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Peace House Concert

Posted on November 3, 2009 by admin
PEACE HOUSE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND BENEFIT

Saturday 14th November 2009 – 3pm to 2am

  • Songs from the frontline with JOE WILKES
  • IAN SAVILLE conjures his Magic for Socialism
  • Celebrating his 50th year of performing, political folk from LEON ROSSELSON
  • The unstoppable all-female five-piece FREYLEKH KLEZMER DANCE BAND
  • Bold, beautiful folk from SEIZE THE DAY

Followed by DJs till 2am.
+ more to be announced
Tickets £9

www.housmans.com/peacehouse.php

George_Frederic_Watts_portrait_of_William_Morris_1870

Morris 175 Weekend

Posted on August 18, 2009 by admin

4 to 6 September 2009

Come and celebrate the 175th anniversary of William Morris’s birth in the magical setting of Kelmscott House, Morris’s home for the last 18 years of his life. It was here that Morris developed his skills in carpet weaving and printed the Kelmscott Chaucer and Jane and May, his wife and daughter, produced beautiful embroideries.

Our festival will take place in the Coach House, where Morris once held meetings of the Socialist League and speakers included George Bernard Shaw & W B Yeats.

The weekend will include music, song, theatre, talks, a local Arts & Crafts walk, as well as fun and party food.

Read More for the Full Programme and ticket prices

 

Weekend tickets (Friday evening, all day Saturday & Sunday): £50 members & concessions; £63 non-members.

Friday evening only: £10 members & concessions; £13 non-members.

Saturday only: £36 members & concessions; £45 non-members.

Leon Rosselson performance only: £10, includes glass of wine

Hilary Watkins, storytelling performance only: £10, includes glass of wine

Sunday only: £24 members & concessions; £30 non-members. Priority will be given to those booking weekend tickets.

To book tickets: please send a SAE to the William Morris Society at Kelmscott House, Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6 9TA, stating whether you have any special dietary requirements. For further information please e-mail [email protected], or telephone 020 8741 3735 on Tuesday, Thursday, or a Saturday afternoon.

FULL PROGRAMME

Friday 4 September

18.00 Reception & Welcome with drinks and finger buffet
19.00 Talk by Lord Tom Sawyer on his project to support designer bookbinders
20.00 A special production of the play Kollontai in London, performed by The New Factory of the Eccentric Actor

Saturday 5 September

10.30 Helen Elletson (Curator WMS) will display and talk about items from the Society’s collections
11.30 Coffee & biscuits
12.00 Talk by Professor Ruth Levitas on Warwick Draper the Hammersmith Historian
13.30 Sandwich lunch
14.30 Traditional Celtic storytelling with tea by performance artist and storyteller Hilary Watkins, accompanied by harpist
16.30 Demonstration of Morris’s printing press by Anne Hickmott
18.00 Drinks and finger buffet
19.30 An evening of music performed by Leon Rosselson

Sunday 6 September

10.30 Talk by Peter Cormack on William Morris as a Craftsperson
11.30 Coffee & biscuits
12.00 Start of a local Arts & Crafts walk
14.00 Sandwich Lunch
15.30 Tony Benn, our guest of honour, will speak on The Legacy of William Morris, followed by tea
19.00 Buffet supper & drinks
20.00 Musical performance by Trio “Zadok Baroque”
Byron Mahoney – flute, Philip Yeeles – violin & Bridget Cunningham – harpsichord, will be playing on period instruments chamber music from Georgian England.

Venue Change for Komedia Gig

Posted on June 24, 2009 by admin

There has been a last minute change in location for the gig in Brighton on the 1st July.

This gig will now be held at the Latest MusicBar on Manchester Street.

Please check out the gigs page for the address and more information. 

The Greatest Drummer in the World - Leon Rosselson

The Greatest Drummer in the World – 2004

Posted on June 20, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin
This is a recording of the show for children – 4 to 10 year olds – which toured in 2004. A story with songs by Leon Rosselson performed by Anna Mudeka, Elizabeth Mansfield & Leon Rosselson.
‘A magical performance piece’ – The Stage

‘She is the greatest drummer in the world/ they didn’t think that she could/ when she said that she would/ put the giant to flight/
but all his power & might/ could not overcome/ the girl with a drum.’
Price: £6
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 

PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online.

