The Revolution Will Not Be Televised | |
Type: | compilation |
Artist: | Gil Scott-Heron |
Cover: | TRWNBT album.jpg |
Released: | 1974 |
Recorded: | 1970–72 |
Genre: | Jazz, funk, R&B, proto-rap, spoken word |
Length: | 33:01 |
Label: | Flying Dutchman |
Producer: | Bob Thiele |
Prev Title: | Free Will |
Prev Year: | 1972 |
Next Title: | Winter in America |
Next Year: | 1974 |
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is a compilation album by American poet Gil Scott-Heron. It was released in 1974 by Flying Dutchman Records and titled after Scott-Heron's 1971 song of the same name.[1]
The album features recordings previously featured on Scott-Heron's first three records for Flying Dutchman—Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), Pieces of a Man (1971), and Free Will (1972),[2] which were produced by jazz producer Bob Thiele.[3] The music compiled incorporates funk, jazz, and proto-rap styles.[4]
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was released in 1974 and charted on Billboards Top Jazz Albums. It peaked at number 21 on October 12 of that year after spending five weeks on the chart.[5] In a contemporary review, Ebony magazine's Phyl Garland called the album "mind-blowing" and said Scott-Heron "does not merely posture and pacify, but presses one to consider the uncomfortable truths of contemporary blackness."[6]
Since then, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised has received positive reviews from publications such as The Washington Post and Los Angeles Daily News,[7] which said "the roots of rap run deep through this superb retrospective".[8] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the compilation abandons the homophobia that plagued Scott-Heron's 1970 debut Small Talk at 125th and Lenox in favor of songs that show artistic progress, including agitprop that sounds less arrogant but still committed and improved singing that reveals his compassion. In To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic (2007), William Jelani Cobb said of its significance in hip hop music:
In the Encyclopedia of Popular Music (2002), writer Colin Larkin praised Scott-Heron's anger and passion in his spoken-word performances on "No Knock" and the title track.[4] AllMusic's Alex Henderson recommended the album's "innovative R&B and spoken poetry" to listeners interested in "exploring his artistry for the first time".[3]
Billboard Music Charts (North America) – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Information regarding the release history of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is adapted from Discogs.[9]
Region | Year | Label | Format | Catalog | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 1974 | Flying Dutchman Records | vinyl LP | BDL 1-0613 | |
Spain | 1975 | RCA Records | vinyl LP, Spanish edition | DBL 1-0613 | |
Germany | 1988 | BMG | remastered CD | 6994-2-RB | |
United States | 1988 | RCA | vinyl LP | NL 86994 | |
United States | 1988 | BMG | vinyl LP | DRL 11798 | |
Germany | 1989 | RCA | CD | ND86994 | |
United States | 1998 | BMG | reissued LP | DRL11798 |
The information regarding sampling of songs from The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is adapted from TheBreaks.com.[10]