Winter In America

Really enjoyable. Reminds you how little has changed in politics since the 70s. (Could not find on Spotify, YouTube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnkDjMDD3JQ)

I love the electric piano, the bluesy jazzy fusion feel, the political lyrics and his pained voice. GSH sings like he has lived every word (the opposite of Paul Simon). My gripe is that 1001 shouldn’t have picked this album over his 1971 release “Pieces of a Man”. While I may grumble a bit about their choice of Allman Brothers or Alice Cooper or Steely Dan albums, not including “Pieces of a Man” is a serious oversight. It’s a historic release, with the epic “The Revolution Will Not be Televised” who many say was the first hip-hop song and there’s at least a half-dozen other epic tracks. I’ll never get tired of “Lady and John Coltrane” or “Home is where the Hatred Is”. It’s a highly listenable LP, back-to-front. I was going to post a complaint on reddit/1001 but I didn’t want to interrupt a heated discussion about the merits of Napalm Death.

Its emotional and political. Gil and Brian used their art and their talents as an extension of the community, to reflect the mood, the sensitivity, the circumstance of the community and America at that time. The wo derful "The Bottle" did unfortunately become a self fullfilling prophesy for Gil Scott Heron and I also believe H20gate Blues is as much about the politics of America today as it was nearly 50 years ago. Now on to listen to another two of his tremendous albums Pieces of a Man and Free Will. Gil Scott Heron is forever in my heart.

I also do not know if this should be in the miscellaneous, jazz, or on which shelf. I know it should be on my shelf.

Did nothing for me. Music is good, voice is good, but it just doesn't gel to something great. 2.5/5

Unique album, albeit it is dated. The music and lyrics seem to be going in their own directions at times, but work well together.

Not for me

A powerful, beautiful blend of musical styles. Despite what the lyrics are talking about, which is important and serious stuff, the instrumentals were soothing and just a joy to listen to. The piano work in this is amazing. And damn, 'H2OGate Blues' is such a good, poignant, powerful song.

absolutamente inacreditável que nunca tinha nem ouvido falar disso aqui

This was really good, has a way with words. I liked his explanation of The Blues and the jazz song about Watergate. Reminds me of antiwar icier men like Michael Franti and Billy Bragg

this just really was not my vibe at all like it was funky and groovy but just not the type of music i’d listen to ever.

SO GOOD. My standout track was The Bottle, and honestly all of side 2 especially . I wish this was on Spotify. For my own note keeping, a blurb I copied from Wikipedia below: Winter in America juxtaposes themes of nostalgic hope to the social problems of the early 1970s, particularly in the African-American community and inner cities.[29][30] Also a prominent theme in Scott-Heron's lyrics is people's faith in their culture in a bleak, impoverished environment.

I love Gil Scott-Heron but haven't listened to this one. It's fantastic though. The piano playing is incredibly beautiful and really complements his voice. Another for the vinyl list!

Extremely soulful stuff. Had a blast with this listen, and I'm certain I'll need to check out more of this stuff. Favorites: "Peace Go With You, Brother", "Rivers of My Fathers", "The Bottle", "Song for Bobby Smith"

Blown away by this, really incredible.

Damn I love Gil Scott-Heron. Wish Pieces of a Man was on the list as well. He is socially conscious, calming, uplifting, hilarious, groovy, heartbreaking, smooth, and a hundred other things all in one album and I always find myself wanting more. 10/10

very cool

This album is really enjoyable. Interesting to note Kendrick Lamar samples the first song (at 0:50) in Poe Man’s Dream

Good album. Really liked "The Bottle". Listening from a modern perspective, offers a great window into the 70s.

Solid album

Really loved the sound of this

Every time I hear Gil Scott-Heron I learn a little bit about something.

This was such a wonderful synthesis of blues, R&B, and just that classic 70s Black sound. I loved every one of these tracks, but my jaw dropped during H20Gate Blues. That shit could have been written YESTERDAY it's so sadly relevant. I was on the fence about 4 or 5 here, but I've talked myself into a 5 because I realize I want to listen to this a lot more, and also to the rest of Gil's records.

Ok how is Winter in America not on Spotify? It’s fantastic!! I can see how Gil Scott is considered a precursor to hip hop and rap, there’s wonderful poetry here as well as just… good music. Loved The Bottle and H2Ogate Blues, but overall the experience was inspiring. After listening I went straight to Pieces of a Man, which opens with a wonderful poem based on the slogan “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. The rest of the album doesn’t get that political but it’s still a fantastic sou l record. 5/5 for both albums, will revisit a lot.

