Small Talk at 125th & Lenox - Thought-Provoking Urban Poetry Collection | Perfect for Book Clubs, Literature Lovers & Social Commentary Enthusiasts

The first time I had ever heard of Gil Scott-Heron's work was on a cover version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by the group LABELLE (Something Silver). Lyrically, the song/poem was amazing and I just had to find out more about the writer and that's what led me to SMALL TALK AT 125TH AND LENOX.On this CD, Scott-Heron reads and sings his work, against the back beat of bongos, as he describes the world and all of it's shortcomings...as he sees it in 1970. Ironically, the same views could still be applied today. His words are visceral and he speaks about being black, black identity, poverty, oppression and revolution and evolution.Some standouts---though the entire album/CD is strong--the aforementioned "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which speaks of revolution that will happen without big bangs and fanfare as Scott-Heron weaves commercial and product tag lines throughout his manifesto."Brother" is a searing indictment of the black community and what it means exactly to be "black enough?" Turning his razor sharp words--usually reserved for whites--against other blacks, Scott-Heron begs the question about what's wrong with an education and trying to get out of the ghetto?"Whitey On The Moon" is a about the 1960s space race and the irony about how people live in abject poverty while the government spent billions trying to put a man on the moon."The Subject was Faggots." At first, I thought this was a homophobic rant about gays. What it is, despite the nervous laughter coming from Scott-Heron, is a poem about homophobia itself. Using the derogatory word was commonplace back then, like the "n" word, and so listeners must listen carefully to the context of this poem. Brilliantly weaving a tapestry and comparison between gays and straights, the gifted poet comes to the conclusion that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual people...other than the label or "sign outside the door." I'm sure it might have went over the audience's head at the time, it sure went over mine on first listen but I got it on the repeat.The CD comes with a small booklet with liner notes in English and French by Nat Hentoff from "Jazz & Pop Magazine"-1970 and some B&W pictures. Unfortunately, there are no lyrics/words for the poems and songs but I'm sure you can find most of them online.