from the booklet of the rhino reissue of armed forces:
"The origin of "Oliver's Army" is easier to explain. I made my first trip to Belfast in 1978 and saw mere boys walking around in battle dress with automatic weapons. They were no longer just on the evening news.
These snapshop experiences exploded into visions of mercenaries and imperial armies around the world. The song was based on the premis 'they always get a working class oby to do the killing'. I don't know who said that; maybe it was me, but it seems to be true nontheless. I pretty much had the song sketched out on the plane back to London."
from the booklet of the rhino reissue of armed forces:
"The origin of "Oliver's Army" is easier to explain. I made my first trip to Belfast in 1978 and saw mere boys walking around in battle dress with automatic weapons. They were no longer just on the evening news. These snapshop experiences exploded into visions of mercenaries and imperial armies around the world. The song was based on the premis 'they always get a working class oby to do the killing'. I don't know who said that; maybe it was me, but it seems to be true nontheless. I pretty much had the song sketched out on the plane back to London."