| Secrets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1978 | |||
| Recorded | April–June 1978 | |||
| Studio | TONTO, Santa Monica, California [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:38 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer |
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| Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Secrets | ||||
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Secrets is a 1978 studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson.
Secrets was released in September 1978 by Arista Records. [2] It was the duo's fifth album for the label. [3] Secrets debuted at number 31 on the Billboard magazine's jazz chart on September 9, [4] peaking at number 11 on September 23. [5] The album reached number 61 on the Billboard 200. [6] Like its predecessor Bridges , sales of Secrets were regarded as unimpressive and continued a gradual slide into commercial obscurity for Scott-Heron, who would eventually be dropped from Arista's roster in 1985. [7]
The album's release was preceded by the single "Angel Dust" in July, later followed by "Show Bizness" in October. [8] "Angel Dust" and "Show Bizness" reached numbers 15 and 83, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. [9] According to Arista founder Clive Davis, the album was Scott-Heron's first since 1975's The First Minute of a New Day to reach the top 100 of Billboard's top albums chart, while the single "Angel Dust" nearly became a hit. [10] "Angel Dust" was Scott-Heron's most commercially successful single while he was signed to Arista between 1975 and 1985. [7] Scott-Heron said the song's level of commercial success was comparable to his previous hits "The Bottle" and "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". [11]
After three decades out of print, the British label Soul Brother Records reissued the album on compact disc. [7]
Compared to the duo's earlier works, Secrets introduces a synthesizer-heavy sound influenced by disco. [12] Jackson first recorded with TONTO the prior year on "We Almost Lost Detroit" for Bridges. [13] On Secrets, Jackson took the band's sound in the direction of funk, away from the "Afro jazz vibe" found on earlier records like The First Minute of a New Day and From South Africa to South Carolina . [7] Secrets also marked the first appearance of female backup vocalists as performers with the Midnight Band, and these same vocalists also played with the band on the ensuing tour. [11]
Scott-Heron's lyrics on Secrets largely concern socially conscious political themes, in line with most of his works from the mid-to-late 1970s. However, his decision to double-down on directly political lyrics was somewhat at odds with the expectations of Arista executives, who desired a more commercially accessible direction and had begun scheduling his live act as an opener for chart-toppers like KC and the Sunshine Band and the Spinners. Meanwhile, Jackson strived for more extended musical explorations; though he agreed with Scott-Heron's political message, he felt musically restrained by the emphasis on lyrics. [14] Speaking about the Secrets era in their career, Jackson said:
Solos would last forever. Gil did spend a lot of time on the side playing tambourine, and in retrospect maybe that wasn't so cool. At one point he told me, "I'm a blues singer, y'know." My job was to help Gil express himself, and when I wasn't able to do that any more I felt a little ashamed. [14]
The songs on Secrets cover a variety of topics and social issues. "Angel Dust" takes on the topic of addiction, returning to a theme Scott-Heron had previously explored on "The Bottle". [15] "Angola, Louisiana" tackles prison conditions in the United States. [14] Taking its title from the Louisiana State Penitentiary's nickname "Angola", the protest song decries the wrongful imprisonment of Gary Tyler. [16] At the time of his conviction, Tyler was the youngest person on death row. [17] "Three Miles Down" is about the issue of coal mining safety, while "Madison Avenue" and "Show Bizness" critique the advertising and entertainment industries, respectively. [18]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [19] |
| The Great Rock Discography (2006, 8th ed.) | 6/10 [8] |
| The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983, 2nd ed.) | [20] |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music | [21] |
A review in Black Stars by Julie Ellis praised the album's lyrical storytelling, socially conscious messages, and broad appeal to pop, R&B, and jazz listeners alike; [22] writing for the same magazine, Roy Betts said Secrets "exemplifies a real purpose—exploring the problems of the poor, the downtrodden, the people who seek refuge in drugs and not the betterment of their social condition." [3] Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1979, Robert Christgau lamented the lack of hooks on songs such as "Third World Revolution" but appreciated "Show Bizness" for its "tribulations-of-stardom" theme and "educational refrain". Christgau's main point of praise was for Scott-Heron's political flair, writing that he "stokes the protest-music flame more generously than any son of Woody, and in sheer agitprop terms 'Angel Dust,' one of those black-radio hits that somehow never crossed over, is his triumph—haunting music of genuine political usefulness." [23] People magazine appreciated the record's jazz sounds from Jackson and the Midnight Band, calling Secrets "another angry, robust collection of song-poems, this time exploring injustice, drug addiction and revolution". [24]
