"Why don't young people write protest songs any more? It's not like the 1960s when we cared about the world and weren't glued to a screen."

You might have heard this argument. Protest songs are usually thought to have disappeared or at the very least dwindled in their power and influence. But is that true?

A careful examination reveals a quite different story, of an art form that not only never went away but evolved into something less visible to many but still vibrant and compelling.

And if you'd like to hear some 21st century protest songs, here's a playlist:-https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3GGEnB8SpbaRCz6zhyJTW2?si=ac0645a5c8c14a5b

Join me, Ian Forth, on a quest to discover whatever happened to the protest song.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Tim Sommer in LA Weekly sums up the debate:

“It is not just that Kraftwerk invented the future of music; it is that a startling amount of the music you hear today, from the most obscure indie rock to the most mainstream pop to literally everything in between, bears the impression of their invention.

Until the moment “Autobahn” hit the airwaves in the autumn of 1974, nothing like it had ever existed. Kraftwerk placed cheerfully familiar pop modes within an entirely synthetic and rhythmic framework. Today, the idea of synthetic pop is so common that it seems odd to consider that one single artist indisputably did it first; but that’s the case.

None of this is meant to diminish The Beatles' leviathan achievements; it’s just to say that although the pop century has been dominated by the goliath shadow of Mount Beatle, they are no longer the most influential pop band in the Western world. Kraftwerk are.”

Is he right? And what exactly were The Beatles' "leviathan achievements"? Join me to discuss who really is the most influential group in musical history.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.

Film aficionado James Hillhouse takes us through his choice of the ten maverick soundtracks which changed the movie rules for good. Here are some clips from them:

1. King Kong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMNICLfHE3M)
2. Alexander Nevsky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcPixaWL2Pg)
3. The Adventures of Robin Hood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UJ6g2Zhwgg)
4. Citizen Kane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdrzbpnls6g&list=PLh3-icSKvfhm4ggXDrKqyuafvfZdW_wed)
5. Forbidden Planet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snLleErh-i8)
6. Lift to the Scaffold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKQdp6iGUk)
7. Easy Rider (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egMWlD3fLJ8)
8. Shaft (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFlsufZj9Fg)
9. Romeo + Juliet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTLoTD1AnBE&list=PLwsSkdPzRDuI2Fb0gWAIJGThFpqlpfvos)
10. Baby Driver (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XMuUVw7TOM)

Here's a link to a Spotify playlist you can put on while the episode is playing: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0t4H136MSakdexG78CO8Ip?si=b34ada315bfd4072

Join James and me to find out the reasons behind his choices.

Be expertly briefed each week on a wide variety of intriguing musical topics.