Search - Christy Moore :: Spirit of Freedom

Not released by Christy!

S. Donnelly | 04/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any of Christy's stuff is great hence the 5 star review but here is a note from Christy that came in his fan e-mail.



Here is the story.......... Back in the 70's and 80's I visited the H Blocks in The Maze Cellular at Long Kesh. I always travelled from the Falls Rd. with the families of Republican Prisoners. I have many vivid memories of these visits. The journeys were made in a Transit Van that had seen better days, it was rickety and well past its best. I came up with a project that would raise funds for the purchase of a new vehicle.



Over two days in 1983 I recorded 12 songs. Donal Lunny produced and played as did many other musicians. All gave their services freely. When the work was mixed and mastered I called th! e collec tion "The Spirit of Freedom". One thousand cassettes were produced and delivered to the Prisoners Dependents Office in Belfast. Over the following months these were sold and, in due course, a vehicle was purchased. I thought that was the end of that.



A year later I got a call from Clive Hudson of WEA Records. With a copy of the cassette in his hand he informed me that, under terms of contract, the project was the property of WEA. They sequestered the songs and put them out as a regular WEA album. They also altered the artwork. It had never been my intent at any time to have these recordings presented as a studio album.

24 years on and the whole exercise has been repeated. With no consultation or notification, this collection of songs has once again been re-released as an album. I do not even know the name of the (Warner's) subsidiary responsible. No one has taken the trouble to inform me.



I write this as an insight into the history of the project. I have no regrets about the original fund raising concept but I find the behaviour of Warner's absolutely galling. The manner in which they have treated my work is, at least, irresponsible. Some reviewers have incorrectly (but understandably) assumed "The Spirit of Freedom" to be an album that I released. It is not so.



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