Retrospective assessments have identified Secrets as a transitional work in the recording careers of Scott-Heron and Jackson, with mixed appraisals of its stylistic departures. Rashod Ollison of The Virginian-Pilot wrote that, with Secrets, Scott-Heron's "storytelling deepened and became more insightful and colorful" than it had been on his records for Flying Dutchman Records in the early 1970s, while Jackson's "innovative use of fat synthesized basslines ... presaged the G-Funk era of '90s West Coast hip-hop." [7] Mark Sinker of The Wire found the use of synthesizers on the record "every bit as funky, smart and subtle as Wonder's or Gaye's or Kashif's", yet for Sinker the overall sound was "just not really happening somehow; feels soft-centered, losing the words their edge. Although suggesting that the words are as hard as ever maybe hits on another fault: they're so very much the same as ever." [25] Tristan Bath of The Quietus said the record departed from the jazzy sound and Afrocentric themes of Scott-Heron and Jackson's previous recordings together in favor of "disco and futurist dance music tropes", a sonic detour that would grow "increasingly tacky and saccharine" on the duo's followup album, 1980 . [26]
Printed record guides have assigned Secrets positive scores, but typically place it within the lower range of Scott-Heron's discography. Dave Marsh rated the album three out of five stars for The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983), [20] and Colin Larkin gave the same score in his Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music (2002). [21] AllMusic assigned it three-and-a-half stars on its website and three stars in the print All Music Guide to Soul (2003), but omitted a review in both instances. [2] [27] Martin C. Strong's eighth edition of The Great Rock Discography (2006) provided a rating of 6/10, with a scoring system based on Strong balancing his own judgment against his impression of general critical consensus and reader feedback. [8]
In a 2010 interview promoting his final record, I'm New Here , Scott-Heron cited Secrets and Winter in America as "some of my best work", noting his preference for studio sessions when "there weren't a whole lot of people in the studio. Just a whole lot of good music got played, even if it was just a piano and a vocal or something like that." [28] Reviewing Scott-Heron's career for Mojo , James Maycock noted that the success of "Angel Dust" had "helped [Scott-Heron, Jackson, and the Midnight Band] survive the decadent disco era whose insatiable appetite for the fluffy mangled most of their contemporaries' careers." [29]
"Angola, Louisiana" was sampled by hip-hop group P.M. Dawn on the song "Paper Doll" from their 1991 debut album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience . [30] The album track "Better Days Ahead" was later reworked and released on Scott-Heron's 2014 posthumous compilation Nothing New . [31]
All tracks are written by Gil Scott-Heron, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel Dust" | 4:13 | |
| 2. | "Madison Avenue" | Scott-Heron, Brenda Morocco, Brian Jackson | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Cane" | 3:31 | |
| 4. | "Third World Revolution" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Better Days Ahead" | 3:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Three Miles Down" | Scott-Heron, Jackson | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Angola, Louisiana" | 5:32 | |
| 3. | "Show Bizness" | 2:48 | |
| 4. | "A Prayer for Everybody / To Be Free" | Jackson | 6:20 |
| Total length: | 37:38 | ||
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [1]
| Chart (1978–79) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 [6] | 61 |
| U.S. Top Jazz Albums ( Billboard ) [5] | 11 |
| U.S. Top Soul Albums (Billboard) [32] | 45 |
Gilbert Scott-Heron was an American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson fused jazz, blues, and soul with lyrics relative to social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles. He referred to himself as a "bluesologist", his own term for "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues". His poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", delivered over a jazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence on hip hop music.
Angel dust may refer to:
Brian Robert Jackson is an American keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer known for his collaborations with Gil Scott-Heron in the 1970s. The sound of Jackson's Rhodes electric piano and flute accompaniments featured prominently in many of their compositions, most notably on "The Bottle" and "Your Daddy Loves You" from their first official collaboration Winter in America.
Malcolm Cecil was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer and electronic musician. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers, before going on to join a number of British jazz combos led by Dick Morrissey, Tony Crombie and Ronnie Scott in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He later joined Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner to form the original line-up of Blues Incorporated. Cecil subsequently collaborated with Robert Margouleff to form the duo TONTO's Expanding Head Band, a project based on a unique combination of synthesizers which led to them collaborating on and co-producing several of Stevie Wonder's Grammy-winning albums of the early 1970s. The TONTO synthesizer was described by Rolling Stone as "revolutionary".