Soul filled hammond and a reverence that speaks to the lyrics is how it opens and it is captivating. This piano on Rivers Of My Fathers is wild. Dude what a wholesome and uplifting album. OH THE WATERGATE BLUES IS THE BEST! wow what a great musical expression.

It is criminal that this album is not on any streaming services. This is an awesome album. I'd love to have it on vinyl. I was jamming the entire time. I went into this album expecting to give it a 4 because of its genres, but came out eager to give it a 5. My favourite songs were Rivers of My Fathers, A Very Precious Time, and The Bottle.

like nothing i've heard before, loved

Apt, considering the snow outside right now. A cozy record that harkens to home around a fireplace we can barely afford to light. I like it.

The ideal intersection of jazzy, spacey, and soulful for my rainy afternoon drive home. This was so powerful that I am upset I'd never heard of it before.

One of the strongest voices in history

This is exactly type of record I had hoped to encounter when I started this list. Winter in America is completely unique and engaging to my ears. It’s funky and captivating with conscientious, poetic lyrics that paint a vivid picture of American Life that, frankly, isn’t wildly different from the America we live in today, nearly 50 years later. It’s the kind of record that I don’t think anyone else could make or even attempt to recreate. Gil Scott Heron’s talent, his way with words, is incomparable. This record was a breath of fresh air. I loved it. It’s a shame it isn’t easily available for digital purchase or streaming outside of YouTube. I ordered a copy on vinyl after my first listen, thats how mischievous I loved it.

J'adore le style, très belle voix et tres groové, c'est platte que ca ne soit pas sur spotify. 5

As much as Pieces of a Man gets possibly the most recognition from Gil Scott-Heron's catalogue, Winter in America is, to me, his absolute best.

Another insane album that is sadly not on spotify. Jazz, soul, R&B and the blues mixed together to create some great tunes. The bottle is the highlight of the album for me. 9/10

This is a fantastic album and artist worthy of being on this list and a 5/5 rating, just for the skill level, poetry, and historic/political importance. I love the jazzy flute solos and GSH's voice is so pained. Brian Jackson's piano playing is amazing. I find it to be a challenging listen, not easy or light at all, but a bit grueling and heavy. It's not one I will reach for when I need a pick-me-up. But of course, that's not the point at all. Like so many really important albums, it is not an easy piece of music, but worth the effort. 5/5

9/10

ОченьОчень!!!!!!

Absolutely gorgeous. I was a little wary with the first song, but the album pulled me in extremely quickly and rarely let go. It is an utter travesty that this is unavailable on any steaming services, because I want to listen to this constantly.

A great disc that everyone should hear. Like Patti Smith, Gil Scott-Heron is a poet first and a musician second. The music is soulful and intimate. While Jackson's piano work is almost improvisational, Gil Scott-Heron's lyrics are direct and almost prophetic. The Bottle is a standout.

such a gosh darn beautiful voice. silky smooth. and that bass omg 😫my one gripe is how out of place H2O gate blues was, great message but i didn’t love the song. every other song blew me away tho 💯

I've never heard of Gil Scott-Heron before, but I really enjoyed this album. Musically, it was really fun to listen to; the flute usage throughout, and the piano arrangements really meshed to create a sound that was rooted in soul and blues, but still its own. For an album about such heavy subject matter, it really had some fun grooves, and I caught myself bobbing my head along throughout most of the album. As great as the music was here, the lyrics are the real standout to me. I really enjoyed when spoken word was used in some of the songs, and it felt very apt, since a lot of civil rights leaders used spoken word and poetry when they would orate. "The Bottle" and "H20 Gate Blues" were my two favorite tracks, and their lyrics are still incredibly relevant in today's political discourse (I had never heard of Frank Rizzo before, but wow, that guy sounds like a real piece of shit). Overall, I think this album set out to deliver a message about America in the seventies, and with its great music, it achieves that goal.

Before there was hip hop there was Gil Scott Heron This album is such a wonderful blend of poetry, jazz and soul

First time listening to Gil Scott-Heron, amazing work.

Not on Spotify but The Bottle, the epic H20gate blues and many other great tracks from a youtube clip, make this a great solid four star album.

Brilliant, genius, lyrically and musically flawless.

как же кайфанула

This was great. A nice snapshot of 1970s Black America. Gil Scott-Heron never held back in his life and he does not disappoint in "H2OGate Blues." Love how he touched upon so many social issues. I can definitely see why this is such an important album.

Scott-Heron's strength is as a poet. The music on this album is a little too mild for me. On his strength as a poet, however, 10/10.

Loved this album straight thru!

Deeply moving, raw, and intelligent with slick music to boot. A great album I definitely wouldn’t have found otherwise.

