Gil Scott Heron Secrets
. 'Shut 'Um Down'Released: March 1980. 'Willing'Released: May 19801980 is a by American vocalist and keyboardist. It was recorded from August to October 1979 and released in February 1980 by.Scott-Heron and Jackson produced 1980 with and performed with a host of studio musicians, including drummer, guitarist, and trombonist. They incorporated sounds from contemporary pop music, such as, and, into their past style. Jackson played a number of instruments, including, which was featured in the album's cover photo.
Gil Scott Heron Bridges
Scott-Heron wrote the lyrics to all the songs, which explored societal themes, pressures in life, and fear of the future.The album charted at number 82 on the while also impacting the R&B and jazz charts. It was also a critical success, receiving praise for its musical qualities and Scott-Heron's subject matter. 1980 was Scott-Heron and Jackson's last album together.
Scott-Heron, photographed in 1986Scott-Heron and Jackson recorded the album from August to October 1979. It was composed mostly by Scott-Heron, by Jackson, and produced by them both, alongside co-producer. They were accompanied by a team of musicians that included drummer, guitarist, and trombonist.'
Gil Scott Heron Secrets Album
Late Last Night' and 'Shah MOT (The Shah Is Dead/Checkmate)' were recorded with Jackson playing. Created by Cecil, the instrument combined both past and custom, and produced warm and tones. 'Corners' was the last song Scott-Heron composed with Jackson. Musical style According to journalist Tristan Bath, 1980 and its predecessor departed from the jazz chords, faint keyboard, and themes of Scott-Heron and Jackson's previous recordings together in favor of 'disco and futurist dance music tropes'. In the opinion of 's David Dacks, 1980 features 'a more overtly synthetic sound' than before for Scott-Heron, who showed he could 'incorporate changing musical trends into his earthy '.
Gil Scott Heron Secrets Album
On 'Corners', the guitar and heavy bass riffs from 1970s funk are fused with the 'spacey' synthesizers that would characterize 1980s. Nate Patrin from said albums like 1980 and Secrets find Scott-Heron adopting contemporary music's 'synthesized, dancefloor-driven' trends and 'funky, disco-beat' settings for 'pop-friendly '. To those of us living in 1979, it felt like 1980 was the twenty-first century. With 1984, the doomsdate, right around the corner, we were concerned Even though the was years away, many of us still saw a glimmer of hope in the seventies. But now there really wasn't, as Gil laments in the song '1980,' 'Even no way back to '75, much less 1969.' —'s'Shut 'Um Down' features an message, while 'Alien (Hold On to Your Dreams)' details the plight of.
'Push Comes to Shove' and 'Willing' describe Scott-Heron's philosophy to pressures in life. 'Late Last Night' was inspired by his touring life and the process of writing music, featuring an account of waking up in a hotel room with an idea for a song but being unable to find a paper or instrument to compose. The narrative finds him fighting with staff to use the hotel's lounge piano and, in the distraction, losing memory of the song's melody and lyrics. The title track voices feelings of alienation and disillusionment with the future while reflecting on the past, including the exploitation and eventual discarding of innovations ('s somewhere in the lost and found').Scott-Heron's lyrics throughout the album were described by Alex Suskind in as 'fearful of what the future holds, but conscious of the effort we as individuals need to make in order to keep society functioning for all.'
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On 'Corners', Scott-Heron 'signals an impending sense of doom for the upcoming decade', according to Suskind, who cited the lyrics: 'The turning of the decade like a marker hung in space / is a man-made definition like the bending of a page'. Said 1980 's 'subjects include compromise (necessary), 'surviving' , (surviving), (dead), the road (long), and the future (here).' Cover photo For the album's front cover, Scott-Heron and Jackson were photographed sitting alongside each other and in front of the T.O.N.T.O. Commenting on the photo in retrospect, Mark Sinker from said the two musicians appeared 'foolish' wearing ' boots and overalls, posing in front of banks of computer technology'. But he extended his interpretation of the photo to the creative 'rut' Scott-Heron and Jackson might have been in during this period: 'Their worship at the shrine of the small, warm and private, and a unified acoustic space in real time, has worked for them; but it must have begun to seem retro – they want to move on.' Release and reception Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRating6/10A–1980 was released on by in February 1980. 'Shut 'Um Down' and 'Willing' were released as in March and May, respectively, with the former reaching the number 68 position on the.
The album proved to be Scott-Heron and Jackson's last together, as Jackson left the partnership that year to pursue other musical projects in New Jersey. Reviewing the album in March for, Christgau named it his 'pick hit' for the month and their best record yet. He applauded the lyrics and said, while 'the melodies are only functional', 'the rhythms are seductive and the singing is warm.' Geoff Brown from said Scott-Heron's songs were one of the few remedies for alleviating the 'creeping suspicion which must afflict us all from time to time, that black artists can only write convincingly these days about the topics of love and dancing.' At the end of 1980, Christgau ranked it as the 32nd best record of the year in a list accompanying the annual critics poll.The album was reissued in format by Soul Brother Records on November 17, 2009. In a retrospective review, 's Jeff Schwachter found it abundant with 'perceptive and poignant observations on the state of America as it advanced into a new and uncertain decade'.
In Schwachter's opinion, the music retained past styles amidst exceptional arrangements of synthesizers, horns, and background vocals, all of which gave the record 'a quality that matched the aura of the period', especially on 'Alien (Hold On to Your Dreams)'. On April 26, 2011, in commemoration of the 's 25th anniversary, published a list of the ten best anti-nuclear songs, ranking 'Shut 'Um Down' at number one. Track listing All songs were written and composed by Gil Scott-Heron, except where noted.
Bogdanov, Vladimir, ed. 'Gil Scott-Heron'. All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul.
P. 604. ^ Anon. 1980 (vinyl LP liner notes).
AL 9514. ^ Brown, Geoff (1980). 'Nuke the Status Quo'. Vol. 3. ^ Suskind, Alex (June 11, 2013). Retrieved December 22, 2018.
Bath, Tristan (November 26, 2014). Retrieved December 21, 2018.
Dacks, David (February 20, 2010). Retrieved December 21, 2018. Patrin, Nate (May 30, 2011). Retrieved December 21, 2018. ^ Rothberg, Peter (April 26, 2011).
Retrieved March 3, 2019. ^ Schwachter, Jeff. Retrieved July 18, 2016. ^ (March 31, 1980). Retrieved July 18, 2016. ^ West, Nathan; Sinker (February 1993). Retrieved December 22, 2018.
^ (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Pp. 946–7.; Swenson, John, eds. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. Archived from on August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
Christgau, Robert (February 9, 1981). The Village Voice. Retrieved July 18, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2018.Further reading. Anon. (April 23, 1980). Retrieved March 4, 2019 – via.
A review of 1980 published by an African-American.External links. at (list of releases).