Monday 16 March 2020

The Last Poets ‎– "Chastisment" (Blue Thumb Records ‎– BTS 39) 1972


You may want them to shut up,but they sure had some cool threads maaaan!
By the third album, The Last Poets had finally cottoned on that they needed some half decent music to set their Rants to.So for a few of the tracks, we've got some Afrocentric Jazz to increase the chances of anyone actually listening to their message.
Once you've listened to their well worn out message, you probably wish you hadn't,but it kinda works.Even white guys could probably dance to the opening track,but it goes rapidly downhill after the second tune.
The closing number reverts back to Beatnik territory with the mention of the holy word "Bird";where they run through a list of black jazz musicians,like Archie Shepp,Trane,Miles,Herbie Hancock....etc. And claims that the Love Supreme That Trane was going on about was purely for the Black man.Hmmmmmmm? Not sure that was mentioned in the convoluted eastern philosophy Trane and his missus were into,but whatever, I don't have a problem with the vast universal consciousness not loving me as much as the Uber Black male,or, Uber person of colour should I say? Bring on the Chastisment baby.


Tracklist:

1.Tribute To Obabi (Ogun) 10:16
2.Jazzoetry 3:46
3.Black Soldier 5:56
4.E Pluribus Unum 4:38
5.Hands Off 4:05
6.The Lone Ranger 0:28
7.Before The White Man Came 3:43
8.Bird's Word 6:10

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. Genesis P. Orridge.

Shug Hanlan said...

In my humble opinion Geordie dickhead Eric Burdon was the worst Birdwatcher. His "Eric Burdon declares War" LP is full of impassioned namechecks for various members of the hipster hierarchy, "The Vision of Rassan" being the worst offender. No wonder the band sacked the fat cunt.

Jonny Zchivago said...

Ahaaa, Eric Burdon is my favourite working class lad with an inferiority complex who 'turned On but had no idea how to tune in, and didn't want to drop out. His albums with the 'New' Animals are hilarious.His Geordie accent mysteriously morphing into a hip cat from Haight Ashbury,still with that greasy side parting hair-do he had in the old animals....personal fav track of his is "Man/Woman" which is on my 'Wrong Songs' compilation, which some kind person mad a mix of and put it up for streaming:

https://www.mixcloud.com/chuckp/various-artists-wrong-songs-and-banned-bands-almost-50-classics/

or you can download it,unmixed, here:

https://dieordiy2.blogspot.com/2013/12/various-artists-wrong-songs-and-banned.html

Eric you're a twat, but at least i love you....dunno about Shug though?

Shug Hanlan said...

Joe Cocker is probably the perfect example of a UK working gezzer suddenly finding himself way, way out of his depth in Yankee Doodle land. Imagine being a couple of months out of a Sheffield steel factory, you look around and you're singing next to Claudia Lennear and getting told what to do by a twat with a long beard and top hat.

Jonny Zchivago said...

I can see it now...'have you ever heard of the BEAT-AL'ZZZ Joe?' There's song they did that i think might get you in the billboard top ten...But first put this tie-dye t-shirt on and take this.No more beer for you now you're 'hip'.I've got a spare Top Hot somewhere."

Andy Tithesis said...

Honestly if I was black I would hate all you mother fuckers! So really it's just a coincidence. ☻