Winter in America

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Untitled

Winter in America is a studio album by American soul poet and singer Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in June of 1974 on Strata-East Records.[1][2] Recording sessions for the album took place in September and October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Springs, Maryland.[3] The album was the third collaboration effort by Scott-Heron and Jackson following his 1971 Pieces of a Man and Free Will in 1972.[4] As the first record produced by the two musicians, it was also the first of their collaborations to have Jackson receive co-billing for an album.[5][6] Winter in America features introspective and socially-conscious lyricism by Scott-Heron and mellow instrumentation and soundscape by him and Jackson, as well as other proto-rap elements such as the musicians' stripped-down style of production.[7]

Winter in America served as Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's debut for Strata-East Records following a dispute with his former label, Flying Dutchman, and was Scott-Heron's and Jackson's only record for the label.[8][9] Upon its original release, the album had limited distribution in the United States and was considered a rarity among record collectors and fans, prior to its subsequent U.S. re-release. Despite this, Winter in America became Scott-Heron's and Jackson's breakthrough album and one of his most commercially successful albums.[10] It also proved to be one of Scott-Heron's most critically acclaimed albums and has often been viewed by critics as his greatest work.[4][11] On March 10, 1998, Winter in America was reissued on compact disc in the United States by Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia label.[12]

Conception

Background

File:Scott-Heron graffiti.jpg
Graffit tag of Gil Scott-Heron. Building wall in NYC, ca. 1972

After leaving his former label Flying Dutchman Records and prior to joining Arista Records, Gil Scott-Heron signed with the New York City jazz-based Strata-East label in early 1973.[13] Scott-Heron was joined by keyboardist Brian Jackson who had collaborated on Scott-Heron's previous two studio albums. By the time of their move to Strata-East, Scott-Heron and Jackson had achieved some underground success among R&B and soul music fans for the the political and social themes featured in their music.[14] Another notable aspect of their work up to that point of their careers had been Scott-Heron's and Jackson's blend of soul and jazz, which, during the 1970s period of the genres, had earned considerable favor among less mainstream black music fans.[15]

During a period of much black pride sentiment, Scott-Heron's music had become increasingly popular in the black underground music scene and subculture of New York City, while fans of his promoted his work through flyers and graffiti tagging.[15] Following his success with the socially-conscious and pro black themes that were predominant on his previous albums, including his studio debut Pieces of a Man in 1971, Scott-Heron gained interest in independantly producing a more conceptual album than his previous work had envisioned.[15] Scott-Heron's and Jackson's search for more creative control over the themes and style of their recordings prompted their move to Strata-East Records.

Established in 1971 by jazz trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist 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 record diverse jazz music with themes of social and black-consciousness.[16] The management concept of "condominium", penned by Cowell, allowed artists of Strata-East the authority and responsibility over recording material independantly, while also providing the ability to assign the master tapes over to the label for distribution.[16] This concept and right gave the label's artists a greater amount of artistic control over their own recordings than major labels at the time had. As described by writer Kevin Moist, "The idea was to try and develop an independent cultural space outside of the mainstream that could function self-sufficiently and be genuinely participatory for its members. The goal was to live in an engaged way where art, society, spirituality, and politics could all come together holistically in an integrated existence. That (sub)cultural renewal is embodied in the kind of music midwifed by Strata-East."[16] This type of philosophy for artist management worked to the advantage of artists such as Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson.[16] As established musicians in the music scene of New York City, the two would be able to release more aesthetically personalized music for Strata-East than on a mainstream label, leading to the recording of Winter in America.

Title significance

The original name of the album was intended to be Supernatural Corner, named after the cover art, but was later changed to Winter in America by Scott-Heron. The title and the song "Supernatural Corner" were both left of the album, as the title's reference would be unknown to people who have never seen the house that inspired the title; according to Scott-Heron, it referred to a haunted house in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in which Scott-Heron and Jackson moved into prior to recording.[15] The album cover art, which featured a collage-type painting with oriental graphics and a small figure version of who appears to be Brian Jackson, was created by Eugene Coles, a friend of Jackson's and Scott-Heron's from Morgan State University.[15] The Supernatural Corner was used for the cover, as Scott-Heron had commisioned Coles to design it.

