Rebel Chorus: A Concert of Contemporary Political Song
The other two tracks are poems, by Denis Kevans (15 January 1939–2005), from Canberra, Australia. The first was "The Great Prawn War" . The second title was the "Slouch of Vietnam" , said to have been published and set to music in 1962, before Australia's major troop commitment in 1965, according to Kevans. The poem was recited at anti-war demonstrations in the 1960s/70s.23 Both poems mentioned featured in his 1982 book The Great Prawn War and Other Poems. A slouch hat, also known as Aussie bush hat is a distinctive Australian hat that has one side of the brim turned up or pinned to the side of the hat, often used in the military.4
The poem recalled previous wars: "far-off fields of Flanders... brave Gallipoli" . However, these were different from the Vietnam conflict: "why should I share the napalm-guilt of blundering Uncle Sam" - a reference to chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973.567 The narrator noted "peasant kids, who fight for rights and rice" , thus arguing that the war was unjustified, and that the North Vietnamese were fighting for independence. The poem also contained the line "blinded the diggers' eyes" . Digger is a military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, which came to prominence during World War One, although some sources indicate it may have been used since the 1850s. Digger probably originally referred to a miner - extensive research has been conducted on the etymology of the term and its introduction into military terminology.89
- 1 theballadeers.com (archived copy) ↩
- 2 greenleft.org.au: Slouch vietnam 0 ↩
- 3 JSTOR article ↩
- 4 Wikipedia: Slouch hat ↩
- 5 Napalm: An American Biography (Robert M. Neer, 2013) ↩
- 6 Times Higher Education: Napalm an american biography by robert m neer ↩
- 7 Napalm biography (link no longer available) ↩
- 8 Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) ↩
- 9 Wikipedia: Digger (soldier) ↩
Double LP recorded live at the Teachers' Federation Auditorium, Sydney, for the Amalgamated Metal Workers & Shipwrights Union; label number LRF 2-053, matrix MX191707. Larrikin Records LRF 2-053, stereo double LP, 33⅓ RPM, cream labels with the red Larrikin "Real Music" logo, Larrikin Records Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 162 Paddington, N.S.W. 2021, Australia, and the union emblem; record one side one MX191707, record two side one MX191709. Record one side one: Freedom on the Wallaby (Henry Lawson), Terania Creek (Kathy O'Sullivan), F111 and Life Wasn't Meant to Be Easy (both Lyell Sayer-Clem Parkinson) by The Larrikins, and Pot Pourri by Dennis Kevans, whose medley on the back cover includes "The Slouch of Vietnam"; side two is Red Gum, side three Dennis Kevans and John Dengate, side four Eric Bogle. The front cover, red with a pattern of guitar-playing figures under a broken chain, reads "Rebel Chorus — A Concert of Contemporary Political Song — The Larrikins, John Dengate, Dennis Kevans, Redgum, Eric Bogle", recorded live at The Teacher's Federation Auditorium Sydney by The Amalgamated Metal Workers & Shipwrights Union, 136 Chalmers Street Surry Hills 2010. The back-cover note "About Rebel Chorus" says the title comes from Lawson's poem "Freedom on the Wallaby" and hopes the songs become part of "a continuing tradition of working class music", quoting "Life wasn't meant to be easy … And that goes for Fraser as well" and Redgum's "Critique in G"; Larrikin Record Distributing Company sticker. [From the record sleeve and labels]
Poem written and set to music in 1962, recited at anti-war demonstrations; here part of the medley "Pot Pourri" (A5). Published in The Great Prawn War and Other Poems (1982).
Poem; last part of the medley on side C, track 1. Published in The Great Prawn War and Other Poems (1982).