Alex Glasgow - Close The Coalhouse Door

This is a beautiful and poignant song, by the late and much loved Alex Glasgow, a passionate socialist and a great singer. Each year, thousands of miners in China still pay "the price of coal" providing the energy to produce OUR cheap consumer goods. The mine in the video was Blackhall Colliery, co Durham, photographed by me in 1982. The amusing Mrs T poster was from Durham miners' gala (Big Meeting) of the same year.

I don't own the copyright. It's a reduced quality 64bps mono sample. If you want top quality - buy the CD and give something back to Alex's family.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Alex Glasgow
• Close The Coalhouse Door

[abarlowgsa]

@chicreid They are reviving the show this year in Newcastle and then on tour!

[1973SAFCmarra]

This is so moving.

It's about my dad, crawling on hands and knees at Ryhope Colliery.

It's about his brother who broke his back at Silksworth Colliery.

It's about his brother killed – aged 14 – at Wearmouth Colliery.

It's about the Tory swines who, led by Cameron, are continuing their war against the miners.

No forgetting! No forgiving!

[gaspode18]

@ewsihnning Not just Aberfan but all the children who worked and died over the years in the pits. The youngest ever recorded was three years of age.

[sionnyn]

Heart-braking! 

[chicreid]

I recall working on the show of the same name in Newcastle circa 1969, and subsequently the BBC play for today. Brilliant social comment of the time, and still relevant today I feel.

[meriel5240]

very poignant given the Welsh mining tragedy of the last few days

[clairebear808fyi]

My favourite song of his is Xanadu - does anyone else know it?

[cackypoo]

one of my all time favorite folk songs,reminds me of the 84 miners strike

[carmenlynne]

I love this song. Used to listen to it as a teenager when I lived in Hull. Can we suggest it to the Thom Hartmann show on Air America? He's playing songs every day about labor themed subjects.

Carmen in LA

[ewsihnning]

'There's bairns inside' A reference to the tragedy of Aberfan of the 1960s when so many innocent children lost their lives when a slagheap collapsed and covered their school. The true price of coal!

Alex had a lovely voice. I remember him on BBC Look North when I was a child. He's greatly missed.