Winter in America
Winter in America | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 1974 | |||
Recorded |
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Studio | D&B Sound (Silver Spring, Maryland) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:27 | |||
Label | Strata-East | |||
Producer |
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Gil Scott-Heron chronology | ||||
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Singles from Winter in America | ||||
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Winter in America is a
The album serves as Scott-Heron and Jackson's debut release for Strata-East, following a dispute with their former label and departure. It proved to be their sole release for the independent jazz label. Upon its release, Winter in America featured limited distribution in the United States and quickly became rare in print. However, with promotional help from its only single "
While it was critically overlooked upon its release, Winter in America earned retrospective acclaim from several writers and music critics as Scott-Heron's and Jackson's greatest work together. Along with its critical recognition, it has been noted by several critics for its influence on derivative music forms such as neo soul and hip hop music, as many artists of the genres have been influenced by Scott-Heron's and Jackson's lyrical and musical approach on the album. On March 10, 1998, Winter in America was reissued on compact disc for the first time in the United States through Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia Records.
Background
After leaving his former label
Social circumstances and musical events preceded Scott-Heron's and Jackson's signing with Strata-East. After the decline of popularity in traditional jazz forms during the
Scott-Heron had looked to expand on his socially conscious, pro black-oriented themes and independently produce a more conceptual album than his previous work had envisioned.[6] Scott-Heron's and Jackson's search for more creative control over their recordings prompted them to sign with Strata-East Records. Established in 1971 by jazz musicians Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell, in response to major record companies' lack of interest in their recordings, the Strata-East label had become known for signing artists who recorded with diverse styles of jazz music with themes of social consciousness and black nationalism, as well as "minimal but eye-grabbing graphic design" for its releases.[14]
The label had also been known for carrying out the management concept of "condominium".
Recording and production
To record the album, Jackson suggested a small studio located outside of Washington, D.C. in
The recording sessions served as the first production credit for Scott-Heron, Jackson, and Jose Williams.[17][18] As the third unofficial collaboration between Scott-Heron and Jackson, the album's recording featured more of Jackson's input than before.[19] Jackson recounted the experience in an interview for All About Jazz, stating: "He had this way with words and I thought to myself, 'People have to hear this stuff'. What I had to offer was the music and I figured if we can take his words and make this tribal knowledge rhythmic and musical, we can draw people to hear it."[19]
In contrast to their Flying Dutchman recordings and subsequent Arista recordings, Winter in America utilized a sparse production quality and small number of sessions musicians.[15] A small supporting line-up, featuring drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens, contributed on a few cuts.[6][15] Adams and Bowens, who studied with Scott-Heron at Lincoln University, arrived from the Pennsylvania-based college on the last day of recording on October 15, 1973.[6][20] Scott-Heron and Jackson handled most of the vocals, songwriting, and instrumentation, and they were assisted by Williams with the production.[6]
The September 4 and 5 sessions featured only Jackson and Scott-Heron playing and recording. The limited personnel during these sessions allowed them to rely mostly on traditional African and R&B sounds and influences, along with more creative and artistic control of the project.[15] More than half of the album's songs were co-written and produced by Jackson.[21] His input also helped solidify his partnership with Scott-Heron, leading to further records together before their split in 1978.[22]
Music and lyrics
Similar to his studio debut album Pieces of a Man, Winter in America has Scott-Heron exercising his
Scott-Heron's characteristic sound on the album is rooted in
Winter in America juxtaposes themes of
Songs
The album's style and themes are exemplified by the
The melancholy, nostalgic love song "A Very Precious Time" contains an uplifting
During the October 15, 1973 session, drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens contributed to the tracks "Peace Go with You", "Rivers of My Fathers", "Back Home", and "The Bottle".