Harry's Gone Fishing cover image

Harry’s Gone Fishing – 1999

Posted on June 19, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD 007 

– 1. It’s just the song 
– 2. Harry’s gone fishing 
– 3. Mercenaries
– 4. She came from out of nowhere 
– 5. Postcards from Cuba
– 6. Money matters
– 7. Bad driver
– 8. Child killers
– 9. Sun
– 10. You noble diggers all
– 11. Encore 

LEON ROSSELSON With Roy Bailey, Mark Bassey, Martin Carthy, Paul Jayasinha, Robb Johnson, Claire Lintott, Liz Mansfield, Ruth Rosselson and Fiz Shapur

‘His songs unquestionably reveal the sharpest of minds, a wicked sense of fun and, whatever you make of the politics, thought-provoking assumptions and assertions.’ – DAILY TELEGRAPH 19 February 2000

‘He speaks the unspeakable, articulates the unthinkable, observes the tiny, absurd details that denote a darker, deeper picture. It’s brilliant.’ – fROOTS November 1999

‘…a typically excellent work of wit, wisdom and songcraft.’ – TIME OUT October 1999

Price: £11
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 
PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online. 

Perspectives cover image

Perspectives – 1997

Posted on June 18, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CD CFCD 006

18 of Rosselson’s finest and most ambitious songs

– 1. The Ant & the Grasshopper 
– 2. Perspectives 
– 3. They’re Going to Build a Motorway … 
– 4. Plan 
– 5. The Man Who Puffs the Big Cigar 
– 6. Garden of Stone 
– 7. History Lesson 
– 8. Ballad of a Spycatcher 
– 9. Song of the Moderate Man 
– 10. Consider the Majority 
– 11. The Saint 
– 12. No Cause for Alarm 
– 13. Experts 
– 14. In the Park 
– 15. The Last Chance 
– 16. The Rules of the Game 
– 17. Somebody’s Stolen the End of my Dream 
– 18. Topside Down Party

‘..Rosselson’s songs here savagely lampoon over two decades of governmental crassness & corporate stupidity with an acerbic lyricism that has become his exclusive domain’ – FOLK ROOTS June 1997

‘..arguably the best collection of old material Rosselson has put together yet’ – TAPLAS May 1997

‘..these re-recordings and originals track back more than 25 years to confirm the reputation of one of the most incisive of British writers and performers. One moment savagely political, the next tellingly funny…’ – SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH 28 February 1997

Price: £11
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 
PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online.

Intruders cover image

Intruders – 1995

Posted on June 17, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD 005

– 1. The Heartening Tale of John Pratt 
– 2. Soldiering On 
– 3. Monologue 
– 4. A Very Busy Man 
– 5. The Word Market 
– 6. They Took It Out 
– 7. It Goes On – Intruders 
– 8. The Song of Martin Fontasch 
– 9. Just Like Animals 
– 10. All That is Different is Part of the Dance

LEON ROSSELSON with Martin Carthy, Liz Mansfield, Fiz Shapur, Chris Foster and Sianed Jones

‘… a set of riveting songs. Leon Rosselson’s integration of words and music is as immaculate as ever and the performances of the supporting cast are superb.’ – FOLK ROOTS Jan/Feb 1996

‘… a master of barbed eloquence’ – DAILY TELEGRAPH 11 Nov 1995

‘The most spine-chilling effective cut, The Song of Martin Fontasch, is an emotional roller-coaster of sadness, fear and hope.’ – ROCK ‘n’ REEL Spring 1996

Price: £11
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 

PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online. 

Questions cover image

Questions – 1995 – Now On CD

Posted on June 16, 2009May 7, 2023 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD004

Songs and Stories for Children

– 1. Skin
– 2. Flying High Flying Free
– 3. My Heterodontosaurus
– 4. Why Does It Have To Be Me?
– 5. Free to Roam
– 6. Questions
– 7. The Vitamin Dance
– 8. One Two Three
– 9. Air
– 10. Don’t Put a Banana in Your Ear
– 11. Bear Story
– 12. Kangaroos Like To Hop
– 13. Song of the Clock
– 14. Ella’s Bedtime Story

LEON ROSSELSON with grown-ups Chris Foster, Liz Mansfield, Ruth Rosselson and Fiz Shapur and children Amy Dawson, Yolanda Rosselson, Alphonse Ryan, Ella Ryan and John-Jo Ryan.

