The first album by the second group to call themselves the Last Poets – and as fierce a document of their rich talents as you'll ever find – bursting forth with anger and righteousness at a level as tight as Gil Scott-Heron's first album! The group here is the key second lineup of the ensemble of wordsmiths – comprised of Abiodun Oyewole, Alafia Pudim, and Omar Ben Hassan, plus the percussionist Nilaja – and most cuts feature only spare percussion backing over the spoken protest poetry – delivered with a brutal edge that really sums up the righteous politics of the time. Titles include "Run, N****r", "On The Subway", "When The Revolution Comes", "Jones Comin' Down", "Black Thighs", "N*****s Are Scared Of Revolution", and "Wake Up, N*****s" – all of which should give you a good picture of what's going on with the record! (Soul, Spoken Word)LP, Vinyl record album
(Blue label pressing. Cover looks great, with minimal wear.)
A pretty interesting album – one in which a host of jazz and rock players pay set music to texts written by consciousness-raiser/sci-fi author Ishmael Reed. There's a few goofy moments on the set, but if you've read Reed's work, you'll also know that goofiness and oddity are part of the package – elements that are handled nicely here by musicians like David Murray, Allen Toussaint, Arto Lindsay, Milton Cardona, and Kip Hanrahan, who put the whole thing together. Reed himself is also on the record – and titles include "Jes' Grew", "Oakland Blues", "Dualism", and "Dualism (2)". (Jazz, Spoken Word)LP, Vinyl record album
(American Clave pressing in the foil cover, with minimal wear.)