So we sat up to do one take, a 'live ad-lib' to a blues backing ... and the poem was done with a few index cards with notes to be sure I got the references straight without stumbling. (I still stumbled anyway) After we got through it we listened to it play back with an open studio mike and became the audience ... The poem worked well. It felt like what the album had been missing. Not just the political aspect, but as Bob has said, for the laughs. The Watergate incident itself was not funny and neither were its broader implications, but as a release, a relief of tension of Winter in America it provided a perfect landing.[6]
The resulting track features sharp criticism by Scott-Heron of then-US president Richard Nixon and his vice-president Spiro Agnew, among other politicians involved in the scandal; the Watergate incident had yet to reach its conclusion when the song was recorded.[23] Scott-Heron introduces the song with a short speech discussing the blues and referencing current events: "But lately we had Frank Rizzo with the 'Lie Detector Blues'/We done had the United States government talkin bout the 'Energy Crisis Blues'".[35] The final chorus line directly references Nixon and the scandal: "And there are those who swear that've seen King Richard/Beneath that cesspool–Watergate".[35] His lyrics range from humor to critical diatribes of political corruption and social issues.[23] It shares lyrical similarities to Stevie Wonder's anti-Nixon song "You Haven't Done Nothin'" (1974).[23] The album concludes with a reprisal of the opening track. Music writer Karl Keely said of its significance, "The return of the refrain from 'Peace Go with You Brother' adds a sense of wholeness to end the record, an idea that the album has travelled through Gil Scott-Heron's worries, fears, pleasures, hopes, and finally, his pronounced disliking of Richard Nixon, before returning to the opening statement, in the hopes that the record may have made that selfish brother think more about his world and those in it, instead of moving along in a self-imposed bubble."[23]
The title track, which was not featured on the original LP, was recorded after the album's release at the suggestion of Peggy Harris, the artist who designed the Winter collage for the inner sleeve of the LP.
Title and packaging
The original name of the album was intended to be Supernatural Corner, named after the
The revised title of Winter in America was intended to represent Scott-Heron's use of the season of winter as a metaphor and concept of his view of the issues facing
At the end of 360 degrees, Winter is a metaphor: a term not only used to describe the season of ice, but the period of our lives through which we are travelling. In our hearts we feel that spring is just around the corner: a spring of brotherhood and united spirits among people of color. Everyone is moving, searching. There is a restlessness within our souls that keeps us questioning, discovering and struggling against a system that will not allow us space and time for fresh expression. Western iceman have attempted to distort time. Extra months on the calendar and daylight saved what was Eastern Standard. We approach winter the most depressing period in the history of this
energy crises. But we, as Black people, have been a source of endless energy, endless beauty and endless determination. I have many things to tell you about tomorrow’s love and light. We will see you in Spring.[6]
In a February 2009 interview with Jalylah Burrell of
Release and reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Down Beat | [40] |
Pitchfork | 9.3/10[41] |
Uncut | [42] |
Upon its original
Winter in America's only single release, "The Bottle", soon became an
In retrospective reviews, Winter in America was well received by critics, who cite it as one of Scott-Heron's best albums.[2][16][49] Uncut magazine's Barney Hoskyns praised the album, calling it an "introspective seasonal offering from black poet-singer and collaborating pianist".[50] He also lauded its critical content and called it "a masterwork of ghetto melancholia and stark political gravitas".[42] Ron Wynn of AllMusic wrote of Scott-Heron's performance, in that he was "at his most righteous and provocative on this album", while acknowledging Jackson's contributions as well.[38] BBC Online's Daryl Easlea called the album "an affecting work" and wrote that its title track "should be played as standard on all modern history courses as a snapshot of the stilted hopes and aspirations in the post Watergate and Vietnam War mid 70s America".[24] The Washington Post's Richard Harrington cited "The Bottle" and "H2Ogate Blues" as "classic Scott-Heron works" in a review of its reissue.[51] Los Angeles Times writer Mike Boehm viewed that its title track "sounded a sad death-knell for '60s hopes of transforming change", while calling it a "wonderful mood piece, capturing what it's like to feel oppressed in your soul by outer-world events that seem out of control".[52] Danny Eccleston of Mojo called it an "alloy of Rhodes-laden souljazz with [Scott-Heron]'s razor-sharp beat-poetry" and quipped, "Anger, radicalism, humour and funk from the proto-rapper, thankfully restored to health and liberty."[53]