The aptly 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 issues facing society during the era of the 1970s. The title was also intended to represent the urban sociological themes which had surfaced on most of Scott-Heron's albums.[17] With his new record deal and artistic opportunity bestowed upon himself and Brian Jackson by Strata-East, Scott-Heron went to work on his third studio LP with Jackson and looked toward putting his vision of this concept on record.

Recording

File:Scott-Heron and Jackson in studio.jpg
Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron in studio, 1973

Jackson had suggested the location for the recording sessions and the small studio located just outside of Washington, D.C. in Silver Springs, Maryland.[17] The sessions took place in September and October of 1973 at Silver Springs' D&B Sound Studios. According to Gil Scott-Heron, the studio's main room was so small that when the two musicians recorded, Jackson was forced out next to the cooler, playing flute in the studio's hallway while Scott-Heron sang in the main room. On the other hand, Scott-Heron also noted that he felt comfortable in the small recording studio.[17] He was also satisfied with Jose Williams recruited as the recording engineer for the album. Williams assisted Scott-Heron and Jackson, who were credited for production under the title Perpis-Fall Music, Inc., with production and engineered the original recordings.[17] The Winter in America sessions were also the first production credits for Scott-Heron, Jackson and Williams.[5][18]

The recording sessions for Winter in America featured a small supporting line-up, consisting only of drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens. 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.[17][19] While they contributed on a few cuts, it was Scott-Heron and Jackson who were responsible for the majority of vocals, songwriting and instrumentation, as well as limited quality in production for which they were assissted by Jose Williams.[6][17] The September 4 and 5 sessions featured only Jackson and Scott-Heron playing and recording. The limited personnel during the recording sessions, however, allowed the two musicians to rely mostly on traditional African and R&B sounds and influences, while also allowing for more creative and artistic control of the project.[6] As the third collaboration between the two musicians, the sessions featured more of Jackson's input than his previous work with Scott-Heron had. Jackson later revisited his musical experience with Scott-Heron in an interview for All About Jazz:

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.[20]

— Brian Jackson

In contrast to Scott-Heron's and Jackson's Flying Dutchman recordings and their following Arista material together, the sessions for the album lacked the other recordings' quality of production, which was more polished, slick and concise than that of Winter in America. Also missing from Scott-Heron's previous recordings and what would be featured on his work for Arista was the greater number of a supporting cast of musicians and production members.[6] Along with the circumstances of personnel and setting which influenced the recording process and the resulting tracks, Brian Jackson's input also greatly affected the album's development. With a greater and more cohesive input by Jackson than featured on Scott-Heron's previous LP's, more than half of the album's material was co-written and produced by Jackson.[2] His creative input also helped solidify his partnership with Scott-Heron, leading to seven more albums together before their split in 1978.[1]

Music

Style

Much like 1971's Pieces of a Man, Winter in America is composed of Gil Scott-Heron exercising mostly his singing abilities with a few spoken-word contributions, in contrast to his debut album A New Black Poet - Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, which was composed entirely of spoken-word poetry, and the rapping style of his previous album Free Will.[21] Also, the album features more social commentary, Afrocentrism and balladry than Pieces of a Man.[21] Winter in America featured a more stripped-down production and melancholy mood along with songs that exceeded four minutes, as opposed to Free Will, which was criticized for its brevity.[22]

In traditional Gil Scott fashion, the music is rooted in the blues and jazz, which Scott-Heron combined with his spoken word soul style to set the mood, or "season", for the album. This unique, mellow blend of musical styles was referred to by Scott-Heron as "bluesology, the science of how things feel."[23] Jackson's compositions for Winter in America incorporated African music and flavors, heavy percussion and chants along with interludes, which were influenced by the free jazz stylings of Pharaoh Sanders and Abdullah Ibrahim.[6] Also, Jackson wrote straight-ahead material, which incorporated classic jazz bridges in his compositions. Scott-Heron, as chief lyricist, vocalist and social commentator, had more pop sensibilities with his compositions and created indelible hooks, which featured influences from contemporary R&B music of the time.[6] Combining their two distinct tastes in music and composing techniques, Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson conditioned and produced a multicultural, diffused sound, which evoked the afrobeat and world music trend of the 1970s.[6] This sound soon became recognized by fans and critics as their well-known style and trademark, as it was predominant on most of the two musician's records.[15]

Themes

File:Winter In America innersleeve.jpg
The Winter collage by Peggy Harris featured on the inner sleeve of the original LP

