Brer Soul  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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Brer Soul is the debut studio album of Melvin Van Peebles. Released in 1968, the album introduced Van Peebles as a recording artist, following his work as an independent filmmaker, playwright and novelist. It is notable for its use of sprechgesang, a vocal style which lies between speaking and singing.

Unlike later albums, which are more varied in style, Brer Soul features an experimental spoken word style, with soul jazz instrumentation. Van Peebles' unconventional songwriting style has since been cited as an influence on hip hop music and rapping.

Background

While living in France, Van Peebles began to write plays in French which were intended to express the ghetto's turmoil and pathos. Van Peebles used the sprechgesang vocal style in these plays as a form he could tell stories in. This style formed the basis of his debut as a recording artist, Brer Soul, which was categorized as a spoken word album.

Track listing

Side One

1. "Lilly Done The Zampoughi Everytime I Pulled Her Coattail" 7:15
2. "Mirror Mirror On The Wall" 4:39
3. "The Coolest Place in Town" 3:17
4. "You Can Get Up Before Noon Without Being a Square" 3:27
5. "The Dozens" 5:05

Side Two

1. "Tenth and Greenwich (Women's House of Detention)" 9:06
2. "Come Raise Your Leg On Me" 4:16
3. "Sera Sera Jim" 4:15
4. "Catch That On The Corner" 6:59

Performers

• Melvin Van Peebles - vocal
• Coleridge Perkinson - piano, organ
• Warren Smith - drums, percussion
• Herb Bushler - bass, bass guitar
• Carl Lynch - guitar
• Nat Woodard - trumpet
• Al Gibbons - tenor saxophone, flute
• Howard Johnson - baritone saxophone, tuba
• Gene Radice - Engineer