Gil Scott-Heron - Moving Target (1982)

German import

You ever been in a job interview where you were asked the questions, "What are some of your weaknesses?" followed up with "What are some of your strengths?" They're quite common and my go-to answer for many years was to use the same response for both questions: "I am outspoken, open, and honest. I enjoy speaking truth to power. If you agree with my thoughts, then you will view that as one of my strengths; if you disagree with me, you will see that as an annoying weakness." For Gil Scott-Heron, speaking truth to power was definitely a strength and I enjoy his brand of honest poetry set to a groove, even if the lyrics often make me uncomfortable in a white guilt sort of way.

This album certainly is all over the place in terms of styles and if I'd heard it upon release, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it, much less understood it. But the writing is good, the musicians (known as the Amnesia Express band) are top-shelf, and these days I like the blend of jazz-funk, soul, and blues with a dash of reggae. I particularly like Ed Brady's guitar solos throughout. All there to support Scott-Heron's introspective, politically rooted storytelling.

Reviews/ratings:

• Robert Christgau (B): "the horns and rhythm are progressive funk as it was meant to be"
• Washington Post: "his best yet"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #123
• Billboard Jazz: #13
• Billboard R&B: #33
• CashBox: #133
• CashBox Jazz: #7
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #4

Tracks: My favorite tracks are Fast Lane, Washington, D.C., and Blue Collar. Two tracks, the funky Fast Lane and reggae-ish No Exit, were both released as singles although neither saw any chart action.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: By late 1982, my addiction to physical media was in full bloom and I often spent time at the local music store. This store was in an old shopping center along with a grocery and a fabric store. It not only sold records and tapes, it also carried sheet music, pianos, band instruments, guitars, drums, and miscellaneous accessories. Sort of a one-stop music shop. It no longer exists and I wonder if the culprit was the internet stealing sales, poor store management, or a combination of both. I also wonder where the local folks now go for band instrument repairs, piano tuning, or guitar lessons.

In any case, I was browsing the store's vinyl stock on the regular in the early '80s and the staff would occasionally special order records for me as well. I bought a couple of albums from the store simply because I was intrigued by the covers - The Nightfly and Incognito - and those gambles paid off for me as I still listen to those albums today. I also would handle a copy of the Waitresses' album Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful and even though I was familiar with the song I Know What Boys Like, I just couldn't pull the trigger on that one, so I had to live with that loss until I bought it on CD.

And then there was a copy of Moving Target. It was in the store's bins for quite a while, so I'm unsure if the thing ever sold, but I sure was captivated by the cover that looked to me like it could be taken from an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. I must have picked up that album and inspected it closely at least a half-dozen times. That album cover was my introduction to Scott-Heron, but it would be decades before I heard the album itself. Since I retired in early 2021, I've been on a mission to read books, watch movies, and hear albums that I missed in my youth. So I finally found a used CD copy of Moving Target a few years back and have enjoyed the jazz-funk since.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974)