The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron
Encyclopedia
The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron (subtitled A Collection of Poetry and Music) is a 1978 album by spoken word and rap pioneer Gil Scott-Heron
. Like many of Scott-Heron's albums, the album's content primarily addresses political
and social issues
; however, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron relies far more on his spoken word delivery than his other albums. Whereas much of the artist's earlier albums contained backup jazz-funk
music from Brian Jackson (musician), many of these tracks, which address contemporary issues such as Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the Attica Prison riot, are either live recordings or studio-recorded songs with little more than sparse drum backing or occasional instrumentation. Many of the tracks featured were included on previous GSH albums.
Due to the length of some of the pieces - The Ghetto Code (Dot Dot Dit Dit Dot Dot Dash) is nearly 13 minutes long, and four other songs are longer than 7 minutes - the album consists of only seven songs.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Heron's poetry on this album is his use of chemical formulas to refer to certain people and events. For example, he refers to Barry Goldwater
as "Barry Au
H2O
" and Watergate as "H2O
Ga
Te".
The original vinyl release of The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron contained an 24-page booklet featuring transcriptions of 22 GSH compositions. The CD release also features a different cover than the original vinyl release.
Gil Scott-Heron
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
. Like many of Scott-Heron's albums, the album's content primarily addresses political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
; however, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron relies far more on his spoken word delivery than his other albums. Whereas much of the artist's earlier albums contained backup jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
music from Brian Jackson (musician), many of these tracks, which address contemporary issues such as Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the Attica Prison riot, are either live recordings or studio-recorded songs with little more than sparse drum backing or occasional instrumentation. Many of the tracks featured were included on previous GSH albums.
Due to the length of some of the pieces - The Ghetto Code (Dot Dot Dit Dit Dot Dot Dash) is nearly 13 minutes long, and four other songs are longer than 7 minutes - the album consists of only seven songs.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Heron's poetry on this album is his use of chemical formulas to refer to certain people and events. For example, he refers to Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
as "Barry Au
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
H2O
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
" and Watergate as "H2O
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
Ga
Gallium
Gallium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Elemental gallium does not occur in nature, but as the gallium salt in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores. A soft silvery metallic poor metal, elemental gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures. As it liquefies...
Te".
The original vinyl release of The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron contained an 24-page booklet featuring transcriptions of 22 GSH compositions. The CD release also features a different cover than the original vinyl release.
Track listing
(all songs written by Gil Scott-Heron)- "H2O Gate Blues" – 7:58 (about the Watergate break-in and cover-up)
- "We Beg Your Pardon (Pardon our Analysis)" – 7:52 (about the pardon of Richard Nixon)
- "The New Deal" – 3:10
- "Jose Campos Torres" – 2:36 (about Jose Campos Torres, a U.S. Army veteran who was arrested and then murdered and tossed into a bayou by two police officers in Houston in 1978, spurring the Moody Park Riot)
- "The Ghetto Code (Dot Dot Dit Dit Dot Dot Dash)" – 12:57
- "Bicentennial Blues" – 8:39
- "Space Shuttle" – 7:28