Leon Rosselson - ProfilesArchive

About Me

New album "A Proper State"
now available from Fuse Records and in all good record shops!

Leon's new CD "A Proper State" was released on Monday 18th February 2008 and is now available to buy from all good record shops, online and directly from Fuse Records (see blog ) with a special Album Launch Concert to follow - 6th March in Sheffield with the Sheffield Socialist Choir, which also sings on the album - to pre/re-view the album.
Track list:
* Conversation on a Mobile
* The Ghost of Georges Brassens
* Barney's Epic Homer
* Barney's Got a Job Now
* A Proper State
* When They Ask Me
* The Third Intifada
* See Life's Road Before You
* Like Love
* Faslane 365
* The Power of Song
Leon Rosselsong needs no introduction in the world of folk music. His songs, most noticably "The World Turned Upside Down", have been covered by other artists in the truest of folk tradition.
However, Leon Rosselson is not just a veteran singer/songwriter in the traditional sense, his songs remain fresh, speak of the current injustices and shortcomings of the political system we live in and which seems to govern and rule without consideration to those affected by its laws.
Leon is also the author of many children's books and you can find a list of his work at his offical website .
'Possibly the world's most accomplished mischief maker, his radical songs transfer successfully to the printed page.'
-Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1993
'Plenty of good songs for the questing singer and plenty of food for thought for the casual browser...a collection of good and powerful songs.'
-Folk Roots December 1993
In the early days of the folk revival, he was a member of the Galliards with whom he made numerous radio and TV broadcasts and concert appearances. He started writing songs seriously (and humorously) in the early 1960s and hasn't stopped yet. His early songs were topical-satirical (some of them were featured on TV's satire show That Was The Week That Was) but he broadened out from there, absorbing different influences, from Music Hall to French Realist Song, and experimenting with different song forms.
He has performed in every conceivable venue around the country and toured North America, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia. He has written songs and scripts for Inter-Action's Dogg's Troupe and the Fun Art Bus, songs for a stage production at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and shows for performance with Roy Bailey and Frankie Armstrong, including the anti-nuclear No Cause for Alarm.
His song The World Turned Upside Down has been recorded and popularised by, amongst others, Dick Gaughan and Billy Bragg (who took it into the pop charts in 1985) and has been sung on numerous demonstrations in Britain and the USA. His Ballad of a Spycatcher, ridiculing the ban on Peter Wright's book, went into the Indie Singles charts in 1987 in a version backed by Billy Bragg and the Oyster Band.
In addition to writing songs for children and giving children's concerts in both Britain and the USA, he has had 17 children's books published. His first book, 'Rosa's Singing Grandfather' published by Puffin, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 1991. The latest books are 'Pumpkin's Downfall', HarperCollins, published in 2000 and 'Home Is A Place Called Nowhere', published by Oxford University Press in December 2002. A stage show based on his children's story 'The Greatest Drummer In The World' was premiered at the Drill Hall, London, in December 2002 with Elizabeth Mansfield and Anna Mudeka and will tour the country from mid-February to the end of April 2004.
To order his CDs, please go to his records page
You can now also buy Leon's CDs at FourDogsMusic.co.uk , who also have an extensive catalogue of music from similar artists.
If you missed your chance to listen to or download "Bury Trident", then you can still get the song by clicking on this link !
As many of you might know, Leon Rosselson has taken part in protests against Trident on frequent occasions. If you wish to find out more about Faslane 365 and how you can take part yourself, then please click on the images below:
This page is maintained on behalf of Leon Rosselson with his full knowledge and consent. To get in touch with Leon Rosselson directly, please go to his official website

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/27/2006
Band Website: http://www.leonrosselson.co.uk
Band Members: Leon Rosselson
vocals, guitar, piano etc
Leon often works with other musicians such as Robb Johnson , Roy Bailey MBE and Chris Foster among others

Sounds Like: WHERE ARE THE BARRICADES?

1. Robespierre is wagging his finger Karl Marx is scratching his head They ought to be shooting the bankers But they're giving them money instead. The plebs should be storming the ramparts And whetting the guillotine's blade Singing Capitalism's in crisis - So where are the barricades?

2. That man there who claims he's the captain Why don't they put him in the stocks? He's cost them their jobs and their houses And steered the ship onto the rocks. Ah but he says that the crisis is global So nobody here is to blame And if you're broke and you're homeless don't worry It's just the luck of the game.

