Can You Dig It ? The Music and Politics of Black Action Films 1968 - 75

• Roy Ayers – Coffy Is The Color
• Gene Page – Blacula
• Johnny Pate – Shaft In Africa
• Willie Hutch – Brother's Gonna Work It Out
• Don Costa – Charley - Main Theme
• Marvin Gaye – 'T' Plays It Cool
• Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street
• J.J. Johnson – Willie Chase
• James Brown – Down And Out In New York City
• Quincy Jones – They Call Me MISTER Tibbs
• Martha Reeves and J.J. Johnson – Keep On Movin' On
• Dennis Coffey – Theme From Black Belt Jones
• Curtis Mayfield – Freddie's Dead
• The Blackbyrds – Wilford's Gone
• Willie Hutch – Theme Of Foxy Brown
• Isaac Hayes – Run Fay Run
• Isaac Hayes – Shaft
• Curtis Mayfield – Pusherman
• Joe Simon – Theme From Cleopatra Jones
• Johnny Pate – You Can't Even Walk In The Park
• Brer Soul and Earth, Wind and Fire – Sweetback's Theme
• James Brown – Make It Good To Yourself
• Isaac Hayes – Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile
• Grant Green – Travelling To Get To Doc
• Booker T and the MG's – Time Is Tight
• Roy Ayers – Aragon
• Edwin Starr – Easin' In
• Gordon Staples and The String Thing – Strung Out
• Nat Dove and The Devils – Zombie March
• The Impressions – Make A Resolution
• Solomon Burke and Gene Page – The Bus
• Jack Ashford – Las Vegas Strut
• Don Julian – Lay It On Your Head
• Galt MacDermot – Ed and Digger

• 1. Roy Ayers – Coffy Is The Color
• 2. Gene Page – Blacula
• 3. Johnny Pate – Shaft In Africa
• 4. Willie Hutch – Brother's Gonna Work It Out
• 5. Don Costa – Charley - Main Theme
• 6. Marvin Gaye – 'T' Plays It Cool
• 7. Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street
• 8. J.J. Johnson – Willie Chase
• 9. James Brown – Down And Out In New York City
• 10. Quincy Jones – They Call Me MISTER Tibbs
• 11. Martha Reeves and J.J. Johnson – Keep On Movin' On
• 12. Dennis Coffey – Theme From Black Belt Jones
• 13. Curtis Mayfield – Freddie's Dead
• 14. The Blackbyrds – Wilford's Gone
• 15. Willie Hutch – Theme Of Foxy Brown
• 16. Isaac Hayes – Run Fay Run
• 17. Isaac Hayes – Shaft
• 18. Curtis Mayfield – Pusherman
• 19. Joe Simon – Theme From Cleopatra Jones
• 20. Johnny Pate – You Can't Even Walk In The Park
• 21. Brer Soul and Earth, Wind and Fire – Sweetback's Theme
• 22. James Brown – Make It Good To Yourself
• 23. Isaac Hayes – Pursuit Of The Pimpmobile
• 24. Grant Green – Travelling To Get To Doc
• 25. Booker T and the MG's – Time Is Tight
• 26. Roy Ayers – Aragon
• 27. Edwin Starr – Easin' In
• 28. Gordon Staples and The String Thing – Strung Out
• 29. Nat Dove and The Devils – Zombie March
• 30. The Impressions – Make A Resolution
• 31. Solomon Burke and Gene Page – The Bus
• 32. Jack Ashford – Las Vegas Strut
• 33. Don Julian – Lay It On Your Head
• 34. Galt MacDermot – Ed and Digger

''Can You Dig It?' is as definitive as it gets, and treats its subject seriously, lovingly and with an attention to detail that makes it a necessary purchase. An exemplary collection that is near perfect.' WIRE MAGAZINE

‘Can You Dig It?’ charts the rise of ‘Black Action Films’ from 1970-75. It comes as a double-CD collection of the stunning music from these films. The vinyl is on two monster loud separate double albums.
The Black Action Films
of the early 1970s gave the Hollywood industry its first African-American cinema – actors, directors, cameramen, editors and writers. These films discussed aspects of the African-American experience in the form of entertainment. Storylines interwove post-civil rights revolution with action stories, many involving pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers or private detectives.

The films also featured the finest funk and soul black music of the time as stars such as James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch and Roy Ayers produced some of their finest work, with film budgets allowing for the addition of huge orchestral arrangements by jazz legends such as Quincy Jones, Johnny Pate and JJ Johnson. In the early 1970s, Black Action Films exploded into the cinema with three extremely successful films – ‘Shaft’, ‘Super Fly’ and ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song’. The most profound statement of these films was their actual existence – black actors and black directors entering the previously closed Hollywood film industry. Black Action Films were a representation of politically everything that had gone before and stylistically of everything that was current. Civil rights, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Black Power, Black Panthers, Vietnam sit alongside the criminal worlds of policemen, private investigators, bail bondsmen and the criminals, drug dealers, pimps and hustlers that they parole. ‘Can U Dig It?’ brings you everything you always wanted to know about black action films. This is an essential Soul Jazz Records release!

VOLUME ONE OF VINYL is TRACKS 1-16
VOLUME TWO OF VINYL is TRACKS 17-34

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