Scott-Heron referred to the title as the "overall atmosphere of the album" and the metaphor for the overall theme of the album. He further ellaborated on the social concept of winter, as it relates to the period in which he was living, in the LP liner notes:

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 industrial empire, with threats of oil shortages and 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.[17]

— Gil Scott-Heron

The music of Winter in America also conveys themes of nostalgic hope juxtaposed to the social problems present during the early 1970s, specifically in the black community and inner city.[24] A requiem to one's cultural roots is also a predominant theme of the album. The lyrical content of Winter features Scott-Heron's examination of maintaining one's culture and roots in a society that does not value minority customs. Scott-Heron calls out for a solution to this in the opening track's poetic chant and discusses his view on cultural disillusionment in the first verse of the song:

Now, more than ever, all the brethren must be together
Every brother, everywhere, feels the time is in the air
Time and blood flows through common veins, and in the common eyes all see the same
Now, more than ever, all the family must be together
Peace go with you, brother. Though I ain't so proud anymore
Peace go with you, brother. Recognition don't come cheap anymore
You my lawyer, you my doctor, yeah. But somehow you forgot about me
And now, now when I see you all I can say is, peace
Peace go with you, brother

The themes of social disillusionment and the human condition featured on the album are also depicted on the Winter collage by artist Peggy Harris, representing the dark images of poverty, urban decay and death in urban areas.[17] The collage was featured on the original LP's inner sleeve, as well as in the compact disc reissue booklet.

Content

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The style and themes of Winter in America are emphasized on "Song for Bobby Smith" and the bookending track "Peace Go With You, My Brother", as Scott-Heron's bluesy and jazzy vocals and Afrocentric lyrics are accompanied by Jackson's tender and soulful piano arrangements.[21] The latter features a dreamy, moody soundscape, produced by Brian Jackson's Rhodes electric piano, and an opening chant to set a lyrical theme for the album with Scott-Heron's poetry. The song continues to examine the significance of a person's roots, despite where they end up blossoming, and faith in culture.

Another of Jackson's contributions were his flute harmonies on the introspective ballad "Your Daddy Loves You" and the album's only single, "The Bottle", a commentary on alcohol abuse with a Caribbean beat, which also became an popular song played at parties the time. French critic Pierre Jean-Critin later described it as "an epic song... whose infectuous groove can still set dance floors alight over thirty years later."[13] The song's pop/dance sensibilities and social message engendered its appeal to listeners following its release as a single. Scott-Heron later said on the single's success, "Pop music doesn't neccesarily have to be shit."[13] "The Bottle", which is often cited as the album's best recording, also addressed problems of drug addiction, abortion and incarceration, while featuring Jackson on flute and Scott-Heron on keyboards.[25] Scott-Heron's high tempo lyricism shows similarity to later hip hop music and also uses alcohol, or "the bottle", as a metaphor for trife life and its social effects:

See that black boy over there, runnin' scared
his ol' man's in a bottle.
He done quit his 9 to 5, he drink full time
so now he's livin' in the bottle.
See that black boy over there, runnin' scared
his ol' man got a problem, and it's a bad one
He done pawned off damn near everything,
his ol'woman's weddin' ring for a bottle.
And don't you think it's a crime
when time after time after time, people in the bottle.

During the October 15 session, drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens contributed to "Peace Go With You", "Rivers of My Fathers", "Back Home" and "The Bottle".[17] Adams, however, was disappointed that "H2O Gate Blues" was to be left off the album. The song is an opening monologue concerning the Watergate incident used by Scott-Heron at his concerts. The song featured proto-rap and talking blues elements, in which rhythmic speech or near-speech is accompanied by a free melody and strict rhythm. The studio version of the song, which was recorded during the Winter sessions, was not intended to be used for the album prior to Adams' objection, as Scott-Heron said that "nobody outside of Washington seemed to know what the hell I was talking about."[17] Scott-Heron revisited the experience in the 1998 reissue liner notes, explaining Adams' view on the matter and the song's conception:

His reply was that even if people didn’t understand the politics it’s still funny as hell. 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.[17]

