Gil Scott-Heron July 25, 2010 Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England @ WOMAD Charlton Park - The Open Air Stage Audio-SP CMC 2 > SP SPSB 2 Battery Module >  Edirol R-09HR 16 Bit 44.1kHz > Goldwave (Fades & Splits) > FLAC Except first 3 tracks from video camera source. Taper/Transfer/Seeder: musoras Gil solo: 1. Intro and chat 2. Blue Collar 3. Intro chat/Winter In America Band enters: 4. We Almost Lost Detroit/Work For Peace 5. Intro chat/Working In A Graveyard 6. Band Introductions 7. I'll Take Care Of You 8. The Other Side 9. Home Is Where The Hatred Is 10. Your Daddy Loves You 11. Chat intro/band thanks/The Bottle Total: 1:23:38 Gil's Band members were: Glen 'Astro' Turner - Keyboards/Flute/Harmonica Tony Duncanson - Percussion Carl Cornwell - Sax/Flute/Keyboards An almost complete recording of Gil's WOMAD performance, missing only a few introductory words but capturing all of the music. I'd made the difficult decision to watch the entire Afrocelt Sound System set in the Siam Tent, and then walked across to the Open Air Stage for what remained of Gil's set - as it turned out, I only missed the first 15 minutes. However, my lovely daughter Laura left the Siam Stage early to catch Gil, armed with a video camera, and I've used the audio rip from this and patched it to my recording.There's the odd person talking but, incredibly considering how far back I was from the stage, this is pretty negligible. My abiding memory is of standing entranced by the simplicity of Gil's delivery and power of his lyrics. May he rest in peace. Gil Scott-Heron is the consummate musician. Whether playing his Fender Rhodes, singing in the absolute epitome of “gravel voice”, or simply story-telling, the audience hung on his every utterance. Personally, I wept three or four times. There was a genuine love expressed between audience and performer, and it was heart-warming to see many young people present, all in agreement that they were seeing “a legend”. Gil has been through a hard time of late, and the rendition of his classic track "The Bottle" was especially poignant. "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" built up for an excruciating 15 minutes before breaking into the much-loved song, presenting a brutally honest account of his struggles with addiction, and in particular the terrible pain it has caused his family. "Your Daddy Loves You" was an achingly beautiful ode to his daughter, who is currently living in England. Gil is now also signed to an English record label—XL—and sincerely expressed his appreciation for the support he has received in this country over the years. Having been out of the limelight for so long (not to mention years languishing in prison), there was a sense of Gil at first almost tentatively gauging the audience feedback, and a great surge of warmth and relief when he, and the crowd, realised that nothing had changed. "I’ll Take Care Of You" from his recent, ironically titled, album I’m New Here, was almost Motown in the simplicity and tenderness conveyed. When singing "We Almost Lost Detroit" from his 1977 album Bridges, you couldn’t help but connect it to the current economic climate and the huge psychological impact of mass unemployment.Gil’s band, who have been with him in various forms since the beginning, were magnificent. Whether on the saxophone, flute, keys, harmonica or congas, it was instantly recognisable that these were musicians at the very pinnacle of their profession. The set began with an African creation myth, drawing on the world music roots of the weekend, but delivered in Gil’s inimitable style, character and worldview. In fact, this was in many ways the perfect way to end the festival. After travelling around the world and delighting in the cultures and traditions presented, we were back on a cold New York street corner in wintertime.Gil mentioned in passing some of the artists who have sampled his work, including Tupac Shakur and Kanye West. Particular respect was reserved for US rapper Common.Often referred to as a “conscientious poet”, Gil’s concern for the world and its suffering was palpable. The audience was respectful and appreciative. Stand out moment was the whole crowd singing together “be safe, be strong, be free.” (Review by James Poulter, The Epoch Times) Waiting in the diverse crowd at the Open Air Stage prior to this memorable set was an experience in itself, as never before had I been so acutely aware of the varying ages and nationalities of those waiting alongside of me. There was literally, every age group and style of dress represented, with a broad shouldered man directly in front of me wearing what looked like robes of a Tibetan monk and another man donned in Arabic whites and wrapped headdress to my right. Accents from around the world were detected and we all, collectively seemed to hold our breath when the legendary American musician, author. composer and poet Gil Scott-Heron appeared onstage. But there was nothing about this ‘star’ that seemed the least bit pretentious, or thankfully, burnt out, as he joked about rumours of his alleged ‘disappearance’ and how those he’s never met are often most apt to ‘dissect’ his life in print. ‘A funny thing happens when you disappear,’ he quipped drolly, ‘you get sampled,’ ironic, in light of the fact that Scott-Heron is credited with inadvertently starting the ‘rap’ genre of music as well as being a major influence on hip-hop. Scott-Heron has never been anything less than painfully truthful and the crowd hung on his every word, sung or said like seekers before a wise man. For me, an ex-pat who’s long been a long way from home for many years and hasn’t seen Scott-Heron perform for the better part of twenty years, the definitive highlight of his from the soul set was ‘Winter in America’ as I have long lamented the established, continuing coldness of the US regime and the numbing effect its’ had on some of my country’s people. ‘We Almost Lost Detroit’, Scott-Heron’s post Three Mile Island accident treatise against the use of nuclear power was another seminal highlight. Scott-Heron’s closing number, ‘The Bottle,’ a comment on man’s addiction to escapism within the context of his everyday life is a number that even he views as his theme-song of sorts. Like a good friend, he cautioned us, within the context of his music, that if we really want peace, we’ll have to ‘work for it’ - over and over like a resonating mantra. Scott-Heron was accompanied by friends too, each of his three musicians being ones who’ve played with him before, many times over the years, who were all obviously very glad, as the audience was, to have this seminal poet and man of truth back among us. Thanks to Gil Scott Heron and his group for priceless moments of true soul. (Review by Mary Couzens for Extra! Extra!)