Gil Scott-Heron along with his long time musical partner Brian Jackson have committed to vinyl some of the most important politically and socially conscious music ever recorded. This compilation focuses on the period between 1973 and 1980 and includes tracks from 7 albums. The timeless classic, “The Bottle”; kicks off proceedings before moving into the uplifting “It’s Your World”, “Johannesburg” and the haunting “Winter In America”, a track I have never tired of since first hearing it 16 years ago when I was just starting out on this crazy collecting journey. “Angel Dust”, “Shut Um Down”, “Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams)” along with “The Liberation (Red, Black & Green)” and a storming live version of “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” are all here. However, I’m currently hammering the tracks taken from the 1977 album “Bridges”, mainly because I’ve never heard them before. “Delta Man (Where I’m Coming From)” and “We Almost Lost Detroit” are amazing low slung gritty grooves but even better is “Racetrack In France” which starts with a happy clappy rhythm and blues intro before slipping into a driving synth bass lead electro groove. Pure perfection!