— Gil Scott-Heron

The longest cut on Winter is the eight-and-a-half minute long "Rivers of My Father", which features drummer Bob Adams' swing-style drum rim shots and pianist Jackson’s wide, blocky chords, as the two musicians play in a style that embraces blues influences. Following the first two minutes of the song's intstrumentation, the lyrical theme of the song is introduced. Scott-Heron uses the water motif, a common metaphor in African-American culture which evokes feelings of home and freedom, to represent faith amid the frustrations of a modern black man.[26] As the opening verse and chorus suggest, "Looking for a way out of this confusion/I'm looking for a sign, carry me home/Let me lay down by a stream and let me be miles from everything/Rivers of my fathers, could you carry me home." The narrator pleads to the "river" to take him home, which is revealed at the last seconds of the song as Scott-Heron silently says "Africa".[26] "Rivers of My Fathers" has been compared to the 1977 novel Song of Solomon, as their themes both relate to the significance of ancestry and culture. Music critic Mtume ya Salaam has also made this comparison, as he later wrote in an article for Kalamu.com:

In the last passage of one of Toni Morisson’s best-known novels, a young Black man named Milkman Dead steps off of the side of a cliff and either does or does not fly... The one thing about the book I’ve never forgotten is the final image: that of a Black man flying home... In African-American culture, the image of a man or woman flying away to some far-off land is as common as it is archetypal. Given the way most Black Americans arrived here in the Americas, it’s easy to understand where and how the myth originated. It isn't as easy to understand it's persistence. For me, Gil Scott-Heron’s "Rivers Of My Fathers" captures the essence of 'the flying dream' better than anything else I’ve seen or heard save the dream itself. The lyrics, the melody, the arrangement—all of it gives me the same feeling I get whenever I think of Milkman standing high above everything, waiting for weightlessness to spirit him away.[26]

— Mtume ya Salaam

The title track, which was not featured on the original LP, was recorded following the album's release at the suggestion of Peggy Harris, the artist who designed the Winter collage for the inner sleeve of the LP album.[17] Lyrically, "Winter in America" features Scott-Heron's poetry-style references to describe the state of an environment. The song describes an America where "democracy is rag-time on the corner", "the forest is buried beneath the highway", "robins are perched in barren treetops" and, in closing, "no one is fighting because no one knows what to say."[27] The studio version of "Winter in America" was released on Scott-Heron's following album, The First Minute of a New Day, while a live version of the song, which was recorded at the Black Wax Club in Washington, D.C. in 1982, was later issued on Winter in America's reissue in 1998.[21] The melancholy and nostalgic "A Very Precious Time" was recorded by Scott-Heron and Jackson in September.[17] While Scott-Heron's lyrics depicted a requiem to innocence, the song's message explored the concept of nostalgia as a means to remain in the present, despite the loss of hope or faith that can be brought on by the struggle of the present, in contrast to the past.[21]

Reception

Commercial

File:Vintageheron.jpg
Promotional photo of Gil Scott-Heron, 1973

Upon its original stereo LP release, the album had a short supply and distribution, due to the Strata-East label's independant distribution of their artists' releases. Because of this, Winter in America became considered by many to be the great "lost" Gil Scott-Heron album, before a proper reissue on compact disc thirty years following the original issue.[6]

Unlike Gil Scott-Heron's previous albums, Winter in America experienced some commercial success, with the help of promotional resources in the form of underground music deejays and club promoters, despite the album's limited distribution.[28] Despite not making the Billboard Pop Albums chart, the album charted on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart and peaked at the #6 position of the chart.[29] Winter in America entered the chart on June 29, 1974 and remained there for 40 weeks, until March 29, 1975 when it was bumped off the chart.[2] Winter in America's only single release "The Bottle" soon became an underground and cult hit following its issue.[30] Despite its underground reputation, the song became one of Scott-Heron's most successful singles, as it reached the #15 spot on the R&B Singles Chart.[25]

The success of "The Bottle" helped lead to Jackson's and Scott-Heron's following recording contract with Arista Records, the label at which they would enjoy further success and a larger amount of commercial notice.[23] Upon signing them, music industry executive Clive Davis of Arista said of Scott-Heron in an interview with Rolling Stone, "Not only is he an excellent poet, musician and performer—three qualities I look for that are rarely combined—but he's a leader of social thought."[23] In addition to gaining favorable opinions from record executives at Arista, the underground music scene, in which Scott-Heron earned the majority of his fan base, embraced Winter in America favorably and further expanded Scott-Heron's legacy as a socially-aware artist.[28]

