songs, this lavish 320-page tome contained sheet music which covered a substantial part of his career, including nearly all of his known 1960s songs and virtually everything since. (A note on page 318 laments that Wo Sind Die Elefanten “arrived too late for this songbook”.)
The songbook orders his work according to over-arching themes – Winners; Losers; Deserts of Stone; Satirical Sallies, and so on. It also contains many photographs, and illustrations from the book’s designer, Jini Rawlngs.
Leon penned an introduction to the book, which includes among the 125 songs, 21 titles which have never yet appeared on his records or CDs, although most of them had been published in one or more of his earlier songbooks. There are also numerous previously unpublished poems.
Song list
New songs, at the time of publication
1. Don't Put A Banana In Your Ear
2. Flying High Flying Free (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
3. Free To Roam (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
4. Men
5. Skin (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
6. Vitamin Dance, The (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
7. Watering The Roots Of The Liberty Tree
2. Flying High Flying Free (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
3. Free To Roam (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
4. Men
5. Skin (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
6. Vitamin Dance, The (A recording of this song had previously been released by Roy Bailey)
7. Watering The Roots Of The Liberty Tree
Other songs
(For the record, the comparatively few Rosselson songs published to-date, which are not included here are, "Ballad of the Crutty Men", "Battle Hymn of the Liberal Revival", "Ever Been Ad!", "To Deter or Not to Deter", “There's Gonna Come A Morning”, “The Tourist's Complaint”, “Away From It All”, “The Bachelor's Complaint”, “It's A Vile Violation”, "Money, Money, Money", “High In Control Rooms”, “School Taught Me”, “Simple Simon”, “Still They Pursue Me”.)