Yellowjackets - Shades (1986)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

Back in April, I listened to Steve Winwood's Back In The High Life CD, and the memories came flooding back from 1986. I listed this Yellowjackets CD in that post and immediately located and purchased a used copy of the CD. I thought I'd remember a few tunes. Turns out that I must have listened to the crap out of this thing during the summer of '86 because I was singing/humming along with every darn track and vocalizing every darn solo. My second favorite Yellowjackets disc to Mirage à Trois, this one is slightly different: Mirage's melodies were synth-driven whereas Shades is led by alto sax, often doubled by bass. Glad I picked this one up (again) - what took me so long?!?

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "one of the finer fusion units working today"
• CashBox: "typically tight LP"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #195
• Billboard Jazz: #4
• CashBox Jazz: #3
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #4

Tracks:  The high energy lead track, And You Know That, is worth the price of admission (it also won a Grammy award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance). Revelation runs a close second. Also good are One Family and Oasis. The final two tracks were new to me as they didn't appear on the vinyl release; both are good. Why they would cut the Donald Fagen-penned title track of the album for the vinyl release is beyond me. And it's a good track to boot. Go figure. In any case, I don't skip any tracks.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Same as Back In The High Life.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Collection (1995)
Like A River (1993)
Greenhouse (1991)
Politics (1988)
Mirage à Trois (1983)