1,001 Albums Project #2 — “Winter in America” by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
Bonus Album Recommendation: “Things Fall Apart” by The Roots
Recently, a friend and I were discussing how people listen to music differently. Science tells us that when we listen to music, we are actually hearing hundreds of different sounds all at once. Our brain works at lightning speed to decipher all of this data and repackage it into the “final product” that lands into our memory banks. Despite all of this hard work performed by our brains on a consistent basis, it is simply impossible for anyone to hear every single sonic detail at any given moment. Therefore, our “ears” tend to prioritize one particular musical layer such as lyrics, vocals, or instruments; focusing in on that texture while observing the other sounds passively.
Our focus can, and does, change from moment to moment depending on what’s happening in the music, but it’s safe to say we all have a “default” listening mode where our “sonic preferences” guide the ways in which our brain translates organized sound waves. No matter how closely we think we’re listening, we always miss something.
If you’re a musician, these “preferences” almost always align with your instrument and/or role in a band. Case in point: my songwriter friend said he always hears the lyrics first in a song. Me being a drummer, I tend to miss a lot of the lyrics because I focus on the instrumental sounds so much… *insert hearing loss joke here*
In listening to Winter in America, I made a concerted effort to try and prioritize the lyrics while still acknowledging the presence and qualities of the instruments. I was rewarded GREATLY for this approach.
General Reactions
A powerful combination of music and poetry, Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson utilize a rich palette of sounds to convey a diverse array of subject matter. Each track from the album provides memorable moments ranging from “raw” to “eloquent”, occasionally mixed with a little humor. The brilliant lyrics and rich instrumental accompaniment also make this a treasure trove of hip hop samples, which is not surprising — many consider this album, and “quasi-spoken-word” style, to be one that paved the way for hip hop.
There are moments of sharp dissonance in both the instrumentals and vocals, which portray discontent without treading into the waters of “hopelessness” — always lining hunger with hope — and a continuous message that, at its core, projects a clear longing for unity, and a common goal.
Fun Fact: Recorded in Silver Spring, MD!
THE INSTRUMENTS + THE TEXTURES:
These are the sounds that spoil my ears rotten. I love those electric keyboards [rhodes] flute, and dry drum sounds — they are really all I need in this world.
The very opening of the album features Brian Jackson playing a beautiful minor chord (with jazz extensions) arpeggiating across almost the entire range of the instrument. This rubato introduction accomplishes two things at once: it perfectly sets the tone for the whole album, as well as providing a calm yet unresolved atmosphere for Gil-Scott’s poetic exposition to float across.
THE LYRICS + THE VOCALS:
This is Gil Scott-Heron’s territory. I read that he was originally a poet, which is not at all surprising considering the high-level of poetic quality his lyrics have. As far as Scott-Heron’s actual singing voice is concerned well… let’s just say he could never be confused for a classically trained singer. That being said, I quite like his voice as is; he sounds unpolished without being bombastically abrasive, which seems to fit the overall “feel” of the record (from my perspective anyways).
Here are some lyrics which impacted me the most throughout the album:
“As common blood flows through common veins and the common eyes all see the same / now more than ever all the family must be together”
“Rub your soul against the concrete / And the concrete is my smile / Got to change my way of living / Got to change my style”
“Could you almost touch the warmth? / And was it your first love, a very precious time? / Was there the faintest breeze? / And did she have a ponytail? / And could she make you feel ten feet tall / Walking down the grassy trail? / Was it your first love, a very precious time, time? / Now they got me trying to define, in later life / What her love means to me / And it keeps me struggling to remember, my first touch of spring.”
“Ain’t you been there? / Ain’t you goin? / Can’t you taste your ideas growin? / We are soldiers / Soldiers of a new day / Can’t you see it? / Can’t you feel it in your heart? / Ain’t you been there and ain’t you goin / To a place where friendship’s flowin? / We are brothers / Brothers and sisters in spirit / Can’t you see it? / Yeah, can’t you feel it in your heart?”
“Four more years, Four more years, Four more years, Four more years of THAT?”
Highlights (with sound links)
- Honest and tender lyrics without a whiff of commercialism. The fluttering keys and free-tempo in this tune perfectly captured the “frozen moment” effect one can experience when reflecting on the memories of their first love.
- Unique mid-tempo latin/funk hybrid drum beat: the syncopated snare click [or “cross-stick”] keeps the groove unpredictable, while remaining rock solid in its execution.
- Immensely expressive piano playing, rich with complexity and tension as the track progressed — it reminded a lot of McCoy Tyner’s playing in Coltrane’s records in the 60’s with his quartet. Major kudos to Brian Jackson here.
- Super fun vamp/groove + light-hearted tune which seems to riff on childhood nostalgia. While listening to this, I couldn’t help but sense a layer of melancholy below the “surface happiness”; as if the nostalgia itself was triggered by a sudden realization of how much things have changed. This, in my mind, is punctuated by the lyrics “And you still want to go back there — someday and some way”
- A musical relic of Nixon’s scandal-ridden resignation in 1974 that is humorous as it is captivating. Although overtly political, it seems pretty mild in comparison to the political messages that are found in today’s music.
External References
I found this cool blog post by a guy named Imam Johari Abdul-Malik. He puts this album in context from a historical and cultural perspective.
Bonus Album Recommendation #2
General Reactions
A masterpiece from The Roots long before they became Jimmy Fallon’s house band. It is an album that is similar to Winter in America in its opportunistic use of spoken-word (not rap), as well as how it addresses pervasive and unjust realities found in the African-American community with unflinching conviction. Questlove’s drumming is absolutely genius both in his performance and production/sound manipulation. This record is forward-thinking and forward-sounding to the point where it is hard to believe it came out in 1999.
Highlights (with sound links)
SPEAKING OF QUESTLOVE — One of his most celebrated traits as a drummer is his restraint; time after time he chooses to serve the song rather than show off with flashy technique. But if you are like me, you have always wanted to hear him cut up and show off a little bit. We are rewarded at the 3:30 mark of their grammy award winning track “You Got Me” — just as the song seems like it is getting ready to wind down, Questlove suddenly emerges out of nowhere with some truly impressive breakbeat work that reminds me of Baltimore’s own Mike Lowry from Lake Trout (who were, coincidentally, peaking right around the same time Things Fall Apart came out)
Other highlights (with links)
The Next Movement — killer instrumental hook — and DJ Jazzy Jeff is in on the track.
Without a Doubt — showing Schoolly D some love! Can’t get enough of that agogo bell.
Double Trouble — The entrance of the dirt-filtered drums at the 4:55 mark of the song is probably my favorite moment in hip hop let alone this record. Mos Def steals the show:
“Zen zen-zen… Zen zen Zen zen… Zen-zen-zen-zen” — Mos Def
The Return to Innocence Lost — A spoken word piece composed and recited by Ursula Rucker. She tells a heartbreaking, but all too common, tale with a supporting soundtrack that changes and morphs perfectly with the story. It is emotional, even gut-wrenching at times — but if it didn’t make you uncomfortable, you weren’t listening. I immediately thought of this track while listening to “The Bottle” from Winter in America. Click here for a wonderful blog post that dives into this Roots track.
“Death was the cost of returning to innocence… lost” — Ursula Rucker
Next album on the docket from the book 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die:
Happy listening!
