Various Artists - No Nukes 1979 (@320)

 

The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future

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Various Artists - No Nukes 1979

No Nukes Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

The No Nukes protest concert in 1979 was one of the defining '70s events for aging '60s hippies, a way to prove that they held political and social power. In many ways, the concert worked -- by the end of the '80s, nuclear weapons and power eventually faded away -- but that doesn't mean that the double-disc memento of the concert has aged gracefully. The concert was top-loaded with folk-rockers and laid-back California pop stars just past their prime. By this point, Crosby, Stills & Nash, James Taylor, Poco, Nicolette Larson and Jesse Colin Young had all reached their peak, while the Doobie Brothers and Jackson Browne were still at the crest of their popularity. Out of all the performers, only Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen were young, fresh and vital; not coincidentally, their tracks are the ones that rock the hardest and have aged the best. The remainder of No Nukes functions as an artifact, complete with dated music (the smooth folk-rock sounds slick and self-satisfied), forgotten names (the name John Hall will be unfamiliar to anyone who didn't live through this, and "Plutonium Is Forever" won't make anyone want to learn about his past), and a certain self-satisfied smugness that was the signature of the narcissistic late '70s. On that level, No Nukes is fascinating, but the music on the record fails to stand the test of time.

Tracklist:

CD1:

01. The Doobie Brothers – Dependin' On You (04:15)

02. Bonnie Raitt – Runaway (03:44)

03. Bonnie Raitt – Angel From Montgomery (03:42)

04. John Hall – Plutonium Is Forever (03:13)

05. The Doobie Brothers, John Hall & James Taylor – Power (04:44)

06. James Taylor, Carly Simon & Graham Nash – The Times They Are A-Changin' (03:07)

07. Graham Nash – Cathedral (05:56)

08. Jackson Browne & Graham Nash – The Crow On The Cradle (04:58)

09. Jackson Browne – Before The Deluge (06:07)

10. Nicolette Larson & The Doobie Brothers – Lotta Love (03:25)

11. Ry Cooder – Little Sister (03:45)

12. Sweet Honey In The Rock – A Woman (01:18)

13. Gil Scott-Heron – We Almost Lost Detroit (04:39)

14. Jesse Colin Young – Get Together (04:36)

CD2:

01. Raydio – You Can't Change That (03:18)

02. Chaka Khan – Once You Get Started (05:00)

03. James Taylor – Captain Jim's Drunken Dream (04:12)

04. James Taylor – Honey Don't Leave L.A. (03:27)

05. James Taylor & Carly Simon – Mockingbird (03:42)

06. Poco – Heart Of The Night (06:00)

07. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Cry To Me (03:21)

08. Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne & The E-Street Band – Stay (04:14)

09. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band – Medley: Devil With The Blue Dress / Good Golly, Miss Molly / Jenny Take A Ride (04:31)

10. Crosby, Stills & Nash – You Don't Have To Cry (02:55)

11. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Long Time Gone (05:16)

12. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Teach Your Children (02:55)

13. The Doobie Brothers & James Taylor – Takin' It To The Streets (04:04)

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