Critical

While it did not receive as much critical recognition as Pieces of a Man had, Winter in America still earned general praise from critics and became known as one of Scott-Heron's finest albums.[21] 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.[31] In a March 17, 1975 article for the Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau called the album "an evocation of our despondency that is as flawless as it is ambitious."[32] Christgau, however, later demoted his favor of the album to a C+ rating.[33] An aspect of the album that was received negatively by some critics, initially and following reissue, was the quality of production. Paul J. MacArthur of the Houston Press cited Winter in America as the "most dated" of the Scott-Heron CD reissues.[6] The "street poetry" and social overtones of the album, however, proved to win over critics and earn general praise from them. In a July 2005 article for Uncut magazine, music writer Barney Hoskyns praised Winter in America, calling it an "introspective seasonal offering from black poet-singer and collaborating pianist."[9] Hoskyns also called it a "masterwork of ghetto melancholia and stark political gravitas."[34] In an issue of Dream magazine, columnist and music writer Kevin Moist wrote of the history of the Strata-East label and its featured releases, including Winter. Of the album, Moist summed up in writing:

This was Scott-Heron’s first full collaboration with fellow keyboardist Brian Jackson, and it even further jazzified his mixture of street poetry, soulful spirit, political commitment, and Black cultural expression. 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.[16]

— Kevin Moist

The British newspaper The Observer called Winter in America a "jazz fusion pillar stone, with a social conscience to boot."[10] Renowned Italian-American music historian Piero Scaruffi cited the album as Gil Scott-Heron's "first musical statement."[35] Following initial critical response to the album, Winter in America has been regarded by many music writers and critics as Gil Scott-Heron's most cohesive and artistic work, while also a highlight of Brian Jackson's recording career as well.[7][11][36][37]

Influence

While the album did not have a direct impact on the black music scene at the time, Winter in America became one of the Strata-East label's most successful releases, in terms of sales and popularity.[15] Despite serving as Scott-Heron's and Jackson's only album for the label, Winter also helped the independant jazz label achieve some notability among other New York City distributors of jazz music during the 1970s, which had been viewed by many jazz purists to be in a period of creative confusion and decline.[16] In describing Strata-East Records and the label's release, writer Kevin Moist later wrote, "The diversity and experimentation of the music, plus the great quality of many of those experiments, make it seem like more like a creative golden age in which the dominant idea was new ideas mixing and blending cultural styles and artistic genres or pushing existing styles into new extremes."[16]

Some of the recordings featured on the album, along with other Scott-Heron/Jackson songs, would later be sampled by several rappers and hip hop groups, including "The Bottle" on The Jungle Brothers' "Black Is Black".[38] This contributed to the impact made by Gil Scott-Heron on early rap, who is often cited by critics as the "grandfather of rap", and further expanded his legacy as one of the progenitors and architects of hip hop music.[6][39] The diverse sound and mellow style of instrumentation featured on Winter in America, previously referred to by Scott-Heron as bluesology, later served as an inspirational tool for neo-soul artists in the 1990s and helped solidify Scott-Heron's and Jackson's legacy in the genre.[20][23] Journalist Pierre Jean-Critin of the French music magazine Vibrations later wrote of Scott-Heron's impact and the album:

As an artist who conceives his albums as newspapers and similar testimonies, Gil Scott-Heron is one of America's finest observers and commentators of social reality as well as being one of the most creative and influential figures in African-American music, and this landmark album announced his arrival.[13]

— Pierre Jean-Critin

The record's significance and influence in music has lead 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 later ranked #67 on New Nation's June 2004 list of The Top 100 Black Albums.[40] In 2006, the album was listed in the music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[41] "The Bottle" was later ranked #92 on NME's list of The Top 150 Singles of All-Time and was included in Q magazine's 1010 Songs You Must Own! publication.[42] Winter in America was re-released with previously unreleased bonus material, including a live take of the title track, 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.[36]

Track listing

Original LP

All songs written by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, except where noted.[43]

Side one

  1. "Peace Go With You, My Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)" – 5:30
  2. "Rivers of My Fathers" – 8:29
  3. "A Very Precious Time" – 5:13
  4. "Back Home" – 2:50

Side two

  1. "The Bottle" (Scott-Heron) – 5:14
  2. "Song for Bobby Smith" (Scott-Heron) – 4:42
  3. "Your Daddy Loves You" (Scott-Heron) – 2:57
  4. "H2O Gate Blues" (Scott-Heron) – 8:23
  5. "Peace Go With You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam)" – 1:11

