Eric Bogle – Other People’s Children

Eric Bogle’s first album of new songs since 2002, Other People’s Children is another exceptional collection of songs from this prolific songwriter. In Hallowed Ground Eric re-visits No Man’s Land and the World War 1 graveyards; he reflects on the elderly in The Last Of The Old Timers. In Other People’s Children he condemns the killing of defenceless, helpless civilians, mainly women and children in the many so-called ‘little’ wars, from Korea to Iraq. In A Good Man he takes a swipe at politicians; while manic depression and people’s sometimes unhelpful attitude to this physical illness is the subject of The Demon. This collection again emphasises Eric’s fearless approach to subjects which many other songwriters are afraid to tackle.

“There’s a line in one of Eric Bogle’s songs – “I’m tired of being the grey ghost at the feast” – which expresses his concern that often the subject matter of his songs may weigh too heavily for some. “Often you go to a place to sing, and all the people want to have a good time and to feel happy and get drunk. And I start singing all these songs about dead people, and they say “Oh for god’s sake cheer up!”. But the man who has become perhaps Australia’s premier folk singer insists that somebody’s got to write these sorts of songs. “You never hear them in the mainstream, and so it falls to the lot of folk singers like me to catalogue some of the things that never get a voice.” The title track of Bogle’s latest album of new material “Other People’s Children” adds another page to that catalogue. The song gives eloquent voice to a variation on a longstanding theme of Bogle’s – namely, the senselessness of war and it’s ravages – through a collage of television images of it’s innocent civilian victims, ranging from Korea through to Iraq. Bogle says the song was inspired by TV images coming back from the Iraq war. “Seems like most of my life the same movie’s been repeating itself on television. Different war, same end result”. While Bogle’s songs are perhaps best experienced “live” (as evidenced on last years’ excellent 2CD live release “At This Stage”) – their simple unadorned truth often only hindered by the distractions of an occasional but largely unnecessary studio rhythm section – the songs themselves on “Other People’s Children” shine through, providing yet another reminder that Bogle’s is a rare gift -the ability to render with just a few artful brushstrokes the sweeping canvas of a life, of the varied human experience, portraits of such detail that one can’t help but experience the shock of recognition. No matter the landscape in which they are placed, he conveys the universal.” Review by Mark O’Connor

About the artist: Eric is one of Australia’s most prolific and respected songwriters whose songs have been covered by many artists including Joan Baez, Mary Black, Donovan, Slim Dusty, Billy Bragg, The Pogues and The Furies, to name just a few. Eric is a literate and thoughtful songwriter who can cut to the heart of the matter with a few well crafted lines. He’s also a warm and engaging performer who, with his sharp, often self-deprecating wit and shrewd common sense view on the world, communicates well with the audience and draws them in to his performance.

Eric Bogle is roundish, shortish, baldish, fiftyish and Scottish! An Australian resident for 35 years, and an Australian citizen since 1982, he is an internationally known and respected singer/songwriter and has been taking his music around the world for the last 25 years or so, in spite of warnings to “stop it or you’ll go blind” Eric is a warm and engaging stage performer, and his songs have the knack of getting straight to the heart of the matter with intelligent and well-crafted lyrics. His songs have been recorded by many other artists ranging from Joan Baez, Donovan, The Pogues and Mary Black through to our own late, great Slim Dusty. He has recorded 14 CD’s so far, and is at present working on his 15th. Eric has been described as a bit of a living legend, a label which he is uncomfortable with, but, as he says, “it’s marginally better than being a dead legend”…

“Very much ahead of the pack” Bruce Elder (SMH) The “Master songwriter & performer” (Sing Out) returns with a brand new studio masterpiece… As a songwriter, Eric Bogle has been acknowledged by some of the best – Billy Bragg, REM, Mary Black, Slim Dusty, Jeannie Lewis, The Bushwackers, June Tabor, The Furies, Tommy Makem & The Clancy Brothers, The Pogues and John Williamson – just to name a handful. Rouseabout Records is excited to announce that Eric’s new studio album ‘Other People’s Children’ will be released in February 2006 to coincide with a national tour. As the title suggests Bogle is his usual brilliant political self, but also pays stunning tribute to Slim Dusty in ‘Tambourine Mountain’ and amongst other gems performs a duet with Colcannon’s Kath Kraus. The album, produced by long time partner-in-crime John Munro is sure to fill the appetite of Bogle fans everywhere. Fresh from another successful tour of North America be sure to catch the master songwriter and performer in early 2006

Track Listing: 1. Tamborine Mountain 2. Hallowed Ground 3. True Believers 4. The Last of the Old 5. Timers 6. The Promise 7. Tired 8. Other People’s Children 9. A Good Man 10. The Demon 11. The Last Rodeo 12. Thou Shalt Not 13. To an Athlete Dying Young 14. While I Am Here