Some
of the most righteous recordings ever issued – a rich batch
of soul, funk, rock, and spoken word tracks from the boldest era
of African American empowerment! The set does a great job
of mixing together classic cuts and overlooked nuggets – all
of which bring forth the message
of the times with energy that's far more direct, and far more powerful than some
of the more easygoing songs
of the Civil Rights era – a musical shift that follows the cultural one documented in the book
of the same title! The collection and notes are done by Pat Thomas – who wrote the Listen Whitey book – and he's done a really amazing job
of picking just the right selections, and finding a way to make them all resonate together beautifully – in ways that only increase the focus and strength
of their message. Titles incude "Free Bobby Now" by The Lumpen, "I Ain't Black" by Kain, "Free Huey" by Stokely Carmichael, "Invitation To Black Power (parts 1 & 2)" by Sahid Quintet, "Woman
Of The
Ghetto (live)" by Marlena Shaw, "Who Will Survive America" by Amiri Baraka, "Winter In America (solo version)" by Gil Scott Heron, "I Hate The White Man" by Roy Harper, "Dem Niggers Ain't Playing" by The Watts
Prophets, "Tim Leary" by Eldridge Cleaver, and "Angela" by John Lennon & Yoko Ono.