In a previous post about Ann Arbor revolutionist John Sinclair, I mentioned his book, titled Guitar Army, and how the name was taken from a Rationals song.

To me, what the Rationals were saying was that it’s going to take music to move us.  And you gotta feel it in order to move.  The opening line (which you won’t be able to hear-the clip is mostly the instrumental portion of the song), he says, I ain’t talkin’ bout, burnin’ down, I’m just talkin’ bout gettin’ down…Us folks talkin’ about, a whole different thing…Got to get up off your feet, and start movin’…

John Sinclair talked a lot about the concept of movin’.  On the back of the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival 1972 record, he says:

…please have a good time with this record, take it into your lives and let the music reach you like the musicans intended to when they made it, OK?  And then maybe we can start to get somewhere, like off our asses, on our feet and moving as far as the music can take us.

Power to the People’s Music

All Power to the People

I’ve also mentioned how I had a conversation with Robert Jr. Whitall, founder of Big City Rythym and Blues magazine, who used to hang out with John Sinclair.  He said, “back then, we were all listening to the blues.  We got our inspiration from blues music.  People don’t understand that punk music came from the blues.”

Music is the one universal language we have.  Bob Marley, a fan of punk music himself, said, Who feels it knows it, Lord.  So if you feel it, get movin’!