Gil Scott-Heron - Evolution & Flashback: Very Best of - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

2009 European collection from the American poet and musician, one of the most important progenitors of Rap. Includes his continuously sampled classics, 'The Bottle' and 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised'. Sony/BMG.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition Gil Scott-Heron's 1972 album taken from the original master tapes and featuring alternate takes of all but one of the album tracks as bonus material. The album is special as one side consists of songs - all but one written with Brian Jackson - and the flipside is of poetry. Both forms showcase the political and the personal, in a way where even the time-specific lyrics transcend their era. Gil and Brian are backed an all-star band consisting of Bernard Purdie, Gerry Jemmott, Hubert Laws and David Spinozza. These help bring out the pathos in the achingly sad 'Did You Hear What They Say' - one of Gil's finest pieces of writing.Gil's final album for Flying Dutchman, it capped a hugely creative period for him when he wrote many of his best-remembered songs.

This 1971 album from the quintessential Inchstreet poetInch laid a foundation way back in the early 1970s for rap music and hip hop artists as Gil performed his music tainted with a political and social commentary. He ultimately landed on charts for jazz and then R&B. This early look at the no-nonsense musician is as powerful today as when it was first released.