5 sitars.

Fantastic

Gil Scott-Heron is a genius and this is another great record from him. Loved it

A glittering jewel of an album, a time capsule of the turmoil of mid-70s America as only Gil Scott-Heron could examine it. Along with the considerable musical gifts of Brian Jackson, they make a formidable team.

This is a difficult album to find on streaming in 2024. That said, its worth looking for as its absolutely outstanding. This is a great "shits all fucked up and someones gotta say something" work of art. 5/5

Gil Scott-Heron is severely underrated when it comes to the discussion of 70’s Soul. This album, like a lot of his work, is a masterpiece

Definitely their best

A really good album. As someone else has written, it reminds you that little has changed in politics since the 70s. It's a shame that you can only hear it on YouTube.

Really really liked it. Beautiful singing and lyrics and piano

Wasn't on Spotify, listened to Pieces of man instead, absolute quality

Album not in spotify.

That was very nice music

The man is a legend, the album is not available to stream so I just listened to everything else in his catalogue. I heard The Bottle 42 years ago in a basement club called the honky Tonk, on a Sunday night. It took me 10 years to track it down and I thought I was onto someone special, and I still am.

want on vinyl !!

So much fun. So so much fun. I had to explore YouTube to get the full album but on top of really needing something to help me work, it was just a delight.

A really great album by an artist, I must admit, I did not know. A shame that is isn't available on Spotify, but found it on Youtube. Will be dipping into his other records but since I listen either on Spotify or on my stereo I will probably not hear this record again ...

Nice.

Oh shit! So excited for this one. Love this artist. It’s a relief to find this beautiful recording posted on YouTube. Undeniably great. He was a poet. He was a genius. Raw soulful singing, luscious music. Get into it!

Such a shame this isn't on Spotify because it's fantastic. I am going to have to track down a copy on vinyl. Only know Gil from revolution will not be televised and though I knew he had a great voice, I didn't know he had such a great soulful SINGING voice. The electric keyboard is also delicious. Also, The Bottle is a banger, and H20 Blues is an absolutely classic Gil excoriation. Just consistently brilliant. Four more years! Four more years!

It's Gil Scott-Heron. Always 5 stars.

Not on Spotify

Great jazz

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. I just thought this album felt really encapsulating to me – it had some lulls early on, but I never really felt bored, I just felt like I was always waiting for the instrumentation to take another step up. They kinda broke down that expectation over time, and I think after getting a bit of energy with Back Home and The Bottle, the rest of the album was gliding for me in terms of the soundscape, the vocals, and ultimately, the comforting feel of the album. I really think the last 5 tracks (not counting the reprise of Peace go with You, Brother at the end) are just that damn good – Song for Bobby Smith and Your Daddy Loves You, in particular, gave me the same feeling as say, watching Mr. Rogers or Bob Ross. They just felt reassuring in an authentic way that isn’t often recorded in music, in part because there’s no swirling bombastic instrumental behind them, which helped a lot. H2Ogate Blues is a great critique of the politics of the era, and it’s wild how well I think it’s aged into 2024, especially with the damn Reagan diss about a decade early. I’m just kinda grumpy that this isn’t on streaming, because I’d add every song here if I could. Regardless, it’s a really nice 44 minutes, and I kinda just found a bit of bliss in it. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I feel good with a 5. It definitely feels like it should be on this list.

wasn't on spotify, had to go onto youtube for this one such a good album both poetically and musically, start to finish

Na moral vai toma no cu, que álbum foda, tá maluco. Estou ouvindo pela quarta vez pra tentar escrever sobre ele, mas não consegui colocar em palavras que descrevam a altura a qualidade dele. Sensibilidade, melancolia, descontentamento, êxtase e humor. É um álbum que tem alma. E vai toma no cu o Spotify também, que é o primeiro álbum dessa lista que não tem na biblioteca e um dos melhores que ouvi até agora.

Cool poetry and instrumentation, it’s just what I needed actually. Very good album.

I love Bobbi Humphrey's flute playing on "Harlem River Drive" as well as the relaxed feeling of cruising the barrios of 70's Manhattan that the song conveys. Each time I listen to it on YouTube, it is followed by tracks from Gil-Scott Heron. (No brain, not Jill Scott.) The algorithm (algoRHYTHM, anyone??) got it right this time. I couldn't name a single song I heard, but I liked it. Time to dig in with a focused listen. I think Gil is a little loud in the mix; at least, I'd like to hear the backing music a bit more as there are some tasty tidbits in there too. His singing isn't amazing, but he makes do with the art he has. The jazz is smooth but not elevator music, and many of these tracks sound live, at least partially. The playing is phenomenal, especially the piano, flute, and congas. The spoken-word genius delivery of "H2Ogate Blues" reminds us that the good ol' days weren't as rosy-colored as we'd like to remember. Even then, he talks of current stolen elections, stacking the Supreme Court, inflation, war for profit, and politicians "whose ignorance is only surpassed by those that voted for [them]." Mic drop. Sadly, this struggle remains and rings true even today, a persistent winter in America. Peace go with you, brother. This is the jazz music I like with a message that remains fresh and revolutionary. Winter In America just oozes intelligent and soulful art, and the rhythm makes you move. A unique and hip take on jazz, poetry, and spoken-word mastery.

