Real Eyes is an album by the American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1980.[2][3] It was Scott-Heron's first album since 1970 to be made without input from his musical collaborator Brian Jackson.[4]
| Real Eyes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1980 | |||
| Genre | R&B, jazz | |||
| Label | Arista[1] | |||
| Producer | Gil Scott-Heron, Malcolm Cecil | |||
| Gil Scott-Heron chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 159 on the Billboard 200.[5]
Production
editReal Eyes was produced by Scott-Heron and Malcolm Cecil.[6] A photograph of Scott-Heron and his daughter Gia appears on the album cover; the album's closing track is dedicated to her.[7] "A Legend in His Own Mind" was inspired by the boasting of a friend.[8] "Not Needed" is about the concerns of older, poorer citizens.[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [12] |
Robert Christgau wrote that "the switch from Brian Jackson's supportive groove to Carl Cornwell's elliptical horn charts adds intellectual and historical weight to the songs that merely say good things as well as those that put them pungently."[11] The Boston Globe thought that "Scott-Heron has shaken off the pop coating and built his arrangements carefully, usually around one dominant instrument."[13] Billboard opined that "Carl Cornwell's sax and flute work is top notch."[6] The Citizens' Voice called Real Eyes "a powerful statement by one of today's most significant performers."[14]
AllMusic wrote: "Scott-Heron's love of jazz serves him well on 'A Legend in His Own Mind' and the smoky 'Combinations', but make no mistake: Real Eyes is an R&B album more than anything."[10] In a retrospective article, The Wire thought that "much of it sounds like outtakes from Stevie Wonder's albums of the period—even words seem to desert [Scott-Heron], falling away into disengaged rhetoric or weak personal concerns."[15]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Train from Washington" | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Not Needed" | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Waiting for the Axe to Fall" | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Combinations" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "A Legend in His Own Mind" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "You Could Be My Brother" | 6:21 |
| 7. | "The Klan" | 4:48 |
| 8. | "Your Daddy Loves You (For Gia Louise)" | 3:18 |
References
edit- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 305.
- ^ "Gil Scott-Heron Pioneering Poet". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- ^ Snowden, Don (21 Jan 1981). "Gil Scott-Heron Has Staying Power". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Maycock, James (30 May 2011). "Gil Scott-Heron". Viewspaper. The Independent. p. 8.
- ^ "Gil Scott-Heron". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- ^ a b "Top Album Picks". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 49. Dec 6, 1980. p. 45.
- ^ Blackistone, Kevin B. (8 Oct 1981). "A Voice for Change". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
- ^ Richmond, Dick (24 Nov 1980). "Rock". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4D.
- ^ Boyd, Gail (21 Dec 1980). "Scott-Heron uses voice of conviction". The Jackson Sun. p. 16B.
- ^ a b "Real Eyes". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- ^ a b "Gil Scott-Heron". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 622.
- ^ Flanagan, Bill (12 Mar 1981). "Reviews/Records Gil Scott-Heron Real Eyes". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
- ^ Kishbaugh, Jerry (19 Dec 1980). "Scott-Heron, Musical Muckraker Extraordinaire". Weekend. The Citizens' Voice. p. 30.
- ^ "Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man". The Wire. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2021-09-27.