{"product_id":"bob-stanley-and-pete-wiggs-present-state-of-the-union-the-american-dream-in-crisis-1967-1973","title":"Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present State of the Union - The American Dream in Crisis 1967-1973","description":"\u003cp\u003eBy mid-1968 there was a growing consensus that something had gone horribly wrong with the American dream. The nation’s youth had loudly made their feelings clear, but now the older, pre-Beatles generations began to look at the country – with urban riots, Vietnam, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy – and wonder what the hell was happening. This album includes rare classics (The Beach Boys’\u003ci\u003e Fourth Of July\u003c\/i\u003e), lost masterpieces (Roy Orbison’s seven-minute \u003ci\u003eSouthbound Jericho Parkway\u003c\/i\u003e), and forgotten gems by some of the biggest names in the business (Elvis Presley’s \u003ci\u003eClean Up Your Own Back Yard\u003c\/i\u003e). Reactions to America’s existential crisis ranged in subject matter from divorce (Frank Sinatra’s \u003ci\u003eThe Train\u003c\/i\u003e) and the break-up of the nuclear family (The Four Seasons’\u003ci\u003e Saturday’s Father\u003c\/i\u003e), to eulogies for fallen heroes (Dion’s \u003ci\u003eAbraham Martin and John\u003c\/i\u003e), sympathy for Vietnam vets (Johnny Tillotson’s \u003ci\u003eWelfare Hero\u003c\/i\u003e), the church’s institutional racism (Eartha Kitt’s intense \u003ci\u003ePaint Me Black Angels\u003c\/i\u003e), and even questioning the ethics of the space programme (Bing Crosby’s terrific \u003ci\u003eWhat Do We Do With The World\u003c\/i\u003e). Compiled by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, \u003ci\u003eState Of The Union\u003c\/i\u003e follows on from their highly acclaimed\u003ci\u003e English Weather \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eParis In The Spring\u003c\/i\u003e compilations. With clear parallels between today's fractured country and the USA fifty years ago, this is a fascinating condensation of what Americans were thinking when they turned on the TV, or the radio, or simply walked down Main Street in 1968. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2LP - Double 180 Gram Blue Vinyl with Bonus Track.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ace Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50448974184779,"sku":"1046653","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50448974512459,"sku":"1046654","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a19401f2-7f9f-43b2-93e0-ae372b9b7d01_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727097966","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/products\/bob-stanley-and-pete-wiggs-present-state-of-the-union-the-american-dream-in-crisis-1967-1973","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}