Free Will

VINYL FORMAT. Gatefold exact repro reissue on 180 gram vinyl, originally released in 1972. "Gil Scott-Heron's third album is split down the middle, the first side being a purely musical experience with a full band (including flutist Hubert Laws and drummer Pretty Purdie), the second functioning more as a live rap session with collaborator Brian Jackson on flute and a few friends on percussion. For side one, although he's overly tentative on the ballad 'The Middle of Your Day,' Scott-Heron excels on the title track and the third song, 'The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues,' one of his best, best-known performances. The second side is more of an impromptu performance, with Scott-Heron often explaining his tracks by way of introduction ('No Knock' referred to a new police policy whereby knocking was no longer required before entering a house, 'And Then He Wrote Meditations' being Scott-Heron's tribute to John Coltrane). His first exploration of pure music-making, Free Will functions as one of Scott-Heron's most visceral performance, displaying a maturing artist who still draws on the raw feeling of his youth." - All Music Guide