Small Talk at 125th and Lenox

A New Black Poet – Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, also known simply as Small Talk at 125th and Lenox,^[5] is a live album and the first release of recording artist Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1970 on Flying Dutchman Records.^[6] Recording sessions for the album were originally said to have taken place live at a New York nightclub located on the corner of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue,^[5] but liner notes included in the 2012 box set The Revolution Begins: The Flying Dutchman Masters, Scott-Heron himself insists that a small audience was brought to "the studio" and seated on "folding chairs".^[7] By the time of the recordings, Scott-Heron had published a volume of poetry and his first novel, The Vulture.^[8] Well received by music critics, who found Scott-Heron's material imaginative,^[2][4] Small Talk at 125th and Lenox has been described as "a volcanic upheaval of intellectualism and social critique" by AllMusic editor John Bush.^[1]

Small Talk at 125th and Lenox
Live album by Gil Scott-Heron
Released	1970
Venue	125th & Lenox Nightclub (New York, New York)
Genre	Jazz poetry, proto-rap, spoken word
Length	44:01
Label	Flying Dutchman/RCA FD-10143
Producer	Bob Thiele
Gil Scott-Heron chronology
Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970) Pieces of a Man (1971)
Alternative cover
2001 reissue cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable)[2]
Uncut	7/10[3]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Introduction/The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"	3:17
2.	"Omen"	1:45
3.	"Brother"	2:35
4.	"Comment #1"	4:26
5.	"Small Talk at 125th & Lenox"	1:20
6.	"The Subject Was Faggots"	3:10
7.	"Evolution (And Flashback)"	3:20

All tracks are written by Gil Scott-Heron.

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Plastic Pattern People"	2:50
2.	"Whitey on the Moon"	1:57
3.	"The Vulture"	2:00
4.	"Enough"	8:37
5.	"Paint It Black"	0:30
6.	"Who'll Pay Reparations on My Soul?"	4:20
7.	"Everyday"	4:20

• "Who'll Pay Reparations on My Soul?" runs at 5:14 on CD reissue.^[5]

Personnel

• David Barnes – percussion, vocals
• Charlie Saunders, Eddie Knowles – congas
• Gil Scott-Heron – guitar, piano, vocals

Technical

• Charles Stewart – cover art
• Bob Thiele – producer

Legacy

Leon Bridges performed a new rendition of "Whitey on the Moon" in the 2018 Damien Chazelle film First Man, which was also included on the film's soundtrack album.^[9]