1936, The Spanish Revolution

1936, The Spanish Revolution
Studio album by The Ex
Released 1986
Recorded Emma's Koeienverhuurbedrijf, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre Anarcho punk
Post-punk
Spanish folk music
Label Ex Records
Ron Johnson Records
AK Press
Producer Dolf Planteijdt.
The Ex chronology

Pokkeherrie
(1987)		 Aural Guerrilla
(1988)		 Too Many Cowboys
(1989)

1936, The Spanish Revolution is an album of songs and archival photographs related to the Spanish Civil War, recorded and assembled by Dutch anarchist punk band The Ex. The band released it in 1986, the 50th anniversary of the Spanish Revolution, on their own label as a square 7" (17.5cm) soft-cover book with two 45 rpm records. A 5" (12.5cm) hardcover edition was republished by AK press in 1997, replacing the records with a pair of 3" CDs.[1]

Background and book

In 1936 two Spanish anarchist trade unions, the CNT and the FAI, waged a successful revolt against the fascist leadership of Francisco Franco, until Franco defeated the revolutionary forces in 1939 with the help of German and Italian troops. With further involvement from the Soviet Union, France, Mexico and Portugal, the conflict is widely regarded as the first battle of World War II. In wanting to highlight the original values and spirit of the revolution rather than the conflict and eventual defeat of anarchist forces, The Ex compiled 144 pages of previously unpublished photographs taken by journalists aligned with the revolutionary forces, along with several short essays about the revolution. Text appears in both English and Spanish.

Music

For the double-single, The Ex recorded two Spanish language songs with music and lyrics originally sung by 1930s Spanish revolutionary forces and supporters. On the flip side of each single was an English langiuage song about the revolution. The 1997 CD reissue split the songs up similarly as 2 mini-CDs.

Tracklist

  1. "They Shall Not Pass"
  2. "El Tren Blindado"
  3. "Ay Carmela"
  4. "People Again"

Musicians

The Ex:

Guest musicians:

Reception

1936 was the first of The Ex's releases to gain some notoriety outside of the Netherlands, selling enough copies to reach No. 6 on the UK Indie Chart.[2] AllMusic called the book a "powerful and enlightening visual document that casts a fresh light on a major historical event little understood in the United States," and said that The Ex's music "find them inviting the spirit of the revolution as if it occurred five minutes ago, not 50 years past."[3]

References

  1. ↑ "1936, The Spanish Revolution". The Ex. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
  3. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Spanish Revoltuion". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2012.