Pieces of a Man

Gil Scott-Heron | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000005MLZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,684 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews > Poetry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Entry in his Great Discography, December 8, 1999

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pieces of a Man (Audio CD)

This album is a terrific introduction to GSH's stuff and in my opinion his best album overall, edging out "Winter in America" and "South Africa to South Carolina," and the Flying Dutchman classic "The Revolution Will Not be Televised."

No, you will not hear Gil's poetry set to a spare percussion background, a la "Whitey on the Moon," "Brother," and "No Knock." That is a drawback, and be sure go to the Flying Dutchman record for that. But what you will get is beautiful writing backed by a strong band. And Gil's voice was in great form on this album; this is unfortunately no longer true.

There isn't a weak tune, but several stand out: the poignant "Home is Where the Hatred Is"; the uplifting "I Think I'll Call It Morning"; the spellbinding "The Prisoner"; and of course the classic "Revolution Will Not be Televised," which could teach any number of lame present-day rappers how it once was done.

Buy it, put it on, and then lean back and enjoy hearing one of the most compelling voices ever to come out of music.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Endless night to a new dawn., July 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pieces of a Man (Audio CD)

This music ,these words, tell a story of despair, rage, outrage, and hope when the ghettos were still burning. It's in your face (The Revolution Will Not Be Televised), it's in your gut (The Needle), it's in your soul (Lady Day And John Coltraine), it's in your mind (I Think I'll Call It Morning). The times have changed but the message is still the same: The power of the human spirit will overcome. Thank you Gil for the light you brought to me on those many dark nights.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick Up The Pieces, June 11, 2008

By 

El Lagarto (Sandown, NH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pieces of a Man (Audio CD)

This is a superb CD that has only improved with age. Backed by a truly stellar ensemble including Brian Jackson, Ron Carter, "Pretty" Purdie, Burt Jones, and Hubert Laws - poet, composer, and singer Gil Scott-Heron showcases all his talents - in a diverse array of settings. If you're not sold after the first four songs - well - perhaps you'll enjoy Pat Boone's new box set, "A Musical Tribute To Turn-Of-The-Century Plantation Life."

Scott-Heron is consistently smart and with-it, yet, he is emotionally clear, brave, and open. Scott-Heron understands that songwriting requires deceptive simplicity, and he manages this nearly impossible trick effortlessly. There is beauty and feeling in every track, but there is also raw emotion - this is inspiring music. Songs like Save The Children, Lady Day And John Coltrane, Home Is Where The Hatred Is, and Pieces Of A Man, go straight to the heart. Scott-Heron is no Marvin Gaye (who is?) but his voice is a wonderful, expressive instrument and he applies powerful feeling to the words he crafted.

The album was marginalized because few people made it past the fabulous first track, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. While a few of the references have become obscure, this splendidly idiosyncratic track has lost none of its bite, wit, and irony. This is poet Scott-Heron in full flower - and don't think he's just another angry black guy - his intelligence is such that he casts his jaundiced eye at all 360 degrees of the circle. The comparison between this brilliant, minor masterpiece and what is referred to as "rap" or "hip/hop" is as inevitable as it is depressing. Put this work up against the best example of rap you can find and it's easy to see how terribly wrong things have gone.

Scott-Heron is courageous enough to hope, to wear his heart on his sleeve, and to create real beauty despite his acute awareness of life's cruelty; perhaps it is only the "prisoners" who must labor so hard. That he chose "Yes" when he might so easily have chosen "No" is a gift to us all.