Robert Wyatt - himself an accomplished musician - offered the Bengali group Dishari the opportunity to record and release their song Trade Union on his album Nothing Can Stop us (recorded between 1980 and 1982). From his days as drummer of the early Soft Machine to his latest album Robert Wyatt has remained loyal to his roots, which lie in the French avant-garde (pataphysics, surrealism, dadaism), jazz, blues, and socialism. Political themes and highly personal songs alternate on his albums: to Wyatt there's no difference between the two. Nothing Can Stop Us is a concept album for which Wyatt gathered politically engaged songs (and a poem), and either sang them himself or, in the case of Dishari, had them performed by the musicians themselves.
The song 'Trade Union' is a call to Bengali workers in England to unite under the Trade Union banner. Songwriter Abdus Salique had to leave East Pakistan in 1970 because of left-wing political actitvities, but continued his work in East London, where he became the spokesman for the Bengali community At the moment Abdus Salique is Labour Councillor for Mile End East. Trade Union is a protest song following the racist attacks on the Bengali community in Brick Lane, London, in 1978.
Trade Union is not a missed encounter but a successful fusion of music and politics.
The track Trade Union can be found on Robert Wyatt's album Nothing Can Stop Us, released on CD by Hannibal, HNCD 1433.
