Today would have been the 65th birthday Gil Scott-Heron, the legendary poet, author, and musician who experienced somewhat of a popular resurgence towards the end of his long and storied life, releasing I’m New Here, his first album in 16 years, on XL in 2010. This was followed, you may remember, by We’re New Here, Jamie xx’s fantastic full remix album, released in 2011.
Today, XL announces that they will release a posthumous Gil Scott-Heron album called Nothing New on April 19 for Record Store Day, limited to 3,000 12″ vinyls. Read about the album’s origins below, and listen to a new version “Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams),” originally recorded in the ’80s below.
During the 2008 I’m New Here sessions at New York’s Looking Glass studios, Gil Scott-Heron recorded stripped-down new versions of some of his greatest songs. Accompanying himself on piano and with no overdubs, this is Nothing New: a unique musical insight into one of the most profound recording artists of our time. Nothing New will be released only on 12″ vinyl, limited to 3000 copies, and available exclusively on Record Store Day, 19th April 2014.
