Herbie Hancock - Sunlight/Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1978/1979)

UK Import

2016 two disc set from Cherry Red Records.

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SUNLIGHT (1978)
7 tracks, 49 minutes

I bought this two-fer set because I wanted the full 9 minute version of the lead track, I Thought It Was You. I was introduced to that tune, as one often is, via a 1983 British K-Tel album. Said compilation is quite good and it turns out that I Thought It Was You peaked at #15 on the British charts (it didn't crack the Hot 100 here in The States, but managed to climb to #85 on the Billboard R&B chart). In any case, it has been a common earworm for me ever since and the extended album version is worth the price of admission.

I could do without so much vocoder, but I can't help digging this stuff nonetheless. I think of it as pop-verging-on-disco music but with better solos.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "first-rate modern music"
• CashBox: "a totally arresting work"
• Record World: "The veteran jazzman enters a new phase in his career"
• Stereo Review: "This one we could really do without"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #58
• Billboard Jazz LPs: #3
• Billboard R&B: #31
• CashBox: #70
• Record World Jazz: #4
• CashBox Jazz: #4

Tracks: There's only 5 tracks on the album, the shortest clocking in at 6:20, so there's plenty of room for Hancock to stretch out. The first four cuts go down real easy. My favorite solo on the album may be Hancock on electric piano in track 4, No Means Yes. The final track leaves disco and is straight up fusion complete with legends of the genre (Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius), but after grooving for 30+ minutes, it's not the change of pace I'm looking for.

Bonus tracks: also included in this package are the shorter, single edits of I Thought It Was You and Come Running To Me.

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FEETS DON'T FAIL ME NOW (1979)
12 tracks, 73 minutes

Before buying this pair of CDs, I thought I was totally unfamiliar with this 1979 album. Then track 3, Ready Or Not, hit my speakers and I started singing along ("Gonna get ya high!!") and realized that whatever radio I was listening to in '79 (most likely KILT-AM) played that funky tune often enough that I knew it. Then the liner notes here tell me the tune was written by none other than Ray Parker, Jr. who also plays on the track along with Sheila E. And suddenly this purchase just got a lot better. Ready Or Not was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance, curiously losing to Earth, Wind & Fire's Boogie Wonderland.

This was Hancock's 27th album and he went all-in on commercial disco/funk. Jazz purists almost certainly had fainting spells, but you can't blame a guy for using his talents to chase financial security. Again, the vocoder is a bit much, but I like pretty much everything else about it.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "patented riffs that have worked elsewhere."
• CashBox: "top flight, full of funky bass and primal percussive rhythms."
• Record World: "turned the corner on jazz and heads for a pure funk direction."
• Stereo Review: "rather low-grade"
• Smash Hits (5 out of 10): "Good to dance to but the long instrumental parts may get boring unless you're into clever musicianship"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #38
• Billboard Jazz LPs: #2
• Billboard R&B: #16
• CashBox: #52
• CashBox Jazz: #3
• Record World Jazz: #2
• Rolling Stone: #53

Tracks: From what I can find, Columbia released three singles from the album's six tracks and they chose wisely:

• You Bet Your Love (#18 in UK)
• Tell Everybody (#47 US Dance)
• Ready Or Not (#25 US R&B)

My favorite track, predictably, is Ready Or Not, but the best Hancock solo here is on You Bet Your Love. The best disco track is Tell Everybody while the jazziest track is Honey From The Jar, which reminds me quite a bit of Stuff. The final cut, Knee Deep, isn't terrible, but it pales in comparison with the other 5 tracks.

Bonus tracks: 6 of 'em - as many bonus tracks as there are album tracks. The three singles mentioned above are all represented here by their truncated 7" single versions as is Honey From The Jar, the b-side to Tell Everybody. Then we're treated to "Disco Versions" of both You Bet Your Love and Tell Everybody which include, as one would expect, longer intros, louder bass drum, more hi-hat, and handclaps.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years (1988)
Head Hunters (1973)