Loved it. Great poetry, great vibe, beautiful music.

4.5☆/5 07.09.2024

This album did not have a clear genre for me, but it not only great to listen to it was also compelling. Really terrific and really sad that it isn’t available on my music service - but thankfully in our digital age I found a way. Too bad that such an important album isn’t readily available. Still it really makes me glad to have embarked on this project to discover finds like this.

Timely and enjoyable. A great listen.

I have dabbled in some of Gil Scott-Heron's music before, but wow, I need more of this. What an great way to ease into a morning! How could it not be a great day now?

Like "What's Going On", this album is as enjoyable to listen to as it is poignant, and as reliable a relisten as any GSH album. Loving this one as much as I ever did.

I love these guys...

Timeless good blues/jazz/soul/funk music !

GSH has such a sweet voice, even when he’s simply speaking it’s mellifluous. I agree that Pieces of a man is a superior album and should have been on this list instead. I also prefer his last album, I’m not here to this. But his influence and artistry cannot be denied.

This album is quite enjoyable. The minimalist well played piano coupled with excellent vocals and relevant lyrics really works. 

Not bad, not bad. Like: Back Home Did not expect there's a talk show there...

I liked it i think! very jazzy and soulful.

Scott-Heron's work seems to me sometimes as not so much music as a sonic art installation, which is maybe a distinction without difference? Interesting to listen too and definitely makes me think but I'm not exactly tapping my toes.

It was enjoyable. Good background music; I was listening to it whilst cleaning my room.

3.5/5. Good. Not as good as Pieces of a Man, but certainly a solid album.

This album is a socially conscious blend of soul and cool jazz that at times seems to predict the eventual rise of rap with Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken delivery. This album is somewhat conversational which lends a sense of intimacy that makes its message effective

I realized after researching a bit that I was familiar with Gil Scott-Heron through The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. This is great stuff. Super jazzy and bluesy. Loved the piano.

an interesting one

Had to download it - not on Spotify. Proper good stuff this - very funky, very groovy and politically on point all these years later

The smooth Fender Rhodes electric organ all over this album is absolutely intoxicating. Beautiful warbled textures from start to finish executing deeply soulful cascading chord progressions. Of course Gil Scott-Heron's poetry over the top only adds to the alluring atmosphere here.

CD muito bom!

...unfortunately for me this wasn't available on Apple Music in the States - here's a YouTube playlist if others have the same issue; first 9 songs are the original album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSSNXW9EANA&list=PLDIxWXRU4UDpUpAB4vMTUroYuvodq118L - - - - Different. Excellent. I really enjoy this - very raw with not a ton of instrumentation; I enjoy Gil's voice quite a bit and it meshes perfectly with Brian Jackson's keyboard sound - perfect compliments to each other. The jazz-soul aspects of this definitely are "of the age" and one might say it sounds dated (and it definitely does) but in this case I like it. Really nice listening musically and lyrically interesting especially on multiple listens; many topics dealing with inner city issues and neglect. "H20Gate Blues" is sort of the outlier musically but still fun to listen to and important - a funny mostly-ad-libbed poem dealing with the then-timely Nixon/Agnew fkery of the country. This is one I'd like to actually find on vinyl - will definitely come back to this one. 8/10 4 stars.

Had to do some digging to find this one, but man did I dig it. I'm really into Heron's work, I feel like we had another album of his on here, but I'm just remembering that I recently bought one from him on vinyl. His spoken-word poetry style, which could at times be characterized as "rap," is really engaging. I love the tracks that are personal or political (most of them to be fair). I know "The Bottle" from being sampled by Knxwledge for "Suede," that's a great track. There's an excellent run of tracks on the back end of this, especially with H2OGate. Really love this, more Gil-Scott Heron would be welcome! Favorite tracks: Your Daddy Loves You, H2OGate Blues, Peace Go With You Brother, The Bottle, Song for Bobby Smith. Album art: Heavy on the framing, but the picture is actually really cool. Love that funky art style. 4.5/5