Voice of America (Little Steven album)

Voice of America is the second solo album by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul released on May 7, 1984, four weeks before Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A.[1]

Voice of America
Studio album by
Little Steven
ReleasedMay 7, 1984[1]
GenreRock, stadium rock, hair metal
Length40:51
LabelEMI America
ProducerLittle Steven
Little Steven chronology
Men Without Women
(1982)		 Voice of America
(1984)		 Freedom - No Compromise
(1987)
Singles from Voice of America
  1. "Solidarity"
    Released: August, 1983
  2. "Out of the Darkness"
    Released: May, 1984
  3. "Undefeated (Everybody Goes Home)"
    Released: August, 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC+[3]

This album traded in the horns and the R & B influences of the previous Men Without Women for a raw, garage rock sound. Politics came to the lyrical forefront, with the general theme being opposition to Ronald Reagan-era American foreign policy.

"Out of the Darkness", a synthesizer-led anthem with sweeping arena rock and hair metal atmosphere, garnered some airplay, as well as music video play on MTV, and was effective in concert, while the somewhat softer and evocative "Checkpoint Charlie" also received considerable radio airplay. "Los Desaparecidos" gained praise as an effective protest song on behalf of the 1970s and 1980s victims of state-sponsored forced disappearance in South America. On other songs, the political viewpointing became more strident and was criticized as somewhat artless.

"I Am a Patriot", which held roughly that dissent was not disloyalty, became a favorite song of Jackson Browne, who covered it on his 1989 album World in Motion and who frequently performed it in his concerts. In 2004, the two would duet on the song during the last of the Vote for Change shows. Pearl Jam has covered the song as well.

In 2019, the album was remastered for release as part of Van Zandt's career-spanning box set Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work. The digital deluxe edition of the album was released on October 25, 2019 containing 10 bonus tracks, including the studio outtake "Rock N Roll Rebel", which was written following Van Zandt's 1983 removal from Disneyland due to he and his band's clothing being deemed inappropriate. The digital deluxe edition also includes the reissued Vote! bonus EP.

Track listing

All songs written by Little Steven.

  1. "Voice of America" – 3:30
  2. "Justice" – 3:18
  3. "Checkpoint Charlie" – 4:37
  4. "Solidarity" – 3:26
  5. "Out of the Darkness" – 4:34
  6. "Los Desaparecidos (The Disappeared Ones)" – 5:15 (not on some vinyl editions)
  7. "Fear" – 4:43
  8. "I Am a Patriot (And the River Opens for the Righteous)" – 3:26
  9. "Among the Believers" – 3:54
  10. "Undefeated (Everybody Goes Home)" – 3:40

1991 CD Bonus Tracks
  1. "Vote!" – 4:35
  2. "Caravan" – 3:56

2019 Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks
  1. "Voice of America" Radio spot (1984) - 1:07
  2. "Rock N Roll Rebel" (Studio track - 1983) - 5:02
  3. "Caravan" (Live at Marquee Club, London, UK - October 18, 1982) - 4:17
  4. "I Don't Want to Go Home" (Live at Marquee Club, London, UK - October 18, 1982) - 4:35
  5. "Alive for the First Time" (Writing session, The Birth of a Song - 1983) - 9:10
  6. "Out of the Darkness" (12" single - 1984) - 5:31
  7. "Inside of Me" (French TV - 1983) - 5:14
  8. "US Festival" Radio spot (1983) - 0:21
  9. "It's Possible" (Studio track - Date unknown) - 4:23
  10. "Vote! (That Mutha Out)" (12" single - 1984) - 4:36

2019 "Vote!" Bonus EP
  1. "Vote! (That Mutha Out)" (12" Single - 1984) - 4:36
  2. "Vote! Part II (Rap Version)" (1984) - 6:56
  3. "Vote! Part III (After World War III)" (Rap version) (12" single - 1984) - 6:25
  4. "Vote! Part IV (Instrumental)" (12" single - 1984) - 4:36
  5. "Vote! Part V (Rap Version)" (1984) - 5:11

Personnel

Charts

Album

Chart (1984) Position
The Billboard 200 55
Swedish Albums Chart[4] 8
Norwegian Albums Chart 6[5]

Singles
Single Chart (1984) Position
"Los Desaparecidos (The Disappeared Ones)" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[6] 27
"Out of the Darkness" Norwegian Singles Chart[5] 8
"Voice of America" Norwegian Singles Chart 9[5]
  • "Vote!" was also released as a single but did not chart.

Footnotes
  1. Russell, Lisa. "Little Steven (Van Zandt) Says Goodbye to the Boss". People. Time Inc., 10 Sept. 1984. Web. 2 Apr. 2017. "The timing of Van Zandt’s LP—Bruce’s came out only four weeks after Voice of America—is also proving to be a little off."
  2. AllMusic review
  3. Robert Christgau review
  4. "Swedish Charts > Little Steven"
  5. "Norwegian Charts > Little Steven"
  6. "Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul Songs (Top Songs/Chart Singles Discography)"
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