‘Fun songs, sing-along songs and a couple of good stories ensure that this cassette is popular with both children and adults.’ – TAPLAS June 1995

‘This is a cheerful compilation for children throughout the primary school’ – JUNIOR EDUCATION April 1995

‘Make no mistake these songs really do work for kids as my victims at Braithwaite and Eastwood schools will testify.’ – TYKES NEWS Summer 1995

** OUT OF STOCK **
Guess What They're Selling at the Happiness Counter cover image

Guess What They’re Selling at the Happiness Counter – 1992

Posted on June 15, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD004

– 1. Hugga Mugga * 
– 2. Story Line 
– 3. Barney’s Epic Homer 
– 4. Boys Will Be Boys* 
– 5. My Daughter My Son 
– 6. Do You Remember?* 
– 7. Abiezer Coppe 
– 8. On Her Silver Jubilee 
– 9. The Ugly Ones * 
– 10. Susie 
– 11. Invisible Married Breakfast Blues* 
– 12. The Years Grow Tall 
– 13. The Invisible Man* 
– 14. Pills 
– 15. Across the Hills* 
– 16. Battle Hymn of the New Socialist Party* 
– 17. The World’s Police 
– 18. Voices 
– 19. The Voice That Lives Inside You

* Re-recording

LEON ROSSELSON with Frankie Armstrong, Roy Bailey, Martin Carthy, Howard Evans, Sue Harris, Sandra Kerr, Steve King, John Kirkpatrick, Liz Mansfield, Fiz Shapur and Roger Williams

‘Proof that the art of songwriting is not dead. Occasionally acid flows from his pen but always the end product is thoughtful, witty and provocative.’ 
– SHEFFIELD TELEGRAPH March 1993

‘Another nineteen weighty tracks full of barbed verbiage and challenging assaults on society’s preconceptions … the cuts included here tend to be slightly deeper and harder, exploring rather more imaginative and ambitious degrees of arrangement’ – FOLK ROOTS Jan/Feb 1993

‘A collection of some of the great moments of vinyl history as recorded by Britain’s most witty, funny, poignant and biting lyricist.’ 

 

Price: £11
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 
PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online.

 

Rosa book cover

Children’s Books

Posted on June 15, 2009August 27, 2023 by admin

Rosa’s Singing Grandfather

Rosa doesn’t have a dad but she has a grandfather and a grandfather who sings at that. When Grandad sings on the beach or at Rosa’s carol service or in hospital or at the zoo, Rosa feels a bit embarrassed but no one else seems to mind. Rosa ends up being very proud of her grandad.
 
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 1991 
 
“The sheer quality of the writing makes this an immensely satisfying read” – The judges of the Carnegie Award
“ROSA’S SINGING GRANDFATHER comes from a deeper well of the imagination. It has a subtle beauty, using songs to explore tender areas of feeling – loss, abandonment, memory and fear. It also manages to evoke a vanished world of tin baths and backyard lavatories while presenting a little girl very much alive now.” – Times Educational Supplement
“The clarity and optimism of this book should make it very welcome to new independent readers.” – Books for Keeps
“Young readers will enjoy meeting Rosa and her grandfather and will
remember their voices for a long time to come.” -School Library Journal USA
Published by Barn Owl Books
Illustration: Norman Young
Cover: Ros Asquith
Price £4.99 
 

Home is a place called nowhere book cover

Home Is A Place Called Nowhere 

(8-12 year olds)

Oxford University Press. £6.99.
ISBN 0-19-27 1914-9
Published January 2003
“…a cracking good read (nine and up), a book which hits the issues without remotely patronising and without being vacuously hip.
Its overriding virtue is that it is a story of hope and dignity amid the cruelty and ugliness of racism. Hatred abounds and yet Amina retains her soul.
It’s provocative stuff, offering a sobering picture of our nation’s treatment of refugees.” – West Sussex Gazette 24/07/2003
“So powerful, we couldn’t put it down once we’d started.”  (Mizz 12/03/2003)

Rosa’s Grandfather Sings Again

5-9 year olds
Viking 1991/Puffin 1992
 
Children’s Book of the Year choice.
 

