German import
Generally regarded as Return To Forever's weakest (maybe I should say "least celebrated") album, this thing just kind of unevenly meanders with more of a jam band vibe than an album of composed tracks. Hummable melodies need not apply. I took a chance on a used CD and it didn't really pay off for me.
Nevertheless, the album won a Grammy in the category of Best Jazz Performance by a Group.
Reviews/ratings:
- Billboard: "remains one of the best examples of how jazz and rock cross polinate [sic] into a modern pop band."
- Record World: "[transcends] the limitations of categorical classification with musically innovative ingenuity and a collective flow"
- CashBox: "The textures are moods delineated on these tracks are striking"
- Stereo Review: "often swims about aimlessly in a sea of electronic gimmickry"
- DownBeat (★★★½): "the overall presentation is less than I have come to expect from talents like Clarke and Corea"
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #39
- Billboard Jazz: #7
- CashBox: #35
- Record World Jazz: #34
Tracks: I dig a few tracks, including Dayride and Sofistifunk. What was side two (tracks 6-9) is more of a prog-rock/jazz thing that I don't particularly care for.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Return To Forever (1975)
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