Customer Reviews

1st Album

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Last Poets...took me a step back in time. Their words are just as relevant today as when I first heard them...taking the time to LISTEN to their poetry. It was a very turbulent time and the music reflects that. It makes you think. There is no guessing what the words mean or what the message is. The rhythm flows and the words go, describing with intensity the times in this world we live in. Yeah, sit down and listen. Have a cup of coffee; but WAKE UP! linda

It's amazing how the message has been twisted. If you want to see how spoken word (rap) started, get this. The style, force, intensity, creativity, passion and truth of 'the Last Poets' is unmistakable.

After 'Fear of a Black Planet', by Public Enemy...the path diverged with the emphasis being placed on common, egotistical, pornographical, sexist, tripe by the corporate powers that be. Artists that wanted to focus on uplifting, educational, inspirational offerings were ignored, while those that focused on garbage were promoted...the weak, are STILL scared of revolution.

David Bowie calls The Last Poets' record 'one of the fundamental building blocks of rap.' Asked by Vanity Fair (Nov. 2003) to list just 25 albums from his vast vinyl collection that he had to get on CD, Bowie makes the Poets' debut his first choice.

This album's original title when it was released in 1969 is "THE LAST POETS - Niggers Are Scared of Revolution". Just Like Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" Album, these two albums captured the new emotions of the Black community during a time of change. It capture the change in this country for White Women, White folks in the way they think, the Black communities, now known today as African-American communities, across America, and it captures young individuals trying to make a differences within their own community.

This album, even though the original title has been deleted, still represents the Civil Rights moment for everyone living in America today and I am proud to have been able to finally obtain this album after 30 years of searching. The youth of today needs to listen to this album and learn the history of the Black community and how to bring about change within their own communities without bullets and drugs.

Other albums I would recommend for the listener of today are: "It's Nation Time" by poet and playwriter Imamu Amiri Baraka (Leroy Jones), "The Blue Guerrilla" by poet Galan Kain, "Message From The Grassroots" by Malcom X, "Winter In America and The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron, and finally "The Enermy Strikes Black" by Public Enermy.

"they say it's gold and so it turns into gold" said Antonio Buscamente in his book El Malcriado. The fact is that The Last Poets have been making thought provoking music longer than most people think. Their unique sound and prophetic style has been under the mainstream radar and yet influenced everyone from Jimi Hendrix (who collaborated with The Last Poets)to Jadakiss. It isn't what you know but what you "know." as Bell Hooks phrased it.

The product was excellent, it arrived when promised and the process of ordering was easy and convient.

This has become an immediate and important addition to my CD collection, and I am not letting it leave the house! I was talking with a co-worker about music and records "back in the day" and we kept going back to this album and how we both played it over and over. I saw it on line and purchased two copies (the price was definitely right!) and gave him one. It took us old heads back to our late teens-early 20's. I haven't told anyone else I know about it,'cause I'm not ready to share or lose it (my album was stolen and my tape was given to someone who "had to have it"). My co-worker has already gotten two requests to burn a copy for his friends.

My husband and I have both used this album successfully with our students to explore the messages of those connected with the Black Panthers and the history of rap music. I used this album, Gil Scott-Heron "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and Public Enemy "Fear of a Black Planet." Students are very interested in rap music and understanding it's history and how the message has changed over the years (critical thinking). It was also interesting to see how many students thought the Last Poets had recorded in the 1990s.

This album is also great to listen to on a personal level because it provides a different, more cutting, view of the world.

This was one of the best CDs I have purchased. If you like old school with a little humor, check this out.

The music was as expected and the rating of 3 stars is given for the oversize cardboard jewel case. CD producers you may get as cute as you would like but stop making CD in non-standard sizes you create a storage problem [which I guess you do not care about], that could be fixed if music came in the same width and hight.

I enjoyed the music, I saw them live for free at Temple University - Philadelphia, PA. in the 70's. It was good to hear the mood of the period and ideally it should never return, that kind of mood!