Durutti Column – The Return Of The Durutti Column

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson’s Winter In America was the duo’s first and only release on legendary independent jazz label Strata-East. Praised for its influence on hip-hop and neo soul, the album deals with the social problems of the 1970’s in the African-American community and inner city, while the music itself is a mix of rhythm & blues, jazz, spoken word, and African sounds. “Peace Go With You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum)” starts and ends the record with shimmering Rhodes keyboard. On this track, Scott-Heron sings about the perils of hubris and examines the significance of a person’s cultural roots. “The Bottle” carries with it a beautiful paradox; sonically it’s pure sunshine, but the lyrics deal with lives ruined by addiction. The penultimate track “H20 Gate Blues” features a poem performed by Scott-Heron addressing the problems of the early ‘70’s: Vietnam, Watergate, and forced depravity of Black people by the US government. The recording encapsulates the mood of a live show with a seamless back and forth between enchanting sounds and political musings.
– Tana Yonas
Recommended: Peace Go With You, Brother (As-Salaam-Alaikum), Rivers of My Fathers, The Bottle, and H20 Gate Blues
A1 Peace Go With You, Brother – As-Salaam-Alaikum (Part. 1)
A2 Rivers Of My Fathers
A3 A Very Precious Time
A4 Back Home
B1 The Bottle
B2 Song For Bobby Smith
B3 Your Daddy Loves You
B4 H2Ogate Blues
B5 Peace Go With You, Brother – As-Salaam-Alaikum (Part. 2)
Artwork – Ms. Peggy Harris & Eugene Coles
Bass – Danny Bowens
Booking – Charisma Productions
Drums – Bob Adams
Electric Piano, Piano (Acoustic), Vocals – Brian Jackson
Electric Piano, Vocals – Gil Scott-Heron
Engineer, Producer – Jose Williams
Liner Notes – Brian Jackson & Gil Scott-Heron
Painting – Eugene Coles
Photography – Gary Price &Tony Cerrante
Producer – Perpis-Fall Music, Inc.