All Things Censored... : Huntingdon And SCI Greene Sessions [Spoken Word]

Mumia Abu-Jamal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: December 8, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alternative Tentacles
• ASIN: B00000DFJH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,839 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This spoken-word CD by Mumia Abu-Jamal is a collection of speeches and essays by the death-row inmate and features supporters as diverse as Alice Walker, Cornel West, Martin Sheen, and Dorothy Allison. Before he was jailed for murder in 1981, Abu-Jamal was president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and a civil rights activist. His eloquence as a writer shows in his numerous essays, which touch on everything from poverty to racism to rap, but unfortunately the author is not a natural speaker. His voice lacks the fire and brimstone of a Jesse Jackson or a Martin Luther King Jr.; instead, Abu-Jamal delivers his politicized speeches with the even-toned, calming tenor of a newscaster (not surprising when you consider that he also worked for WUHY-FM before his arrest. And although the topics might seem almost commonplace to us in this age of feminism and affirmative action, it's still a message worth hearing. --Tricia Romano

Product Description

In 1994, journalist and political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal was hired by National Public Radio's All Things Considered as a special commentator, only to be fired shortly before his series began due to political pressure from police groups and Republican Senator Bob Dole. This set from the ultra-leftist Alternative Tentacles label compiles these essays, recorded by Abu-Jamal in prison just before the state of Pennsylvania banned any journalists from visiting death row, essentially ending any recorded correspondence from the former Philadelphia journalist, convicted of murdering a police officer in 1982. Aided by vocal support from folks like Dr. Joycelyn Elders; Martin Sheen; famed attorney William Kunstler; authors Howard Zinn, Manning Marable, and Alice Walker; activist Cornel West; and MOVE survivor Romana Africa, Abu-Jamal focuses not so much on his own imprisonment but on the failure of the prison system as a whole, "the war on the poor," and the ongoing story of Philadelphia's MOVE. Some essays are fleeting, underdeveloped ideas ("It's Not Nice to Fool With Mother Nature" is a pedestrian statement of eco-apocalypse). Most, however, are remarkably insightful, and are served well by Abu-Jamal's concise, direct use of language, and calm, exacting voice. "A Rap Thing" criticizes that music's fixation on excessive materialism while knowingly pointing to the reactionary economic and social climate of Reaganism that fueled much of its development, and "Sweet Roxanne" is a loving eulogy to the late Roxanne Jones, renowned activist and state senator from Philadelphia. The echo of the concrete floors and cinderblock walls of Abu-Jamal's prison visitation room, together with the rough editing and production of the sessions, serve to highlight the immediacy of the recordings, and the timeliness of Abu-Jamal's message. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory listening for the subversive intelligentsia, September 21, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Things Censored... : Huntingdon And SCI Greene Sessions [Spoken Word] (Audio CD)

Mumia Abu-Jamal- outstanding journalist, recipient of the Major Armstrong Award,past president of the Black Journalists Association and named one of the "people to watch" in 1981 by Philedelphia magazine. He was and is one the most powerful voices against racism, poverty and police brutality that our country has ever known... In 1981 Mumia was framed for the murder of a police officer and subsequently sentenced to execution. Mumia has been on death row for the last 17 years. A few years ago, Mumia was hired by National Public Radio to do a weekly series about life in prison to be aired on NPR's "All Things Considered". Due to intense pressure from the Fraternal Order of Police and a few other right wing extremists, his segments were pulled off the air the very day that were to commence. All Things Censored is the response to that action. This is a collection of Mumia's essays that were never heard including comments from various artists, actors, scholars and clergy.

Listen to the "Voice of the Voiceless" and decide for yourself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Voice for the Voiceless, January 7, 2001

By 

"strizeap" (Eau Claire, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Things Censored... : Huntingdon And SCI Greene Sessions [Spoken Word] (Audio CD)

Mumia Abu-Jamal has come to national spotlight under charges of improper judicial prodeedings and the national tilt toward a moratorium of the death penalty. While I am still unsure about the guilt of Mumia, this CD is vital to those who profess his innocence, those who are anti-death penalty -- and even those who are pro-death penalty. Mumia speaks with a voice of reason on issues ranging from prison brutality to the lack of objectivity in the mass media.

Most of these essays were to be aired on National Public Radio, but shortly before the first air date they were cancelled because NPR's sponsors did not agree with what Mumia was saying. That is a common theme throughout this CD: the people in charge are trying to keep Mumia silent by punishing him for writing his books ("Live on Death Row," "Death Blossoms," and "All Things Censored") and recording these sessions.

Buy this CD and learn what the higher-ups don't want you to know about. This CD is harmful to their very existance and if only for that reason you should listen to it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent...Informative...Compelling..., October 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: All Things Censored... : Huntingdon And SCI Greene Sessions [Spoken Word] (Audio CD)

The one and only criticism I have about this work is that Mumia's oration invariably sounds vapid, but not so much that it detracts from the overall value of this album. I highly recommend it to anyone who seeks to hear the actual voice of the "Voice of the Voiceless". The substance of all the essays is ever absorbing and compelling. I stand in reverence to the man who has been able to maintain such a resilient spirit in the face of ongoing horrendous treatment and wrongful imprisonment. I also highly recommend reading Mumia's "Death Blossoms", a collection of vignettes he has written while in prison, and a work that is perhaps the best peek one can steal into the soul of the internationally known political prisoner.

The range of issues Mumia addresses in "All Things Censored" is impressive and informative and a testament to his penchant for analyzing crucial issues from a fresh and thoughtful angle. The conclusion of each piece recited by Mumia is cleverly punctuated by the sound of the slamming of a cell door behind the hook, "From Death Row, this is Mumia Abu Jamal".

Some of the best minds in America have joined Mumia on this CD to speak on his behalf and in favor of justice and against the Prison Industrial Machine. Ramona Africa speaks with characteristic fire and conviction, in a speech that was dubbed on a track of the Seeds of Wisdom album (get this CD!) The spirit of slain freedom fighter Judi Bari lives on in her cameo on the album. Anyone who has taken an honest, serious and open-minded look at Mumia's case will do well to get this as a collector's item. If you do not get this CD, at least check out the Refuse & Resist website for the full body of facts on the case. Also check out Mumia's three books and newest CD.