New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In the wake of a tumultuous national election and the violent events that followed this month, Eurekepiphany Records is releasing the 30th Anniversary Remastered Version of timeless indie-rock anthem "The Price of Freedom" by SPAMPARIS on Jan. 29th. The new 30Th anniversary remastered single features an American Flag, "Stars and Stripes" upside down for the cover art.
"We've seen unprecedented violent protests all over the United States in the past year. People stirred into a frenzy by biased media talking heads, politicians and extremists from both sides unhinged on the wild west of free speech on social media. There are a many people who live in the United States who look at what is unraveling on CNN and Fox News and are heartbroken. Pundits are creating division by sowing divisive commentary," lamented
David Flood, SPAMPARIS lead singer and lyricist.
"We (surviving members Ed DiMuzio Jr., drums; Flood, guitar and vocals; and Rick Reese, bass guitar and keyboards) were planning on issuing a 30th Anniversary version of 'The Price of Freedom' later this year, but with the violent protests on Jan. 6 leading to the extraordinary deployment of the massive US
National Guard force in DC and across the nation ahead of President Biden's inauguration, we decided to release the song as quickly as possible."
Flood originally penned Freedom as an anti-war song, after the first Iraq War broke out in the Middle East. "The lyrics are meant as gospel for keeping things glued together as opposed to ripping everything apart," he explained.
"When I wrote those lyrics 30 years ago, I was fearful that
America was headed in the wrong direction —I was against the war in Iraq. Now, 30 years later, we are facing an even larger crisis, a power struggle over the soul of America, with threats of a looming Civil War."
The first verse starts, "Heard it on the radio, say it isn't so, it seems the end is near. And I can't understand, why we're in a foreign land, we must be clear. This land is strong you see, it bears our hopes and dreams, and no one can take it away. But there's a problem here, the cost is high I fear we all will, pay the price of freedom."
The song's second verse continues: "We walk together, hand in hand, until the path divides. I will hope and you will pray, could we both be right? It's the choice we make, no dignity at stake, we all want to survive. But still I count the days, until the end of the human race, we all will pay the price of freedom."
The song crescendos with a soaring soulful guitar solo performed by SPAMPARIS' only non-surviving member, Chris Hobler (lead guitar and background vocals), who died of ALS in 2005 at the age of 39.
"We never got signed," lamented SPAMPARIS bassist and Berklee College of
Music alum, Rick Reese, noting that the Boston-based band broke up in 1993, before the advent of the internet. "Even though the EP got decent airplay on college radio, we never had any real promotion of any kind, so it never reached the broader audience that we felt the song deserved."
Drummer Ed DiMuzio Jr. added: "When
David told me about his Underwater Orchestra project, and his intent to bring back 'The Price of Freedom' as an integral part of the story, I was excited by the idea that these songs could possibly be getting exposure to a wider audience."
Commenting on the cover art, Flood noted, "We put the 'Stars and Stripes' upside down for the cover, not in disrespect but to point to a time of distress in the United States. 'The Price of Freedom' should be a moment of pause for everyone caught up in the frenzy. 'The Price of Freedom' isn't a cry for battle, it's a patriotic song of hope…that clearer heads will prevail."
You can listen to the original version on the Facebook and YouTube Channels for Rick Reese and for Flood's new project,
David Flood and The Incredible Underwater Orchestra. The song is scheduled for a Jan, 29 release for purchase or streaming on Apple iTunes, and other streaming platforms. To learn more about SPAMPARIS and
David Flood and the Incredible Underwater Orchestra, visit the Eurekepiphany Records website at www.Eurekepiphany.com
