Gil Scott-Heron Anthology Messages CD - Import

Several Gil Scott-Heron compilations were released throughout the '70s, '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, but 2005's Messages was the first to concentrate on the material released between 1973 and 1979 -- a productive phase involving seven albums, most of which were represented by a track or two on the preceding overviews. Featuring multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Brian Jackson, these albums were often filler-prone but they were never lacking at least a few moments in which everything clicked. At their best, the duo collaborated on jazzed-up funk that, while far more somber and sober, was just as funky as -- and often more poignant than -- anything on Sly & the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On. This is a shame since Scott-Heron's career is often reduced to "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and a couple other sound bites, whereas the one Sly album is routinely held up as a hallmark -- and rightly so, but the depth of Scott-Heron's catalog is shortchanged with as much frequency. The U.K.'s Soul Brother label, always a reliable source for digging deeper, pulls up a smart selection that includes "We Almost Lost Detroit," "The Bottle," "Winter in America," "Show Bizness," the 12-minute live version of "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," and "Angel Dust," which wound up being Scott-Heron's highest-charting single (number 15 Black Singles, 1977). ~ Andy Kellman

Gil Scott Heron is one of the most influential black music artists of his generation. Like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield his music transgresses all music boundaries, and he is heralded in rock as in soul and jazz circles. Along with his partner and lyricist Brian Jackson, Gil wrote and recorded some of the most memorable songs of the 70's always with poignant lyrics. 'The Bottle' has been a club favourite since its release in 1973, 'Johannesburg' predicted the unrest in South Africa two years before Soweto, 'Its Your World' has been in demand for past ten years or so. This album puts together 15 of the best and most in demand of their recordings from 1973 to 1980, and is the first collection covering that period for 15 years. Many of the tracks have not appeared on CD since then and some are making their first appearance on CD. Soul Brother Records. 2005.