From South Africa to South Carolina is a studio album by the American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and the keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was released in November 1975 by Arista Records. Scott-Heron performed "Johannesburg" and "A Lovely Day" on Saturday Night Live in December 1975. The album was reissued in the late 1990s via Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia label, distributed by TVT Records.
Aretha is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on September 30, 1980, by Arista Records. This is Franklin's second eponymous album, and her first for Arista Records after a 12-year tenure with Atlantic Records.
Pieces of a Man is the debut studio album by American poet Gil Scott-Heron. It was recorded in April 1971 at RCA Studios in New York City and released later that year by Flying Dutchman Records. The album followed Scott-Heron's debut live album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970) and departed from that album's spoken word performance, instead featuring compositions in a more conventional popular song structure.
Winter in America is a studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was recorded in September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland and released in May 1974 by Strata-East Records. Scott-Heron and Jackson produced the album in a stripped-down fashion, relying on traditional African and R&B sounds, while Jackson's piano-based arrangements were rooted in jazz and the blues. The subject matter on Winter in America deals with the African-American community and inner city in the 1970s.
The First Minute of a New Day is an album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron, keyboardist Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band—an eight-piece musical ensemble. It was released in January 1975 on Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in the summer of 1974 at D&B Sound in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was the follow-up to Scott-Heron's and Jackson's critically acclaimed collaboration effort Winter in America. The First Minute of a New Day was the first album to feature "Winter in America", the title track of Scott-Heron's previous album which was not featured on its original LP release. The album was reissued on compact disc by Scott-Heron's label Rumal-Gia Records in 1998.
"The Bottle" is a song by American soul artist Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in 1974 on Strata-East Records in the United States. It was later reissued during the mid-1980s on Champagne Records in the United Kingdom. "The Bottle" was written by Scott-Heron and produced by audio engineer Jose Williams, Jackson, and Scott-Heron. The song serves as a social commentary on alcohol abuse, and it features a Caribbean beat and notable flute solo by Jackson, with Scott-Heron playing keyboards.
It's Your World is a studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson, released in November 1976 by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in studio and live in July 1976 at Paul's Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and American Star Studios in Merrifield, Virginia. Scott-Heron and Jackson recorded the album with the former's backing ensemble, The Midnight Band. It's Your World was originally released on vinyl and was later re-released in 2000 on compact disc by Scott-Heron's Rumal-Gia label.
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.
The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron is a 1978 album by spoken word and rap pioneer Gil Scott-Heron. Like many of Scott-Heron's albums, the album's content primarily addresses political and social issues; however, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron relies far more on his spoken word delivery than his other albums. Whereas much of the artist's earlier albums contained backup jazz-funk music from Brian Jackson, many of these tracks, which address contemporary issues such as Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the Attica Prison riot, are either live recordings or studio-recorded songs with little more than sparse drum backing or occasional instrumentation. Many of the tracks featured were included on previous Gil Scott-Heron albums.
We're New Here is a remix album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and English music producer Jamie xx, released on February 21, 2011, by Young Turks and XL Recordings. A longtime fan of Scott-Heron, Jamie xx was approached by XL label head Richard Russell to remix Scott-Heron's 2010 studio album I'm New Here. He worked on the album while touring with his band The xx in 2010 and occasionally communicated with Scott-Heron through letters for his approval to rework certain material.
Bridges is an album by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, released in the fall of 1977 on Arista Records.
Moving Target is a studio album by American spoken-word poet and blues musician Gil Scott-Heron.
1980 is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. Their ninth album together, it was recorded from August to October 1979 during a period of creative tension between the two musicians and released in February 1980 by Arista Records.
Real Eyes is an album by the American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1980. It was Scott-Heron's first album since 1970 to be made without input from his musical collaborator Brian Jackson.
"Johannesburg" is a song by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, with music provided by the Midnight Band. It is the first track on Scott-Heron and Jackson's collaborative album From South Africa to South Carolina, released in November 1975 through Arista Records. The lyrics to "Johannesburg" discussed opposition to apartheid in South Africa, and likened apartheid to the disenfranchisement of African Americans in the United States. The song became a popular hit, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1975. According to Nelson George, "Johannesburg" played a role in spreading the cultural awareness of apartheid.
Reflections is an album by the American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1981. It was his second album without Brian Jackson. Scott-Heron supported the album with a North American tour. The album peaked at No. 106 on the Billboard 200.
