Monday, May 2, 2016

Earth Day courtesy of Dick Lamm




Hey all, given that today is Earth Day, I thought I would dig out this very obscure ecology recording, featuring then-Colorado House of Representative, and later Colorado Governor, Richard Lamm.

Elected in 1964, Lamm was an early leader of the environmental movement, and was President of the First National Conference on Population and the Environment. In 1972, as a member of the Colorado General Assembly, Lamm led the movement against Denver's hosting of the 1976 Winter Olympics. Denver had already been awarded the games, but the movement succeeded in cutting off public funding for the games, forcing the city to cancel its hosting. Innsbruck, Austria replaced Denver as the host. Lamm's successful effort made him known statewide.

He was elected governor in 1974.

 In 1984, his outspoken statements in support of physician-assisted suicide generated controversy, specifically over his use of the phrase "we have a duty to die."  His dire predictions for the future of social security and health care ("duty to die") earned him the nickname "Governor Gloom."


No clue when this LP was produced (pressed on the Ecology label).  According to a 1975 Billboard article, Lamm said the LP was used as a fundraiser for his legislative campaign, so it was released before 1974. Besides the spoken word numbers, narrated by Lamm, there are a few lo-fi folk songs by Colorado Music Hall of Fame inductee Harry Tuft, plus Dick Weissman, Ed Trickett, and Jan Hannah (her first vinyl appearance) and includes a cover of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall."

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE

Lamm was elected Colorado governor three times. When he left office in 1987, after three terms and twelve years in the office, he was the longest-serving governor in state history (his successor, Roy Romer, matched this record).