Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today, we are
dusting off a piece of vinyl that is, well, it's
just a fascinating cross -section of a massive
career. It really is. We're talking about the
1960 studio album by the legendary Paul Robeson.
Right, the album's called Encore Robeson. Yeah,
and it has the subtitle, Paul Robeson, Favorites,
Volume 2. Which is so interesting. It is, because
it sounds almost like a... you know, a standard
greatest hits compilation. But when you look
at the actual source material we have today,
the tracking details, the production notes, the
metadata of his broader career, you realize it's
not just a simple list of songs. No. Definitely
not. And I think our mission today for this deep
dive is to really look closely at this specific
track list. Exactly. Because if you want to understand
the incredible versatility and frankly, the intellect
of Paul Robeson, this record is the perfect lens.
We are going to contrast the different genres
and languages he put on this single piece of
plastic. So let's just jump right into the basic
facts of the release. It came out in 1960. Right.
And it was released on the Monitor label. Yes.
Monitor. And for you audiophiles out there listening.
The source gives us the specific catalog numbers,
which is always fun. Oh, yeah. The pressing details.
Exactly. It was released as MP581 for the mono
version. And MPS581 for stereo. Right. And what
really stands out in the source material is the
critical reception. Yeah. This is a great little
nugget we found. Billboard magazine actually
gave this album a spotlight pick. A spotlight
pick. Yeah. And a positive rating, which, you
know, when you think about the year 1960. That
year is hugely significant. Why is that? Well,
looking at the stage shows list in our source
material, Robeson had just performed Othello
at Stratford. That was a year before, right?
1959. Exactly. 1959. So this album captures him
at a very specific, highly mature point in his
career. He's coming off this. major Shakespearean
performance. He's an established titan of the
stage. Absolutely. Which makes the track list
of this album even more wild. Let's talk about
Side A, because it is, well, it's a global tour.
That's the perfect way to describe it. The eclectic
mix on this side is staggering. It really is.
You drop the needle, and the track list just
bounces all over the world. You have the Sky
Boat song. Right, which gives us a Scottish connection.
But then, on the exact same side of the record,
you get Schulkfangkind. Yes. And Don LaPranton.
And this is where we have to highlight the linguistic
diversity. Yeah. Schulk Feinkind is Yiddish.
Wow. And Dola Prandtl is French. So he's jumping
from Scottish folk to Yiddish to French. It's
incredible. And it doesn't stop there. He brings
in O Mistress Mine. Right. Which directly connects
back to his Shakespearean background. Exactly.
Referencing that Othello performance we just
talked about. Yeah. He's bringing the theater
into the recording studio. And then there's a
track called Zvornost. Yes. Zvornost. The source
material provides a translation for this one.
It translates to freedom. And that translation
is key. When you connect Zvornost freedom to
the activism section. of our source material,
a bigger picture emerges. How so? Well, Robeson
isn't just singing pretty songs in different
languages. He's communicating themes that are
deeply relevant to his actual life. Right, his
real -world work. Exactly. The source lists his
work with the Council on African Affairs. Oh,
yeah. And his writings, like the Freedom newspaper.
Ah, so the song Freedom and his newspaper Freedom.
It's completely connected. He's using the music
to echo his activism. That is fascinating. Side
A is this incredibly diverse, multilingual, intellectual
showcase. Yes. But then you flip the record over.
And the tone completely shifts. It really does.
Side B moves heavily into spirituals and work
songs. It's a very different vibe. It's a much
more grounded, deeply rooted collection of tracks.
The first one that really jumps out is No More
Auction. Right. And you just have to pause. And
consider the historical weight of a title like
No More Auction. It's heavy. Very heavy. And
he follows that up with tracks like Didn't My
Lord Deliver Daniel? And Mount Zion, which has
the subtitle On My Journey. Yes. These are profound
African -American spirituals. And then you have
Bear the Burden in the Heat of the Day. Which
the source notes is a song about labor and struggle.
