Gil Scott-Heron - Real Eyes

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:22
Size: 81,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:47)  1. The Train From Washington
(3:56)  2. Not Needed
(4:48)  3. Waiting For The Axe To Fall
(3:40)  4. Combinations
(3:41)  5. A Legend In His Own Mind
(6:22)  6. You Could Be My Brother
(4:49)  7. The Klan
(3:16)  8. Your Daddy Loves You (For Gia Louise)

In 1980, Gil Scott-Heron had a nice opportunity to promote his Real Eyes album when he became the opening act on Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July tour. On his own, Scott-Heron usually played small clubs, but opening for Wonder gave him the chance to perform in front of thousands of Wonder fans in major stadiums and sports arenas. Many of Wonder's white fans seemed to be unfamiliar with Scott-Heron (who had never had a major pop hit), while a lot of Wonder's black fans at least knew him for "The Bottle" and "Angel Dust" even if they hadn't bought a lot of his albums. Opening for all those Wonder fans certainly didn't hurt Scott-Heron's career, but it didn't make him a superstar either. While it's possible that some Wonder fans enjoyed Scott-Heron's opening sets enough to go out and purchase Real Eyes, most of the people who acquired this LP were already confirmed Scott-Heron fans. Unfortunately, Real Eyes lacked a hit single, although the material is excellent nonetheless. As usual, Scott-Heron has a lot of sociopolitical things on his mind "The Train From Washington" concludes that the working class can't depend on the U.S. government for anything, while "Not Needed" angrily points the finger at companies who consider longtime employees expendable. And the album's less sociopolitical songs are equally memorable. "Your Daddy Loves You" is a touching ode to Scott-Heron's daughter Gia Louise (who was only a child in 1980), and the jazz-oriented "A Legend in His Own Mind" is a humorous, clever put-down of a wannabe "Casanova" who isn't nearly the ladies' man he brags about being. Scott-Heron's love of jazz serves him well on "A Legend in His Own Mind" and the smoky "Combinations," but make no mistake: Real Eyes is an R&B album more than anything.~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/real-eyes-mw0000845967 

Personnel: Gil Scott-Heron (vocals); Ed Brady (guitar); Vernon James (flute, saxophone); Carl Cornwell (flute, tenor saxophone); Glen Turner (harmonica, keyboards, synthesizer); Kenny Sheffield (trumpet); Kenny Powell (drums); Ethan Ivy (percussion); Amnesia Express.

Real Eyes

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Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Bridges

Styles: Guitar And Piano Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:45
Size: 93,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:37)  1. Hello Sunday! Hello Road!
(3:59)  2. Song Of The Wind
(4:16)  3. Racetrack France
(7:43)  4. Vildgolia (Deaf, Dumb & Blind)
(4:03)  5. Under The Hammer
(5:19)  6. We Almost Lost Detroit
(0:35)  7. Tuskeegee #626
(5:48)  8. Delta Man (Where I'm Comin' From)
(4:21)  9. 95 South (All Of The Places We've Been)

Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band take a slightly different approach with their 1977 effort, Bridges. With less of the gaping and world-infused sound prevalent on previous albums, the songs are more concise and Scott-Heron comes into his own as a singer depending less on his spoken word vocal style. The excellent songwriting exposes Scott-Heron at the height of his powers as a literary artist. The social, political, cultural, and historical themes are presented in a tight funk meets jazz meets blues meets rock sound that is buoyed by Jackson's characteristic keyboard playing and the Midnight Band's colorful arrangements. Scott-Heron's ability to make the personal universal is evident from the opening track, "Hello Sunday! Hello Road!," all the way through to the gorgeous "95 South (All of the Places We've Been)." The most popular cut on the album, "We Almost Lost Detroit," which shares its title with the John G Bridges album for sale. Fuller book published in 1975, recounts the story of the nuclear meltdown at the Fermi Atomic Power Plant near Monroe, MI, in 1966 Bridges songs. This song was also contributed to the No Nukes concert and album in 1980 Bridges buy CD music. Along with the two records that would follow in the late 70s, Bridges stands as one of Scott-Heron's most enjoyable and durable albums. ~ Jeff Schwachter https://www.allmusic.com/album/bridges-mw0000864707

Personnel: Gil Scott-Heron (guitar, piano); Fred Payne, Marlo Henderson (guitar); Brian Jackson (flute, keyboards); Bilal Sunni Ali (saxophone); Delbert Tailor (trumpet); Reggie Brubane, Joe Blocker (drums); Tony Duncanson, Barnett Williams (percussion).

Bridges

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