CD reissue

All bonus cuts for the 1998 compact disc reissue managed and produced by Malcolm Cecil.[21]

  1. "Peace Go With You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)" – 5:27
  2. "Rivers of My Fathers" – 8:19
  3. "A Very Precious Time" – 5:17
  4. "Back Home" – 2:51
  5. "The Bottle" – 5:14
  6. "Song for Bobby Smith" – 4:38
  7. "Your Daddy Loves You" – 3:25
  8. "H2O Gate Blues" – 8:08
  9. "Peace Go With You Brother (Wa-Alaikum-Salaam)" – 1:10
    Bonus tracks
  10. "Winter in America (Live at The Wax Museum 1982)" – 8:23
  11. "Song for Bobby Smith (Alternate Take 1978)" – 4:46
  12. "Your Daddy Loves You (Live at Blues Alley 1981)" – 4:25
  13. "The Bottle / Guan Guanco (Live at Blues Alley 1981)" – 11:56

Chart history

Billboard Music Charts (North America) – Winter in America

  • 1974: Top Jazz Albums – #6 (40 weeks) [29]

Billboard Music Charts (North America) – "The Bottle"

  • 1974: Top R&B Singles – #15 [25]

Personnel

File:WinterPersonnel.jpg
Photo of album personnel musicians in 1973. From left to right: Gil Scott-Heron (vocals), Brian Jackson (piano), Bob Adams (drums), and Danny Bowens (bass).

Musicians

Production

Additional personnel

  • 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

Release history

LP side one LP side two
A-side and B-side of 1974 LP release, SES-19742. Due to limited supply, the album was originally available only in stereophonic sound format.

Winter in America was originally released as a 12" vinyl record, in stereo format only.[44] Released in June 1974 under a limited supply, the record remained out of print for nearly twenty five 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.[6] He then initiated a reissue project on his own Rumal-Gia label, which was distributed by TVT Records.[6] The compact disc reissue contained bonus tracks, including the live version of the title track, and new liner notes written by Gil Scott-Heron himself.[6] 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.[1] Other remasters were also released in Europe, as listed below.[1][36][45]

Region Year Label Format Catalog
United States June 1974 Strata-East Records stereo 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

Sample use

The information regarding sampling of songs from Winter in America is adapted from TheBreaks.com[46]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "Discogs.com - Scott-Heron & Jackson discography". Discogs. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  2. ^ a b c "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results (issue dates, recent chart listings, etc.) - Winter In America". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  3. ^ "Tower.com: Winter In America (CD)". Tower.com Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  4. ^ a b "allmusic {{{ Gil Scott-Heron > Discography > Main Albums }}}". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  5. ^ a b "Soulisms - Interviews - Brian Jackson". Soulisms. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Catching Up with Gil - Music - Houston Press". Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  7. ^ a b Graff (1998), pp. 512-513
  8. ^ "Gil Scott-Heron Biography - Barnes&Noble.com". Barnesandnoble.com llc. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  9. ^ a b "Gil Scott-Heron And Brian Jackson - Winter In America - Review - Uncut.co.uk". IPC Media. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
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References

  • Vladimir Bogdanov, John Bush, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Chris Woodstra (2003). All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop. Backbeat Books, Berkeley, CA. ISBN 0879307595.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Jason Koransky (2000). Down Beat: Jazz, Blues and Beyond. Vol. 1-3. Maher Publications, Elmhurst, IL.
  • Nick Johnstone (1999). Melody Maker History of 20th Century Popular Music. Bloomsbury, London, UK. ISBN 0747541906.
  • Gary Graff, Josh Freedom du Lac, Jim McFarlin (1998). Musichound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. forward by Huey Lewis, Kurtis Blow. Omnibus Press, London, UK. ISBN 0825672554.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Eric Weisbard, Craig Marks (2003). Spin Alternative Record Guide. 1st edi. (Ratings 1-10). Vintage Books, New York, NY. ISBN 0679755748.
  • Gil Scott-Heron, Brian Jackson (1998). Winter in America (Rumal-Gia) CD reissue booklet. liner notes. Ruma-Gia Ltd./TVT Records, 23 E. 4th Street, New York, NY 10003.
  • Gil Scott-Heron, Pierre Jean-Critin (2001). Winter in America (Charly) CD reissue booklet. liner notes. Charly Licensing Aps/Artistry Music Ltd./Snapper Music Plc., London, UK.

External links


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