Pieces of a Man [LP]

Released in 1971, Pieces of a Man is one of Gil Scott-Heron’s defining recordings and a landmark in the development of spoken word, soul, jazz, and socially conscious Black music. Produced by Bob Thiele, the album combines Scott-Heron’s incisive poetry and storytelling with a richly textured musical backdrop featuring Brian Jackson, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, and Bernard Purdie.

From the haunting title track and the devastating portrait of urban alienation in “Home Is Where the Hatred Is” to the celebrated spoken-word classic “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” the album captures Scott-Heron at his most powerful—observant, uncompromising, poetic, and deeply human.

Pieces of a Man remains an essential record for anyone interested in the roots of hip-hop, spoken word, jazz poetry, and socially conscious music. Its themes of addiction, inequality, identity, alienation, and political awakening remain strikingly relevant decades after its original release.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Save the Children

Lady Day and John Coltrane

Home Is Where the Hatred Is

When You Are Who You Are

I Think I’ll Call It Morning

Pieces of a Man

A Sign of the Ages

Or Down You Fall

The Needle’s Eye

The Prisoner