Streetnoise! 06/10/11

Gil Scott Heron died May 27th at the age of 62. As far as popular culture is concerned he wrote one poem and then fell off the face of the earth.  Now, much as I appreciate how his death has led many writer, critics, and bloggers to write about Gil Scott-Heron as a man (who lived and loved and failed and succeeded) where, pray tell, is the retrospective of his musical contributions?  I mean aside from “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”?

The music of GSH that I particularly love are his first few records in the 70s.  ”The Revolution…” is what everyone remembers because it was on that first record — “Small Talk at 125th & Lenox” — and its like a shot across the bow.  But what many fail to realize is: it was just that.  Just the warning shot.  Nothing more.  The full power of GSH’s intellect and creativity wasn’t brought to bear until later on.  Its the side B of that very same record that has the amazing “Whitey On The Moon” where GSH manages to be both violently angry, bitter, sad, helpless, and funny at the same time.  That record, which actually came out in 1970, was the first work of a great genius.

And I do mean “genius.”

Powerful and beautiful though that first album was, it almost outshone a year later by “Pieces Of A Man.”  Not only does GSH live up to the promise of the first record (in terms of its lyrical mastery, its potency of message, and its coherence and political awareness) but he transcends that promise by making the very musicality of the album serve the over-all message.  The beauty of songs like “The Prisoner” or “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” or, indeed, “Pieces of A Man” is unquestionable.  Whenever I put this record on I always think of all the great song-writers of that era the LEAST ripped-off (and yet one of the most deserving) is Gil Scott-Heron.  Put together all the music on the first and second records — add the music off of 1974′s “Winter In America” and 1975′s “First Minute of a New Day” and you’re talking about an incredible body of work in half a decade!  These were his first albums!

Gil Scott-Heron produced record after record of superb music and poetry for nearly two decades before life started getting to complicated for him to keep up that schedule. Who else could rap on things from revolution to the blues to Watergate — each of them interlocking and yet complete in its own regard.  I STILL think “H2Ogate Blues” is one of the finest tracks of the 20th century.  Never has the story been run down so quickly, completely, and immaculately.

GSH inherits the tradition of  Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus. He understood the music and could serve it and it, in turn, served him.  And his passing, whatever the tragedies of his life may’ve been, leaves US with the greater tragedy of his absence.  You sell my man GSH short when you narrow his contributions down to a single poem and hard living.  You should come forward and know him better.  You should spend some time idling away in the annals of his work.  You should re-examine yourself as he would have seen you. He was that artist who’s work was an apotheosis of the self, who made himself something greater than just a man, who became something like a prophet or soothsayer. He occupied a sacred space.  He said sacred things.  On his final record he said to us, “I’m new here.” And he meant it.  In many, many ways.

Till next time….

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Track List:

TIME	ARITST	TRACK	LABEL
00:42	Les Loups	Save The Night (Original Mix)	So Sound
05:02	Kraak & Smaak ft Lex Express	Call Up To Heaven (Gramophonedzie Remix)	Jalapino
11:42	Ikebe Shakedown	Tujunga	Ubiquity
15:00	Rodney Hunter feat Earl Zinger	Physical	G-Stone
22:10	Gil Scott-Heron	Lady Day & John Coltrane	Flying Dutchman
25:42	Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson	The Bottle	Strata East
30:45	Esther Phillips	Home Is Where The Hatred Is	Kudu
34:03	Concha Buika	Jodida Pero Contenta	DRO
39:08	Africa Caribe	Lucumi (Joaquin Joe Claussell Remix)	Fania
44:28	Schlachthofbronx	Chambacu (Smutlee Remix)	Mad Decent
50:06	The Lions	Cumbia del Leon	Ubiquity
56:06	Beastie Boys	Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win feat Santogold	Capitol
59:21	Dr Alimantado	I Killed The Barber	Keyman
01:02:20	Dillinger	Flat Foot Hustling	Third World
01:04:52	Sugar Minott	Herbman Hustlin'	Black Roots
01:10:44	Mayer Hawthorne	A Long Time	Stone's Throw
01:14:17	Aloe Blacc	99 Problems	BBC
01:17:00	Irma Thomas	Ruler Of My Heart	Minit
01:19:34	Runaway	Dead Dog Dub (Sal P's Spoon Full of Dub w Sean Bee)	On The Prowl
01:23:40	Matthias Heilbronn	Do It Right (mattys pfr mix)	Poker Flat
01:32:30	Jessica 6	East West Funk	Peacefrog
01:37:49	Shalamar	A Night To Remember	Solar
01:42:00	Cool Million Feat. Leroy Burgess	Cool To Make A Million (Ilija Rudman Dub)	Sedsoul
01:47:07	Tiger & Woods	Kissmetellme	Running Back
01:54:20	Empire of the Sun	We Are The People (jimmy2sox remix)	EMI

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