Bridges, according to Scott-Heron himself, was loosely conceived as an "on the road album" - a collection of songs concerning and emanating from touring with the Midnight Band.
The opening track, 'Hello Sunday! Hello Road!', introduces the bigger focus on synthesizers and electric instruments on Bridges, a departure from the acoustic work that constituted most of the Scott-Heron/Jackson discography up to that point. A short, fun jam, 'Hello Sunday! Hello Road!' bounces along with reflections upon the Midnight Band tour bus, and is a comparatively light-hearted tune.
'Song Of The Wind' boasts some Caribbean-inflected guitar work, recognising the influence of Bob Marley, in 1977 at the height of his powers. Scott-Heron in his liner notes mentions the communication of African tribes through drums as the inspiration for the track, and the reggae-inflected guitar creates a wind-like sound, the words flowing through its breeze.
Racetrack In France
Bridges next gives a case for music's ability to break language barriers, with 'Racetrack In France'. Brian Jackson's synth work throughout the track is backed by a tight rhythm section, whilst Scott-Heron recalls an appearance at Riviera '76 in Marseilles which proved a hit for the Midnight Band despite the language barrier. Jackson is allowed extended playing of a Fender Rhodes, and the earnestness of Scott-Heron's voice and danceable music creates a vivid picture of a mass of dancing humanity.
'Vildgolia (Deaf, Dumb & Blind)' is the centrepiece of the album, a seven-minute-plus piece which changes pace and tone but maintains a steady groove. Following some muted horn work at its opening, 'Vildgolia' opens the horn section up and takes the tune to another level. It recalls some of Stevie Wonder's work of the early 1970s, a result of Malcom Cecil, Wonder's co-producer on some of those records, appearing on Bridges as sole producer. The squelching synth work gives the track an added flavour.
The stresses and strains of life on the road is chronicled in the frenetic 'Under The Hammer', a subtly complex track, which features some deft changes in time signature.
We Almost Lost Detroit
A frequent theme for Gil Scott-Heron in the mid-to-late-1970s was the question of nuclear power, an energy source he fervently opposed. Following 'South Carolina (Barnwell)' on the previous From South Africa To South Carolina, 'We Almost Lost Detroit' brings the pace of Bridges down in order to deal with the weight of the subject matter. Making clear his negative thoughts regarding nuclear power in the song, Scott-Heron also demonstrates his personal fears in the liner notes, explaining that most of his family lived in Detroit. Scott-Heron typically pokes controversial fires by referencing Karen Silkwood in the lyrics.
A short a capella piece, 'Tuskeegee #626', is a short statement on controversial experiments in Tuskeegee, Alabama, in which black men had syphilis experiments conducted upon them, with expectedly terrible results.
95 South
'Delta Man (Where I'm Coming From)' is a blues track, reflecting Scott-Heron's great love of the genre. The dark soundscape and brooding pace fit Scott-Heron's emotive voice and create a starkly bleak tale of poor men throughout American history, with the ultimate concept that nothing really changes.
Bridges finishes on a more positive note with '95 South (All Of The Places We've Been)'. Backed with some summery guitar from Marlo Henderson and dedicated to the recently deceased civil rights campaigner Fannie Lou Hamer, '95 South' became a live favourite, and an example of the uplifting joy Scott-Heron and Jackson were capable of producing.
Bridges was overall a more upbeat and uptempo offering from Gil Scott-Heron, but as such gave the opportunity for a side of his work often overlooked to flourish.
Bridges album cover
|
