There's an unwritten rule (except I'm writing it now) that compilation albums won't be eligible for the coveted 5* status. But if there's a compilation I own which tests that rule, and would be a genuine 5* contender, it's this one.
I've mentioned already how I took a punt on this having heard very little Gil Scott-Heron, and was blown away by what I heard, so I've decided to mark the 250th review in this series with something special.
Since first hearing this compilation, I've loved Scott-Heron's brand of proto-hip-hop jazz-funk-soul, whether it's the political or the personal, and this is a comprehensive selection from his period (1974-1982) with Arista Records, mostly in tandem with keyboardist and flautist Brian Jackson.
So the political heavyweights are there - Johannesburg, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Winter In America, B Movie, Save The Children - as well as more personal pieces - New York City, The Bottle, Lady Day and John Coltrane, among many others, and there's not a duff track on there. Alongside Scott-Heron's own wonderful songs, there's one cover, a magnificent version of Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues.
Is it definitive? Hell, no. I can quickly think of half a dozen songs from this period which this compilation misses, but as a starting point for anyone wanting to understand what Scott-Heron was about it's as good as any. Just as long as you don't think "I've done Gill Scott-Heron" - there's a lifetime's work to discover.
No one's collated this compilation on YouTube, so here's a 1984 gig from German TV.
4* - a superb compilation of the work of a lost genius
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