More Children’s Books  

Bernie Works A Miracle (5-9 year olds) (A & C Black 1992/HarperCollins 1993)
Swim, Sam, Swim (3-7 year olds) (Puffin 1994)
Where’s My Mum? (2-5 year olds) (Picture Book. Walker Books 1994)
Save Our Playground (5-9 year olds) (HarperCollins 1994)
I Thought I Heard A Goldfish Singing (8-12 year olds) (Longman’s 1994)
Free The Sunbird (A Play For Children. Ginn 1995)
Emma’s Talking Rabbit (hardback 5-9 year olds) (HarperCollins September 1996)
Ben’s Magic Drum (5-8 year olds) (Puffin May 1998)
Carla’s Magic Dancing Boots (6-8 year olds) (Macdonald Young Books May 1998)
Football Crazy (8-12 year olds) (Hodder March 1998)
Pumpkin’s Downfall (5-9 Year Olds) (HarperCollins March 2000)

Stories in Anthologies

What’s Come Over Angela? (Stories For 7 Year Olds. HarperCollins)
The Giant Of Lilliput Lane (Stories For 5 Year Olds. HarperCollins)
Ella’s Bedtime Story (Bedtime Stories For The Very Young. Kingfisher Books)
Thomas The Rhymer & The Broken Smile (The Cloth Of Dreams. Little Brown & Co.)
Uproar In Yukland (Best Stories For 6 Year Olds. Hodder)
Silly Billy’s Walk To London (Journeys. Ginn)
The Greatest Drummer In The World (Another Time, Another Place. Ginn)

In the USA

Where’s My Mom? (Candlewick Press 1994)
Rosa & Her Singing Grandfather (Philomel 1996)

Bringing The News From Nowhere

Posted on June 15, 2009August 27, 2023 by admin
125 selected songs, words, music, chords with illustrations by Jini Rawlings. 
Published 1992.
 
Price: £14.95 (£16.50 with p & p to UK)
 
 
 Sorry – No longer available
 
‘This is a beautifully produced book and one which is worthy of the highest praise. The songs should be read by people of all political persuasions and should be heard throughout the land. They are written from the heart and are a passionate commentary on life in the 20th century.’ 
-The Musician, September 1994
‘Possibly the world’s most accomplished mischief maker, his radical songs transfer successfully to the printed page.’ 
-Daily Telegraph, 3 July 1993
‘Plenty of good songs for the questing singer and plenty of food for thought for the casual browser…a collection of good and powerful songs.’ 
-Folk Roots December 1993
Turning Silence into Song - songbook cover

Turning Silence Into Song

Posted on June 15, 2009August 27, 2023 by admin
Leon Rosselson songbook
Contains 39 songs with music, chords, lyrics and notes. Richly illustrated.
Published on 15 September 2003.
Price: £11.95 (plus postage)
With postage to U.K.: £13.50
With postage outside the U.K.: £16.95 
 
 

Postage Selection




 
 
Or send cheque and order to
Fuse Records 28 Park Chase, Wembley Park, Middx. HA9 8EH. 
 
 
 
Wo Sind Die Elefanten cover image

WO SIND DIE ELEFANTEN? – 1991

Posted on June 14, 2009November 17, 2021 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD 002 

– 1. The Neighbour’s Cat 
– 2. The Poet The Wife and The Monkey 
– 3. Wo Sind Die Elefanten? 
– 4. The Juggler 
– 5. Whatever Happened to Nannerl? 
– 6. Song of the Old Communist 
– 7. Where’s The Enemy 
– 8. General Lockjaw Briefs The British Media 
– 9. Out of The Fire and Smoke of History

LEON ROSSELSON with Martin Carthy, Liz Mansfield, Fiz Shapur and Dave Swarbrick

‘Mary Black and Capercaillie came close but my album of 1991 is Wo Sind Die Elefanten?. As Incisively anti-establishment as ever, Rosselson’s eloquent word-play overcomes quarrels with the politics.’ – DAILY TELEGRAPH 7 December 1991

‘… a challenging songwriter whose work radiates acumen and wit’ – Q MAGAZINE December 1991

‘On a good day, one of the warmest and wittiest writers in the land with a humour that other acknowledged political writers like Costello and Bragg rarely emulate. And this, I reckon, is a pretty good day.’  FOLK ROOTS January 1992

Price: £11
Postage to the UK included in the price.  
Send a cheque as per Mail Order instructions here or click the Buy Now button below.
 

PayPal — The safer, easier way to pay online.

Purchase

Posted on June 13, 2009September 10, 2023 by admin

Mail Order from Fuse Records

UK customers can send a cheque made out to “Fuse Records” with a note including your name, address and title of the item(s) you wish to purchase to the address below:

Fuse Records
28 Park Chase,
Wembley Park
Middlesex HA9 8EH

Online via Paypal

Use the “Buy Now” button next to the desired CD on the Records page.

USA & Canada

Some CDs can be bought via the PM Press website.

