The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

by Gil Scott-Heron

Overview

Spanning 1970-1972, this superb collection takes us back to Gil Scott-Heron's early years, when he was working with jazz producer Bob Thiele -- a man who had been in the studio with everyone from John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders to Coleman Hawkins. But The Revolution Will Not Be Televised isn't a jazz collection per se; it's a collection of innovative R&B and spoken poetry that contains jazz influences and finds Scott-Heron employing such jazz musicians as flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Ron Carter. Like the Last Poets, Scott-Heron has been described as "one of the first rappers" -- and while he was hardly the first person to speak in rhyme to music, there are definitely parallels between angry sociopolitical poems like "Whitey on the Moon," "No Knock," and "Brother" and hip-hop commentary from the 1980s. Poetry, however, doesn't dominate this album -- most of the selections illustrate Scott-Heron's excellence as a singer, including "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," "Did You Hear What They Said?," and the poignant "Save the Children." One of the collection's less political tracks is "Lady Day and John Coltrane," an R&B classic that articulates how easily jazz can lift a person's spirits. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised isn't the last word on Scott-Heron's artistry -- he recorded many more treasures after leaving Flying Dutchman for Arista in 1975. But it's one of the collections to acquire if you're exploring his artistry for the first time. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	07/07/2017
Label:	Flying Dutchman
UPC:	0029667077927
Rank:	27604

Tracks

1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
2. Sex Education: Ghetto Style
3. The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues
4. No Knock
5. Lady Day and John Coltrane
6. Pieces of a Man
7. Home Is Where the Hatred Is
8. Brother
9. Save the Children
10. Whitey on the Moon
11. Did You Hear What They Said?
12. When You Are Who You Are
13. I Think I'll Call It Morning
14. Or Down You Fall
15. Free Will
16. The Middle of Your Day
17. Speed Kills
18. Paint It Black
19. Who'll Pay Reparations on My Soul?
20. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised [First Version]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gil Scott-Heron   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie   Guest Artist,Drums
Hubert Laws   Guest Artist,Flute,Sax (Alto)
Ron Carter   Guest Artist,Bass
David Spinozza   Guitar
Gerald Jemmott   Bass
Brian Jackson   Piano
Charles Saunders   Percussion
Eddie Knowles   Flute,Percussion,Sax (Alto)
Burt Jones   Guitar

Technical Credits

Brian Jackson   Composer
Gil Scott-Heron   Composer,Performer
Bob Thiele   Producer
Bob Simpson   Engineer
Stephan Sulke   Engineer