Mike

A highlight post of Marcus Baram's recent biography of Gil Scott Heron. Baram will chart Scott-Heron's musical odyssey, from Chicago to Tennessee to New York: a drug addict's twisted path to redemption and enduring fame. In Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man, Marcus Baram puts the complicated icon into full focus. Published November 11th 2014 by St. Martin's Press (first published February 1st 2014) "An addict and a recluse; a genius and a poet; a defacto founder of hip=hop who died in poverty, afraid to open his front door. Baram...traces Gil Scott-Heron's complicated path in the first full-on biographical work devoted to a career as turbulent as it was brilliant."–NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune Formats Amazon Price Kindle Edition £9.49 Hardcover £17.04

Here's a bring a smile to your face news announcement marking the first showing of our re-jigged 'releases" section... Its the new upcoming 45 from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, not only a new release but a xmas one at that Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "Just Another Christmas Song" b/w "Big Bulbs" (featuring Saun & Starr) Can hear a short clip of "Just Another Christmas Song" track here ... http://s3.amazonaws.com/Daptone/Previews/025%20INSTRUMENTALS/DAP-1086%20A-side%20clip.mp3 and the flip "Big Bulbs" (featuring Saun & Starr) right here http://s3.amazonaws.com/Daptone/Previews/025%20INSTRUMENTALS/DAP-1086%20B-side%20clip.mp3 Daptone blurb follows here... Though the postmodern lyrical tilt of this soulful romp into yuletide carols by Daptone heavyweights won’t be lost on our more discerning listener, the sincerity of the band’s delivery is unquestionably without irony. Somehow Jones is able to acknowledge the clichéd din of shopping mall chrismas Muzac, and at the same time transcend it to tug gently upon that lone innocent heartstring which still clings to the magic of St. Nick’s Snowy Festivities. Perhaps it is “just another christmas song,” but with a groove like this it’s hard to say we don’t need it. On the flip, Saundra Williams (of rising Saun & Starr fame) has penned a playful little diddy. She shoulders up with her old friends Sharon and Starr to knock it out Andrews Sister style in an impromptu holiday session at the House of Soul. It’s a great holiday record for the whole family! (Saundra has sworn up and down repeatedly that any entendre in Big Bulbs was completely unintended.) Available to pre-order via this page https://daptonerecords.com/shop/Music/45's?product_id=386

After a few weeks of running both the poll and the reviews thread think its time to have a quick scoop up of the results/reviews that have been going on here since the films release. The Soul Source view comes from a online poll of over 300+ members and the result after 3 weeks is a rating of.. 3.7 out of a possible 5 Quite a journey to the end product really, with word first showing on here around 2010 [see below for link] and then the exclusive ahead teaser and interview in 2012 [see below for link] Anyway the poll can be viewed and discussed here While all can view more in-depth reviews and talk from many members here 4 and a half years of fun - hopefully there be a bit of a wait till the next dance