RosselSongs cover image

RosselSonGs – 1990

Posted on June 13, 2009 by admin

FUSE RECORDS CFCD 001 

– 1. Tim McGuire 
– 2. Penny for the Guy 
– 3. Palaces of Gold* 
– 4. We Sell Everything 
– 5. Stand Up for Judas 
– 6. Sing a Song to Please Us 
– 7. She Was Crazy He Was Mad 
– 8. Not Quite But Nearly 
– 9. Let Your Hair Hang Down 
– 10. Don’t Get Married Girls 
– 11. I Didn’t Mean it 
– 12. No-One Is Responsible 
– 13. Still Is the Memory* 
– 14. Whoever Invented the Fishfinger 
– 15. Who Reaps the Profits? 
– 16. It Wasn’t Me I Didn’t Do It 
– 17. Bringing the News From Nowhere 
– 18. The World Turned Upside Down* 

* Re-recording

LEON ROSSELSON with Frankie Armstrong, Roy Bailey, Steve Barry, Martin Carthy, Howard Evans, Sue Harris, Rory McLeod, Simon Nicol, Fiz Shapur and Roger Williams

‘Rosselsongs was a revelation, an album I that I could not only listen to but one which was amusing, thought-provoking, well-produced and relevant’
– ENGLISH DANCE AND SONG Christmas 1990

‘Pretty much every track on this compilation is a winner, demonstrating not only the famous vicious edge of his songs, but also the funny, the sad and the quirky’
– FOLK ROOTS March 1990

‘An excellent selection from seven different albums by one of the most able songwriters of our times’
– TAPLAS April 1990

 
OUT OF STOCK
This CD is no longer in stock but most of the songs are included in the 4-CD boxset The World Turned Upside Down.

Leon in the Guardian

Posted on June 12, 2009 by admin

On the 5th of June the Guardian marked Leon’s 50th anniversary with an article from Iain Aitch, who interviewed Leon about his years of “artfully stirring things up”. If you missed the paper copy, read the full article online at the guardian.co.uk

About Leon Rosselson

Posted on June 12, 2009 by admin
Leon Rosselson is an acclaimed singer and songwriter with more than 50 years of performing under his belt and the author of 17 children’s books. 
Here you can find more information, a complete bibliography and musicography of Leon’s works, as well as the list of upcoming gigs. You can also get in touch if you’d like more information or to purchase a book or record.
 

News & Updates

50th Anniversary Concert Videos

Posted on June 12, 2009 by admin

A concert celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Leon Rosselson’s songwriting career was held at the Tricycle Theatre on the 29th March 2009. The concert was a sell-out success and greatly enjoyed by all lucky enough to be there. For those who missed it, or those who would like to see it again, the whole concert was captured on video, two clips from which you can now see on the website or on YouTube.

Intro & The Voice That Lives Inside you

 

  

 

Conversation on a Mobile 

 

 

Song of the Olive Tree (Janet Russell)

 

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About the Site

Posted on June 12, 2009 by admin

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Early Vinyl Recordings

Posted on August 10, 2008November 17, 2021 by admin

Leon’s early vinyl recordings listed below, are now available as downloads on all major digital retail outlets, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Napster.

SONGS FOR CITY SQUARES  TOP 77 Topic Records ep 1962

 

VOTE FOR US (with assorted actors & musicians) TRA 120

Transatlantic Records LP 1964

SONGS FOR SCEPTICAL CIRCLES BY 6029 Elektra Records LP 1966

A LAUGH A SONG & A HANDGRENADE (with Adrian Mitchell)

TRA 171 Transatlantic Records LP  1968

THE WORD IS HUGGA MUGGA…. (with Martin Carthy guitar)

LER 3015 Trailer Records LP 1971

PALACES OF GOLD CF 249 Acorn Records LP 1975

THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT’S GOT TO BE (with Roy Bailey)

CF 251 Acorn Records LP 1975

LOVE LONELINESS LAUNDRY (with Roy Bailey) CF 271 Acorn Records LP 1977

 

IF I KNEW WHO THE ENEMY WAS (with Roy Bailey)

CF 284 Fuse Records LP 1979

FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION CF 381 Fuse Records LP 1981

NUCLEAR POWER NO THANKS (with Frankie Armstrong, Roy Bailey, Martin Carthy, Chris Foster, Sandra Kerr…) Inter-Action LP 1981

TEMPORARY LOSS OF VISION CF 384 Fuse Records LP 1983

BRINGING THE NEWS FROM NOWHERE CF 390 Fuse Records LP 1986

I DIDN’T MEAN IT CF 392 Fuse Records LP 1988

 

  

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