'' is a 1984 album by
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul .
This album traded in the horns and the R & B influences of the previous ''
Men Without Women '' for a raw,
Garage Rock sound. Politics came to the lyrical forefront, with the general theme being opposition to
Ronald Reagan -era
American Foreign Policy .
"Out of the Darkness", a
Synthesizer -led anthem with sweeping
Arena Rock atmosphere, garnered some airplay (and, a first for Van Zandt,
Music Video play on
MTV ) and was effective in concert, while the somewhat softer and evocative "Checkpoint Charlie" also received considerable radio airplay. "Los Desaparecidos" gained praise as an effective
Protest Song on behalf of the 1970s and 1980s victims of state-sponsored
Forced Disappearance in
South America . On other songs, the political viewpointing became more strident and was criticized as somewhat artless.
"I Am a Patriot", which roughly held that dissent was not disloyalty, became a favorite song of fellow anti-American foreign policy obsessive
Jackson Browne , who covered it on his 1989 album ''
World In Motion '' and who frequently performed it in his concerts. In 2004, the two would duet on the song during the last of the
Vote For Change shows.
#Voice of America
#Justice
#Checkpoint Charlie
#Solidarity
#Out of the Darkness
#Los Desaparecidos
#Fear
#I Am a Patriot
#Among the Believers
#Undefeated
All songs written by Steven Van Zandt.
- Little Steven : Written, arranged, produced, guitars, lead vocals
- Jean Beauvoir : Bass guitar and vocals
- Dino Dinelli : Drums
- Monti Louis Ellison : Congas, African talking drum, shakeree, wind chimes, tambourine, timbale and background vocals
- Pee Wee Weber : Keyboards and background vocals
- Zoe Yanakis : Oboe, background vocals, and additional keyboards
