BIT OUT OF LEFTFIELD THIS ONE....

I'm the first to admit that there is a dearth of black music amidst the extensive vinyl and CD collection. But what I do have I like to think is, for the most part, timeless.

Like this 10" EP released on Arista Records in 1985:-

mp3 : Gil Scott-Heron - Winter In America
mp3 : Gil Scott-Heron - Johannesburg
mp3 : Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
mp3 : Gil Scott-Heron - "B" Movie

The official Gil Scott-Heron site has a very modest bio:-

Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949) is an American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word soul performer and his collaborative work with musician Brian Jackson.

His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron.

The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron’s recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". On his influence, Allmusic wrote "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists"

Not for the first time, you're better heading to wikipedia for much more detail. Click here.

The EP in question is a 1985 release to promote a Best Of compilation. Three of the songs are from the mid 70s, while the other - a superb attack on Reaganomics - was recorded in 1981.

My own first exposure to Gil Scott Heron was actually the fact that he was the son of an ex-footballer who was on the books of Celtic FC for a short time. My first musical exposure wasn't until the early 80s as I listened to more and more songs that called for change in the apartheid-torn South Africa. Jacques the Kipper is a huge admirer of Gil Scott-Heron. Today's posting is dedicated to him.

Some vintage footage:-





And now from his most recent LP, released earlier this year:-







The first of these videos incidentally was produced and directed by the same team behind the Nick Cave effort shown yesterday.

Hard to believe this music is the work of a 61 year-old man........