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The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron

Summary

The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron (subtitled A Collection of Poetry and Music) is a 1978 album by spoken word and rap artist Gil Scott-Heron.[1] Like many of Scott-Heron's albums, the album's content primarily addresses political and social issues; however, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron relies far more on his spoken word delivery than his other albums. Whereas much of the artist's earlier albums contained backup jazz-funk music from Brian Jackson, many of these tracks, which address contemporary issues such as Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the Attica Prison riot, are either live recordings or studio-recorded songs with little more than sparse drum backing or occasional instrumentation. "Jose Campos Torres" is about Jose Campos Torres, a U.S. Army veteran who was arrested and then murdered and tossed into a bayou by two police officers in Houston in 1978, spurring the Moody Park Riot.[2] Many of the tracks featured were included on previous Gil Scott-Heron albums.[2][3]

The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron
Studio album by
Gil Scott-Heron
Released1978
Recorded1973-78
GenreSoul, jazz poetry, proto-rap
Length50:40
LabelArista
ProducerGil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron chronology
Bridges
(1977) 		The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron
(1978) 		1980
(1979)
Alternative cover
2000 reissue cover

Due to the length of some of the pieces – "The Ghetto Code (Dot Dot Dit Dit Dot Dot Dash)" is nearly 13 minutes long, and four other songs are longer than 7 minutes – the album consists of only seven songs.

One of the distinctive characteristics of Heron's poetry on this album is his use of chemical formulas to refer to certain people and events. For example, he refers to Barry Goldwater as "Barry AuH2O" and Watergate as "H2OGaTe".

The original vinyl release of the album contained a 24-page booklet featuring transcriptions of 22 Gil Scott-Heron compositions. The CD release also features a different cover than the original vinyl release.

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [5]

In 2011, the Chicago Tribune wrote that, "in the lineage of the Last Poets and Oscar Brown Jr., these proto-raps embody Scott-Heron's maxim that 'there are at least 500 shades of the blues.'"[6]

Track listing edit

All songs written by Gil Scott-Heron[7]

Side A
1. "H2O Gate Blues" – 7:58 (about the Watergate break-in and cover-up) (from Winter in America)
2. "We Beg Your Pardon (Pardon our Analysis)" – 7:52 (about the pardon of Richard Nixon) (from The First Minute of a New Day)
3. "The New Deal" – 3:10
Side B
4. "Jose Campos Torres" – 2:36
5. "The Ghetto Code (Dot Dot Dit Dit Dot Dot Dash)" – 12:57
6. "Bicentennial Blues" – 8:39 (from It's Your World)
2000 Bonus Track
7. "Space Shuttle" – 7:28

Personnel edit

  • Gil Scott-Heron - narrator

with:

  • Danny Bowens - bass on "H2O Blues"; keyboards on "Space Shuttle"
  • Brian Jackson - piano on "H2O Blues"
  • Bob Adams - drums on "H2O Blues"
  • Malcolm Cecil - bass, synthesizer on "Jose Campos Torres"
  • Robbie Gordon - bass on "Space Shuttle"
  • Paul Weller - keyboards on "Space Shuttle"

References edit

  1. ^ Vivinetto, Gina (4 Feb 2001). "Gil Scott-Heron, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron". St. Petersburg Times. p. 8F.
  2. ^ a b Baram, Marcus (2014). Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man. Macmillan. p. 171. ISBN 9781250012784. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  3. ^ Aditham, Kiran (24 April 2001). "Gil Scott-Heron". Ink 19. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018. Much the precursor to the politically motivated poetry of Mos Def and Zack De La Rocha, Gil Scott Heron's long-lost verbal tirades have been rediscovered on this collection.
  4. ^ "The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron Review by Tim Sheridan". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  5. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 622.
  6. ^ Kot, Greg (30 May 2011). "Scott-Heron's catalog distills 'uncomfortable truths' of life". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.1.
  7. ^ "Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man". The Wire. June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018. The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron (Arista 1979)

External links edit

  • Chart History Billboard magazine