Exactly. It's tying back into the themes of human
endurance and the working class. And then, of
course, to end the discussion of the tracks,
the album features Amazing Grace. The universally
known standard. Right. Everybody knows it. So
you have this massive contrast. You really do.
Think about it. Side A is classical and European
folk. Yeah. And side B is heavily focused on
African -American spirituals. It's almost like
two different albums. It is, but it perfectly
mirrors the duality of his artistic identity.
In fact, you can see this exact same duality
in the films list provided in our source. Oh,
let's look at that. The source lists his film
roles ranging from King Solomon's Mines. Right.
Sanders of the River. Which are these big, you
know, colonial era adventure films. Exactly.
Then the same list includes the Proud Valley
and native land. Which are much more focused
on labor and social issues. Right. So the contrast
on the vinyl side A versus side B is just a reflection
of the contrast in his broader career. That makes
total sense. And speaking of his broader career,
I think we should expand the conversation a bit.
Let's do it. Because the C. Also, data in our
source really paints a vivid picture of who Paul
Robeson was at this time. It gives us the full
context. Yeah. For instance, looking at the songs
list, this album Encore, Robeson, is sitting
on top of a decades -long discography. Oh, absolutely.
The source mentions his seminal song Old Man
River from way back in 1928. Right, 1928. And
Ballad for Americans from 1939. So by 1960, he
has been a massive... cultural figure for over
30 years. Over 30 years. And the network of people
he interacted with is just, it's wild. The associates
and family and friends lists are incredible.
It really shows the circles he moved in. Just
reading off the names here, you have W .E .B.
Du Bois. The legendary intellectual. Pete Seeger.
A giant of folk music. Carrie Belafonte. Right.
Peggy Ashcroft. From the theatrical world. And
this one is a striking historical detail. Nikita
Khrushchev. Yes, the Soviet leader. Now, I want
to be very clear for you listening. We're just
reporting what's in the historical metadata here.
Right. We are absolutely not taking any political
sides regarding the Cold War or anything like
that. Exactly. We're just conveying the information
in the source material. But strictly as a historical
fact, it shows the sheer global scale of his
network from folk singers to heads of state.
It's a completely unique life, and you see that
global nature reinforced by the locations list
in the source, too. Oh, the locations are fascinating.
He's associated with Rutgers University. Right.
Columbia Law School. Which shows his deep academic
roots in the U .S. But then also the Moscow Conservatory.
Right, crossing the Iron Curtain. And the Royal
Shakespeare Company in the U .K. It's a life
lived on a global stage. It really is. Just to
recap the journey of what we've talked about
today. Yeah, let's pull it all together. We started
with a single 1960 album. Released on monitor.
Right. And on this one piece of vinyl, we found
Scottish folk music, a Yiddish lullaby, Shakespearean
theater, and deep African -American spirituals.
It's an entire world encapsulated in one track
list. And it makes me think about the title again.
Encore. Robeson. I've been reflecting on that
title, actually. Yeah. An encore usually implies
a demand for more, right? The audience is cheering.
They want more. Right. Come back out. Exactly.
But it's almost ironic here because this is a
man who had already given so much across film,
across the stage, and through his activism. He
had already done a lifetime's worth of work by
1960. Precisely. And yet the title suggests the
world still wanted more from him. It's a powerful
thought. And, you know, we live in a world where
artists are so often pigeonholed. Oh, constantly.
There's supposed to be just one thing, one genre.
Right. But Robeson's 1960 track list completely
defies categorization. It refuses to be boxed
in. Which leaves us with a final, I think, really
provocative thought for you listening at home
to just mull over. Yeah, what's the takeaway?
Well, think about how the song Zvornost Freedom
on side A speaks to the spirituals on side B.
On one side, he's singing a Czech song about
freedom. On the other side, he's singing No More
Auction and Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel? Different
languages, different cultures. Exactly. But what
does that tell us about the unity of human struggle
through music? That's the real question. Is the
desire for freedom universal? No matter the genre
or the language. I think the album makes a strong
case that it is. I agree. Something for you to
explore on your own. Thanks for joining us on
this deep dive. See you next time.