Dream magazine columnist Kevin Moist stated that the album "further jazzified his mixture of street poetry, soulful spirit, political commitment, and Black cultural expression."[14] He also noted the history of the Strata-East label, and summed up Winter in America's significance, stating "Radically charged but musically mostly stark and low-key, melodic and soulful as hell, sometimes full band flow while at others just voice and piano, all hanging tight under a melancholy cloud of belatedness [...] Thematically, the album reaches back even further than its predecessors in drawing on Black cultural energy as a source of power for facing down the coming political/cultural Ice Age in America. But Scott-Heron was never a one-dimensional ranter, and his pen is as double-edged here as it ever was, slicing into the growing self-destructiveness and sell-out/buy-in tendencies that were fragmenting the Black community, as incisively as it stabs at the jowls of evil in the White House. As badass as it is understated, and really hasn’t dated just a little bit."[14] The Observer called the album a "jazz fusion pillar stone, with a social conscience to boot".[54] Music writer Karl Keely praised Scott-Heron's vocal maturity from his previous work, and noted Jackson's influence for improving and expanding the music's melodic content.[23] Keely commented that it demonstrates "the evolution of Scott-Heron from politicised poet to soulful singer".[23] Pitchfork writer Michael A. Gonzales applauded its humanistic qualities, saying it "boldly proclaims how much we really matter through big pictures and intimate snapshots translated into the mediums of jazz, blues, soul, and literature."[41]
However, Houston Press writer Paul J. MacArthur expressed a mixed response towards its production quality and called Winter in America the "most dated" of the Scott-Heron reissues.[15] The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said with the exception of the danceable "The Bottle", Scott-Heron "had a better beat and just slightly less melody" when he was reciting in spoken word.[39] In a separate piece, he applauded the 1975 recording of the album's title track as "an evocation of our despondency that is as flawless as it is ambitious".[55]
Legacy and influence
Winter in America has been recognized by music writers as one of the prominent examples of early rap, along with the early work of
The album also marked the transition of Scott-Heron from
The album was re-released with previously unreleased bonus material by Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia label in 1998, following a reissue project headed by Scott-Heron after he had received ownership of his 1970s recordings.[58] The record's significance and influence in music has led to much retrospective favor of it among music writers and critics, as shown in Winter's rankings in several "best of" publication polls. Winter in America was ranked number 67 on New Nation's June 2004 list of The Top 100 Black Albums.[59] The album was also listed in the music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2006).[60] "The Bottle" was later ranked number 92 on NME magazine's list of the "Top 150 Singles of All-Time"[citation needed] and was included in Q magazine's 1010 Songs You Must Own! publication.[citation needed] The title track was included on music writer Bruce Pollock's 2005 list of the "7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000",[citation needed] and it was ranked number 82 on Blow Up's list of "100 Songs to Remember".[citation needed]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Peace Go with You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)" | Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson | 5:27 |
2. | "Rivers of My Fathers" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 8:19 |
3. | "A Very Precious Time" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 5:17 |
4. | "Back Home" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 2:51 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Bottle" | Scott-Heron | 5:14 |
2. | "Song for Bobby Smith" | Scott-Heron | 4:38 |
3. | "Your Daddy Loves You" | Scott-Heron | 3:25 |
4. | "H2Ogate Blues" | Scott-Heron | 8:08 |
5. | "Peace Go with You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam)" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 1:10 |
- Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–9 on CD reissues.[61]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
10. | "Winter in America" (Live at The Wax Museum 1982) | Scott-Heron | 8:23 |
11. | "Song for Bobby Smith" (Alternate take) | Scott-Heron | 4:46 |
12. | "Your Daddy Loves You" (Live at Blues Alley 1981) | Scott-Heron | 4:25 |
13. | "The Bottle / Guan Guanco" (Live at Blues Alley 1981) | Scott-Heron | 11:56 |
