The Revolutions Begins - The Flying Dutchman Masters Coffret Deluxe

Description

"The Revolution Begins" brings together all the recordings made by Gil Scott-Heron for Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label – three landmark albums that helped shape modern Black music and revealed one of its most influential voices. From the unforgettable power of the spoken-word piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" to the soul and jazz sounds intertwined with social critique in "Pieces Of A Man" and "Free Will," these recordings testify to Scott-Heron's incredible artistic evolution in just a few years. Long considered essential works, they have often been subject to incomplete or poorly presented reissues. For this box set, we returned to the original tapes to offer unprecedented sound quality, revealing a new depth in both Scott-Heron's lyrics and the music. The collection includes all the recordings for Flying Dutchman, including a rare collaboration with Bernard "Pretty" Purdie never before reissued, as well as an alternative version of "Free Will" reconstructed from the original tapes. Scott-Heron first gained public recognition in 1970 as a novelist and poet. When producer Bob Thiele offered him the opportunity to record, the result was "Small Talk At 125th And Lenox," a spoken word album accompanied only by percussion. The opening track, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," became one of the cultural manifestos of its time. A year later, alongside Brian Jackson (also a student at Lincoln University) and a group of leading musicians, Scott-Heron recorded the extraordinary "Pieces Of A Man," featuring classics such as "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" and "Lady Day And John Coltrane." His final album for Flying Dutchman, "Free Will," was his most political work to date, blending impactful songs and uncompromising spoken-word pieces that had become his trademark. Although these albums achieved only modest commercial success upon their initial release, they are now recognized as foundational works whose influence continues to resonate in music and culture. This 3-CD box set brings together all the Flying Dutchman recordings in a definitive edition, presenting the early chapters, and the most important, of Scott-Heron's remarkable career.