3. Why don't they close down the City And throw all the gamblers in jail? But they're still making money make money As they slice up the future for sale. And Sir Numbskull's still hugging his pension Lord Grabbe has made off with the loot And the slick City traders, the corporate raiders Freebooters and fraudsters, hedge fund speculators The stock market scammers, brain-dead regulators - Why aren't they all getting the boot?

4. See how the bubbles are bursting All that's solid melts into air The stairs are beginning to rattle And the rats are beginning to stare. There are cracks in the walls and the ceiling And smoke's pouring out the front door But the creme-de-la-creme are all betting That the flames never reach the top floor.

5. They tell us we must keep on spending Just as we always have done So that money can oil the engine And profit can drive the ship on. They say we must all pull together Just like we did in the war And in time the wheels will start turning again And we'll all carry on as before.

6. At last I see workers protesting But there isn't a Red Flag in sight And where are the banners proclaiming Workers of the world must unite? Do they call for the heads of the bosses? Sing for Capitalism's last days? Or is it British jobs for British workers? What nincompoop thought up that phrase?

7. We're pissed off of course and we're angry But revolution is not really us Give us football and Strictly Come Dancing And we won't make too much of a fuss. Give us someone to trust and to lead us Who knows the way out of this maze So we can go on consuming for ever Or at least till the end of our days.

8. Robespierre is smart in his pin-stripe suit Karl Marx looks cool in his shades Yes Capitalism's in crisis But where are the barricades? Where are the barricades?

Here is some rare video footage from Leon's recent gig in Edinburgh at the end of October 2007. Unfortunately the sound quality isn't great, but the clips are still worth watching:

"Song of the Olive Tree"

"Harry's Gone Fishing"

"World Turned Upside Down"

"Encore"

"No Pasaran!" - video from the event at the Offside Bar in commemoration of the Spanish Civil War organised by the wonderful people of Philosophy Football

Record Label: Fuse Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

WHERE ARE THE BARRICADES?

WHERE ARE THE BARRICADES?1. Robespierre is wagging his finger Karl Marx is scratching his head They ought to be shooting the bankers But they're giving them money instead. The plebs s...
Posted by on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:11:00 GMT

Tricycle concert

'They said, Do you think you can kill us all?/ The general said, Why not?' Someone complained that my song 'The Third Intifada' was too extreme, suggesting, as it does, that Israel deliberately ta...
Posted by on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:12:00 GMT

My Life as a Songwriter outing at Towersey Festival

If you somehow managed to miss the performances at Lewes, Islington and the Brighton Fringe Festival, the 'My Life as a Songwriter or How I Failed to Become Rich and Famous' show has on...
Posted by on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:33:00 GMT

My Life As A Song Writer a show of two halves!

Apologies if you already know this (or would rather not know this) but here is a rare outing for a show that packs nearly 5 decades of songwriting into 2x45 minute slots and, if you haven’t alre...
Posted by on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:18:00 GMT

Songs from the new album uploaded and how to get your mittens on the CD

Three songs from the new album "A Proper State" are now uploaded to give you a sneak preview: "Conversation on a Mobile" "A Proper State" "The Third Intifada" "Conversation on a Mobile" is a very a...
Posted by on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:12:00 GMT

New album "A Proper State" to be released 25th February - and gig listing!

New album "A Proper State" to be released 25th Febuary!Leon's new CD "A Proper State" will be released on 25th February 2008 with two special Album Launch Concerts - 17th February in St Albans & 6...
Posted by on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:58:00 GMT

Review of ’My Life as a Songwriter or How I Failed to Become Rich and Famous’

Review of 'My Life as a Songwriter or How I Failed to Become Rich and Famous' Royal Oak Folk Club, Lewes - 22 February 2007 This was a cracker of a gig! It isn't a show, it isn't...
Posted by on Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:12:00 GMT

From CND: 48 HOURS TO STOP TRIDENT REPLACEMENT!

This message was originally posted out by CND. As you may know, Leon Rosselson has taken part in many demonstrations against Trident and he also wrote a song with Robb Johnson called "Bury Trident", w...
Posted by on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:25:00 GMT

Two Upcoming London Gigs

Hello all!I would just like to alert you good folks of the two London gigs Leon will be playing in the next couple of months:- the first one will be at The Cellar Upstairs at the Exmouth Arms 1 Starcr...
Posted by on Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:55:00 GMT