Occupy This Album


Occupy This Album: 99 Songs for the 99 Percent is a four-disc compilation box set released in May 2012 through the record label Music for Occupy. The album concept, and initial production was initiated by Executive Producer Jason Samel. Jason Samel later recruited Producers Maegan Hayward, Alex Emanuel and Shirley Menard to assist with the project. The set consists of 99 songs inspired by or related to the Occupy movement. Proceeds from the album went "directly towards the needs of sustaining this growing movement."

Composition

Occupy This Album is a four-disc compilation box set containing 76 songs by various artists; the digital version contains 99 tracks.
Michael Moore contributed vocals on his cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'", produced by Jason Samel and Eric Weinrib, a song he had previously performed in his 1998 film The Big One. Moore, who had been approached to direct a music video for the compilation, is accompanied by Tom Chapin on guitar and harmonica. Approximately two thirds of the way into the track, Moore leads a human microphone chorus with the chant: "We are here to conduct an intervention".
One of the album's standout tracks "We Can't Make It Here" was written and performed by James McMurtry and recorded along with Steve Earle and Joan Baez on vocals. Critically acclaimed, it's been cited among The Nation's "Best Protest Songs Ever"; one of the "25 Best Songs of the 2000s" in Rolling Stone magazine; and declared "a triumph — the anthem of the 99%," by Bob Lefsetz.

Promotion

City Winery in New York City hosted a record release party on May 8, 2012, which included performances by Matt Pless, the initial inspiration for the album. Other performers included Ace Reporter, David Amram, Angels of Vice, Jennie Arnau, Richard Barone, Chroma, Dave Dreiwitz, and Kevin Twigg, the Fear Nuttin Band, Nanci Griffith with Pete and Maura Kennedy, DJ Logic, Jesse Lenat, Los Cintron, George Martinez and The Global Block Collective, Michael Moore with Tom Chapin, Rejectionist Front, Greg Smith and Broken English, and Taj Weekes.

Critical reception

Critical reception of the album was mixed. In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson gave the compilation series a B+ rating and wrote, "the spirit of the compilation feels more positive than negative — the best that can be asked of any grassroots revolution". Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones called the album a "mashup of sometimes discordant messages" lacking in "musical cohesion", though he complimented the album's "star power" and felt the best songs were contributed by rappers.
Many reviewers criticized or complimented select tracks. Anderson's favorite songs included Ace Reporter's "propulsive" rendition of "The World Is on Fire" and Deborah Harry's "glitchy" "Safety in Numbers". Harkinson called Michael Moore's version of the Bob Dylan song "The Times They Are a-Changin'" "rotten", but considered Third Eye Blind's "If There Ever Was a Time" a "gem".
Occupy This Album won the Independent Music Awards VOX Populi vote for .

Track listing

; Disc 1
  1. "Something's Got to Give" – 4:18
  2. "Come On, Come On, Come On" – 5:39
  3. "Occupation Freedom" – 2:38
  4. "People Have the Power" – 5:37
  5. "Love Anthem " – 4:00
  6. "The Panic Is On" – 2:56
  7. "Occulture" – 4:13
  8. "Save Us" – 2:49
  9. "Smile " – 6:50
  10. "This Is What America Looks Like" – 3:37
  11. "Big Little Wolfs" – 2:56
  12. "Agent 99" – 3:26
  13. "Safety in Numbers" – 3:58
  14. "Hey, Can I Sleep on Your Futon?" – 4:24
  15. "Occupy Wall Street " – 2:34
  16. "White Gold" – 5:02
  17. "Greed" – 3:33
  18. "Against the Machine" – 3:59
  19. "The Young Idealists" – 2:42
  20. "A Peaceful Solution" – 3:52
; Disc 2
  1. "The Times They Are a-Changin'", performed by Michael Moore – 3:41
  2. "The World Is on Fire" – 3:08
  3. "Latter Days" – 3:39
  4. "Turn the Lights On" – 4:36
  5. "Which Side Are You On?" – 6:05
  6. "Well May the World Go" – 4:49
  7. "Unified Tribes" – 3:14
  8. "Robber Barons" – 5:16
  9. "Saving Up to Go Bankrupt" – 3:40
  10. "Hell No " – 2:49
  11. "We Stand as One" – 5:18
  12. "Cash Machine" – 3:33
  13. "Rebellion Politik" – 3:32
  14. "Nothing Recedes Like Progress" – 2:07
  15. "Rebel" – 3:36
  16. "Under the Bridge" – 2:58
  17. "Take a Stand" – 5:00
  18. "The Answer" – 4:41
  19. "World Wide Rebel Songs" – 3:02
  20. "If There Ever Was a Time" – 3:26
; Disc 3
  1. "Move on Fast" – 3:41
  2. "If We Live" – 3:41
  3. "Fight the Good Fight" – 3:41
  4. "I Don't Need Money" – 3:09
  5. "The World Is Turning" – 4:13
  6. "A New York Minute" – 3:38
  7. "I Ain't No Brian Wilson" – 4:52
  8. "Industrial Park" – 6:00
  9. "Big Fish" – 3:21
  10. "Occu-Pie" – 3:31
  11. "Free" – 5:27
  12. "Oye Mi Voz" – 3:49
  13. "Walk On" – 3:58
  14. "Coney Island Winter" – 3:48
  15. "China Basin Digs" – 3:21
  16. "Walkin'" – 5:38
  17. "River's Gonna Rise" – 7:59
  18. "Rich Man's World" – 4:41
  19. "Staying Out and Calling In" – 1:28
; Disc 4
  1. "We Can't Make It Here" – 6:03
  2. "We Are" – 4:07
  3. "Revolution" – 3:00
  4. "Number One" – 4:33
  5. "Play the Greed" – 3:08
  6. "Broke Heart Blues" – 3:57
  7. "What Are Their Names" – 1:19
  8. "Make a Stand" – 5:12
  9. "Better Luck Next Time" – 4:06
  10. "All Over the World" – 2:54
  11. "We're the 99" – 4:17
  12. "We Are Human" – 4:08
  13. "Blessed" – 5:49
  14. "Freedom of Speech" – 4:28
  15. "Reclaim" – 3:39
  16. "Occupy " – 2:55
  17. "Earth Division" – 6:01
  18. "Pulse" – 3:05
  19. "The Times They Are a-Changin' " – 3:21
; Digital Only
  1. Andrew Vladeck – "Chasing the Sun"
  2. Greg Smith and The Broken English – "Livin' Like a Joker"
  3. Aliza Hava – "Rise"
  4. The Occubility Bros. – "Crashed IT, Stashed IT" *
  5. Chris Pierce – "Invisible People"
  6. Amanda Palmer – "Ukulele Anthem" *
  7. Nadirah Shakoor – "Tree of Life"
  8. Hanne Hukkelberg – "On My Wall"
  9. Jason White – "Little Pieces of Plastic"
  10. mfmadness – "Never Be Defeated"
  11. Renegade Creation – "Greedy Life" *
  12. Jesse Lenat – "99%"
  13. The Swedes – "On The Dole"
  14. Bill Mlotok – "Brazilia" *
  15. Marcus Blake – "Don't Taser Me, Bro!"
  16. Angels of Vice – "We Are The 99″
  17. The Layaways – "Silence"
  18. Mother Feather – "Mother Feather" *
  19. Thorin Caristo – "Common Man" *
  20. Machan – "Everyday"
  21. Vannucci – "Crashing Down" *
  22. David Amram – "Time to Occupy" *
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Allmusic.

Charts