This Charly anthology of the seminal
Last Poets packages tracks from their Douglas albums recorded between 1970 and 1972 --
Last Poets and
This Is Madness. There are also cuts taken from
Jazzoetry and
Delights from the Garden. The real treasures aside from the militant soulful rap done to a polyrhythmic beat, deep jazzed-out post-bop, and the blues are the cuts taken from a 1984 12" that was issued on Celluloid and featured
Jalal Nuriddin (dubbed "
Lightnin' Rod") from a vintage session he did with his guitar player named
Jimi Hendrix. Those tracks smoke because
Hendrix's gorgeous souled-out chords create aural textures and add rhythm to the words themselves. The sound is terrific and the price is right.