The Berkeley Women’s Music Collective independently recorded their first album in 1976. In this Paid My Dues article, Suzanne Shanbaum writes, “We produced our own albums because neither Olivia, Redwood, nor Urana (Wise Women) would do them.” In a separate recent interview, Suzanne recalls that, for $5000, the Collective produced the whole album — “pressed, cover, recording, everything.”
Despite its low budget and DIY production, the album had power and polish, and was well-received. It featured songs written by each member of the collective — some that delved into their own experiences of oppression (“Fury”) and liberation (“Take the Time”, “Gay and Proud”) as well as some that explored the experiences of other women (“San Francisco Bank Song,” “Janet’s Song”). Musically, the songs drew from many streams of American music, from country-folk (“The Bloods,” “San Francisco Bank Song,” “Mercy Me”) and gospel (“Fury”) to folk-rock (“Take the Time,” “‘No Thanks Mister'”) and blues and jazz (“We’re Hip,” “Janet’s Song,” “Gay and Proud’).
To see the full complement of visual materials that came with the album, including the lyrics for the songs, please click on the link to the right. The photos capture the many women who were involved with the production of the album at its various stages, and document some parts of the process. The liner notes (below) offer the backstory to several songs as well.
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To listen to the full album, click on the YouTube playlist above. Below, please find the tracks of the album in order, and individual links to each song: