The three albums that Gil Scott-Heron recorded for Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label are among the most important in black music history. They showed a multi-talented artist coming to full fruition with his first efforts on wax. The Revolution Begins contains every piece of music he released for the label from 1970-1971. In recent years Gil has become a lauded as one of the all-time greats. This music is the reason why.
CD 1
1 Lady Day And John Coltrane 3.61
2 Home Is Where the Hatred Is 3.36
3 Save the Children 4.46
4 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 3.12
5 Did You Hear What They Said? 3.49
6 Pieces of a Man 4.9
7 Speed Kills 3.28
8 Everyday 4.38
9 I Think I’ll Call It Morning 3.52
10 When You Are Who You Are 3.38
11 Free Will 3.54
12 Or Down You Fall 3.22
13 The Needle’s Eye 4.83
14 The Middle of Your Day 4.51
15 A Sign of the Ages 4.04
16 Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul? 5.24
CD 2
1 Introduction / The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 3.38
2 Whitey On the Moon 1.99
3 No Knock 2.21
4 Small Talk At 125th & Lenox 1.38
5 Billy Green Is Dead 1.51
6 Sex Education: Ghetto Style 0.88
7 The Vulture 4.58
8 The Prisoner 9.44
9 …And Then He Wrote Meditations 3.23
10 Plastic Pattern People 2.89
11 The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues 5.15
12 Artificialness (feat. Gil Scott Heron) 3.12
13 Ain’t No New Thing 4.55
14 Brother 2.61
15 Evolution (And Flashback) 3.37
16 The King Alfred Plan 2.8
17 Enough 4.22
18 Paint It Black 0.55
19 Omen 1.77
20 Wiggy 1.64
21 Comment #1 4.47
22 The Subject Was Faggots 3.19
CD 3
1 Did You Hear What They Said? (Alt take 1) 3.51
2 The Middle of Your Day (Alt take 1) 4.69
3 Free Will (Alt take 1) 2.95
4 The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues (alternate ending) 5.1
5 Speed Kills (Alt take 3) 3.32
6 The King Alfred Plan (Alt) 3.03
7 No Knock (Alt) 2.07
8 Wiggy (Alt) 1.49
9 Ain’t No New Thing (breakdown take) 2.7
10 Billy Green Is Dead (Alt) 1.56
11 …And Then He Wrote Meditations (Alt) 1.55
12 No Knock (breakdown Alt take) 2.16
13 Free Will (Alt take 2) 2.83