Personnel
Credits for Winter in America adapted from liner notes.[61]
Musicians
- Gil Scott-Heron – vocals, electric piano
- Brian Jackson – electric piano, acoustic piano, flute, vocals
- Danny Bowens – fender bass
- Bob Adams – drums (traps)
Production
- Perpis-Fall Music, Inc. – producer
- Jose Williams – engineer
- Malcolm Cecil – remastering
- Vera Savcic, Adam Shore – reissue exec. producer
- Dan Henderson – manager
- Eugene Coles – cover painting
- Peggy Harris – liner collage
- Monique de la Tour/Rumal-Gia, David Lau – reissue art direction
- Scott Townsend – reissue design
- Tony Cerrante, Gary Price – liner photos
Charts
U.S. Billboard Music Charts (North America) – Winter in America
- 1974: Top Jazz Albums – #6[44]
U.S. Billboard Music Charts (North America) – "The Bottle"
- 1977: disputed]
Release history
Winter in America was originally released as a 12" vinyl record, in stereo format only.[62] Released in May 1974 with a limited supply, the record remained out of print for nearly 25 years in the United States until 1998, when Scott-Heron acquired ownership of his recordings, with the exception of his material for the Flying Dutchman label.[15] Afterwards, he initiated a reissue project through his own Rumal-Gia label, which had obtained a distribution deal with TVT Records.[15] The compact disc reissue contains bonus tracks, including the live version of the title track, and the original and new liner notes written by Gil Scott-Heron.[15] Prior to this, a German release of Winter in America was issued in 1992 as was a remastered LP in 1996. However, they did not include these features.[22] Other remasters were also released in Europe, as listed below.[22][58][63]
Region | Year | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | May 1974 | Strata-East Records | vinyl LP
|
SES-19742 |
Germany | 1992 | Bellaphon Records | CD | 660-51-015 |
United Kingdom | 1996 | Snapper Music, Charly Records | digipack CD
|
SNAP103CD |
United States | March 10, 1998 | Rumal-Gia Records, TVT Records | CD | TVT-4320-2 |
United States | 1998 | Rumal-Gia, TVT | remastered LP | TVT-4320 |
Italy | 2001 | Get Back Records | CD | GET-8004 |
Italy | 2004 | Get Back | remastered LP | GET-98004 |
References
- ISBN 091770200X.
- ^ a b Bush, John. Biography: Gil Scott-Heron. Allmusic. Retrieved on July 9, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jean-Critin (2001), p. 2.
- ^ Maycock, James. "Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson: Brothers in Arms". Mojo: 2003.
- ^ Holden, Stephen. Review: The First Minute of a New Day. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on September 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Scott-Heron (1998), pp. 1–3.
- ^ Staff. "Black Nationalism". The New Encyclopædia Britannica: 256. 1987.
- ^ a b Geesling, Don. An American Griot: Gil Scott-Heron Interview. The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved on December 21, 2008.
- ^ Staff. "John Coltrane". The New Encyclopædia Britannica: 1987.
- ^ Staff. "Free Jazz: The Explorations of Ornette Coleman". The New Encyclopædia Britannica: 1987.
- ^ Columnist. Genre: Fusion. Allmusic. Retrieved on November 4, 2008.
- ^ Columnist. Genre: Jazz-Funk. Allmusic. Retrieved on December 22, 2008.
- Rhapsody. Retrieved on March 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moist, Kevin. Strata-East Records: Black Spirit, Black Power, Black Music. Dream Magazine. Retrieved on October 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q MacArthur, Paul J. Catching Up with Gil. Houston Press. Retrieved on July 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g Product Page: Winter In America (CD). Tower.com. Retrieved on July 8, 2008.
- ^ Daniel, Matthew. Interview: Brian Jackson. Soulisms. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
- ^ Jose Williams. Discogs. Retrieved on July 17, 2008.
- ^ a b c Columnist. Biography: Brian Jackson Archived May 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. All About Jazz. Retrieved on July 17, 2008.
- ^ Columnist. Biography: Danny Bowens. DigStation. Retrieved on July 16, 2008.
- ^ a b Billboard Music Charts: Winter in America. Billboard. Retrieved on July 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson. Discogs. Retrieved on July 8, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Keely, Karl. "Review: Winter in America". Soul Music: January 12, 2009.
- ^ a b Easlea, Daryl. Review: Winter in America. BBC Music. Retrieved on November 17, 2009.
- ^ Salaam, Mtume ya. Salaam, Kalamu ya. Gil Scott-Heron & His Music. Breath of Life. Retrieved on July 21, 2008.
- ^ Sanders, J.Victoria. Review: Free Will. PopMatters. Retrieved on July 11, 2008.
- ^ Larkin, Colin. "Review: Free Will". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: March 1, 2002.
- ^ a b c d e Bordowitz, Hank (June–July 1998). "Gil Scott-Heron". American Visions. 13 (3). Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
- Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: March 1, 2002.
