Ballads of the Green Berets

Depending upon your age, political persuasion and/or aesthetic sensibility, this 1966 album could be viewed as a courageous, patriotic rejoinder to the antiwar fervor then sweeping the nation, or as a jingoistic, war-mongering screed, or as an unintentionally hilarious camp classic. Through any filter, though, it s a genuine '60s artifact, proof positive that Richard Nixon's "Silent Majority" really did exist back in the '60s, as Ballads of the Green Berets sold two million copies in five weeks and its title track reached nos. 1 and 2 in the pop and country charts, respectively. One could also argue it highlights a division in American politics that continues today. Our Real Gone reissue includes the original artwork, new liner notes by Gene Sculatti and a bonus track, SSgt. Sadler's hit follow-up single, "The 'A'-Team."