New music from Gil Scott-Heron? Oh shit, y’all... that’s serious news. Supposedly this album drops in February, courtesy of the British label XL Recordings.And if you’re willing to give those guys your email address, you can download a FREE MP3 right now... a one-minute track called “Where Did the Night Go.” Click here to hear it on my Vox blog.
To cop the download, follow this link.
I did not realize that the British have such love for Gil. Must be partly due to the fact that his father – Jamaican-born Gil Heron – had been a soccer player in Scotland.
The BBC aired a fabulous report on Gil Scott-Heron last month. It’s embedded below (in two parts). The man looks shockingly old for 60, and sounds like he’s singing and talking through full dentures.
But at least he’s still kickin’... and out of prison.
9 comments:
This is such great news in so many ways... yes the British have always loved Gil, possibly for his family affiliations, but mostly because they have sustained the career of so many imaginative African American auteur/musicians of his era like him, Terry Callier, Roy Ayers etc. over the years.
I think XL is a great label for him. They are MIA's label (who's def a spiritual grandchild of Gil's in many ways), and have that elusive golden ticket to indie rock press love that will cause many more people to pay attention. I can see this happening already among my music crit peers, none of whom would have given a shit about Scott-Heron and his legacy 2 years ago.
I'm not saying that this should be the ultimate goal of this comeback, but this album has greater potential to reach more people with a genuine (i.e. not watered down or calculated) crossover since "The Bottle".
Thanks for the d/l!
I'm searching my memory banks. Did he sing Johannesburg on the SNL with Richard Pryor?
Drugs, cigarettes, prison and illness will age a man.
On the contrary, UBM. after all the cat's been through, he's actually looking BETTER than I expected him to look. My next-door neighbor is an ex-heroin addict and actually looks WAY worse than Heron does...AND HE'S IN HIS 50'S!
Wow totally excited about this! I absolutely love Gil Scott-Heron. Glad to see him back doing his thing.
And about the aging - hey hard living, drugs and jail time will do that to you.
-Victoria
Geneva Girl, yes Gil was the musical guest on Richard Pryor's stint on SNL.
I've been waiting on Gil to put out a new cd. Spirits was a great production and that was overdue.
^ Glad you mentioned "Spirits," DeAng. That was 15 years ago. I loved "The Other Side." Always wanted to use it in a TV show.
Matter fact, I just uploaded Part 1 to my Vox blog... BAM! For those who never heard it.
First time I heard "The Other Side," Gil was playing it live in Philadelphia... before the album was even out. Knockout performance.
The Other Side is Gil digging into his soul. The conflict and pain are there in his voice. I always thought it was a confession. Yeah, I dig all the cuts from that one. I was hoping it was a rebirth and we would see more more frequently. Alas ... I'm looking forward to the new shit.
Wish I would've seen that cut performed live. I heard he puts on good shows.
Brother Gil is back! Great news. Can't wait to get my grubby hands on this album...
Oh wow, this is great. The man has had a hard life. I believe he was just released from prison not long ago and he's HIV positive, so that's probably why he looks so rough. Glad he's back. Thanks for the heads up.
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