- Amazon.com. Retrieved on July 31, 2009.
- ^ a b Graff (1998), pp. 512-513
- ^ a b c Salaam, Mtume ya. Salaam, Kalamu ya. Gil Scott-Heron: Rivers of My Fathers. Breath of Life. Retrieved on July 21, 2008.
- ^ Jones, Jackie. "20 People Who Changed Black Music – Revolutionary Poet Gil Scott-Heron, the First Rap Rebel". Miami Herald. Retrieved on October 20, 2021.
- ^ Henderson, Alex. Review: Real Eyes. Allmusic. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Scott-Heron, Gil. "H²Ogate Blues", Winter in America, Strata-East, 1974.
- ^ a b c d Burrell, Jalylah. Fell Together: A Conversation With Gil Scott-Heron Part 2. Vibe. Retrieved on April 20, 2009.
- ^ Salaam, Mtume ya. Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man. Breath of Life. Retrieved on October 3, 2008.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved on July 8, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Down Beat: 162-163. November 2000.
- ^ a b Gonzales, Michael A. (January 14, 2018). "Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson: Winter in America". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Hoskyns, Barry. "Review: Winter in America". Uncut: 115. July 2005. Review rating archived at product page on August 15, 2009.
- ^ a b Scott-Heron (1998), p. 4
- ^ a b Charts & Awards - Billboard Albums: Winter in America. Allmusic. Retrieved on July 8, 2008.
- ^ Sutro, Dirk. Scott-Heron Leaps 11 Years. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on July 31, 2009.
- ^ Salaam, Kalamu ya. Biography: Gil Scott-Heron Archived January 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. All About Jazz. Retrieved on July 10, 2008
- ^ a b "Gil Scott-Heron – Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Columnist. "The New Record Company: Arista Records". Billboard: 27. November 23, 1974.
- ^ Fernando Jr., S.H. "Review: Winter in America". Vibe: 150. March 1998.
- ^ Hoskyns, Barney. "Review: Winter in America". Uncut: 120. March 2003.
- ^ Harrington, Richard. "Review: Winter in America". The Washington Post: D.05. June 3, 1998. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
- ^ Boehm, Mike. Still Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on July 31, 2009.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (December 10, 2010). Review: Winter in America. Mojo. Retrieved on December 12, 2010.
- ^ Columnist. Review: Winter in America. The Observer. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. Consumer Guide: The First Minute of a New Day. The Village Voice. Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
- ^ a b Columnist. "Scott-Heron Reissues Readied". Billboard: February 23, 1998.
- ^ Dedina, Nick. Review: Winter in America. Rhapsody. Retrieved on March 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Johnstone, Nick. "Review: Winter in America". Melody Maker: 169: November 1999.
- ^ Staff. "The Top 100 Black Albums". New Nation: June 2004.
- ^ Dimery, Robert. "Review: Winter in America". 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: February 7, 2006.
- ^ a b Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Winter in America CD reissue
- ^ Winter in America (LP). Discogs. Retrieved on July 11, 2008.
- ^ Winter in America (Digipack, SNAP103CD). Charly/Eonic Ltd. Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
Bibliography
- Robert Dimery (2006). ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- Jason Koransky (2000). Down Beat: Jazz, Blues and Beyond. Vol. 1-3. Elmhurst, IL: Maher Publications.
- Nick Johnstone (1999). Melody Maker History of 20th Century Popular Music. Bloomsbury, London, UK. ISBN 0-7475-4190-6.
- ISBN 0-8256-7255-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Staff (1987). ISBN 0-85229-443-3.
- Eric Weisbard; Craig Marks (2003). Spin Alternative Record Guide. 1st edi. (Ratings 1-10). New York, NY: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- Colin Larkin (2002). ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
- Gil Scott-Heron; Brian Jackson (1998). Winter in America. CD reissue liner notes. New York: Ruma-Gia Ltd./TVT Records.
- Gil Scott-Heron; Pierre Jean-Critin (2001). Winter in America. CD reissue liner notes. London, UK: Charly Licensing Aps/Artistry Music Ltd./Snapper Music Plc.
External links
- Winter in America (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
- Winter in America at Discogs (list of releases)