Unfortunately, I could never get as excited about their subsequent studio releases. Polish didn't suit them, IMO. Jackson Browne, however, makes me want to step on puppies. Gonna go Weather Report.
NickVolos
Segnahc Reve4
Gender: Male
Location: Land of the Argonauts, Centaurs and other such creatures
Few albums stand a chance against Late for the Sky for me, including Mysterious Traveller. It is an album that I am connected deeply with, identifying certain times of my life, marking me with its pain in a catharctic way. David Lindley playing is awesome...
Link _________________ "And can’t you see you’re in on it?
You were born though you need not
And is that not some cause
For worship, being born among these trees?"
Yeah, i'm not crazy about either of these albums. Can't really see myself returning to either of these wells once this round is over. I'll check out some other Weather Report especially that live album. Something about Jackson Browne's singing irks me which is the opposite effect good California Rock (e.g. Gene Clark's No Other) typically has on me. LOL. Reminds me at different times of The Eagles and Billy Joel.
I've said to a couple of different users recently that the Weather Report are probably the least cool of all my favourite artists, and I guess that's sort of reflected in these results. People don't like the Weather Report - they're probably a little too smooth for many, and almost certainly a little too proggy. And, as most of you could probably guess, "smooth" and "proggy" aren't necessarily adjectives that I associate with the music I enjoy, or music that I'm likely to enjoy, so in that sense I guess that the Report are something of an anomaly. But what a glorious anomaly they are.
For those first few years, from their conception to 1975, they could do no wrong. Lead by Joe Zawinul (a keyboardist and composer who was already an accomplished bandleader, and who had also been a part of Cannonball Adderley's early '60s sextet, as well as being responsible for composing the vast majority of side two of In a Silent Way) and Wayne Shorter (the legendary saxophonist and composer whose solo works include the stunning three album run of Night Dreamer, JuJu, and Speak No Evil, and who was a major part of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Miles' second great quintet - responsible for, among other things, Nefertiti and the amazing Live at the Plugged Nickel boxset), the pair set about putting together a group who could expand upon the jazz fusion ideas they'd explored most notably Bitches Brew, a record they both contributed heavily to. Now, I don't particularly like Bitches Brew, despite it coming from my favourite Miles period and basically being the genesis of one of my favourite artists, the band I'm writing about right now. I can't put my finger on why exactly it doesn't speak to me (although when in doubt, blame John McLaughlin - not just here but in most cases), but I much prefer the work that followed that album, both in terms of Miles' rawer, funkier sounds, and the Weather Report's more out-there excursions, including the awesome freak-out sp4cetiger mentioned earlier, 1972's Live in Tokyo.
But yeah, this album. It's fucking fantastic. I don't know how anybody can hear 'American Tango' and not feel at one with the world. And then there's that fucking drumline in the title track. Holy shit, those drums send me crazy, like a dog on heat. The lightning-in-a-shotglass perfection of 'Jungle Book', with that sitar coming in and out. Yeah, it's proggy as fuck. Yes, it's probably a bit fucking showy and pretentious. Aye, the production means it will never cut to the heart of you quite as forcefully as early Ornette or even in the same way Shorter's sax could at the Plugged Nickel in '65. But, as far a jazz fusion goes, this record is a masterpiece, a transcendent set of pieces within a piece that ebb and flow like a slightly drunk, somewhat determined walk home from a pub miles away, an album that echoes all those warm, contented thoughts that keep you company on the journey. This album is pretty fucking close to being the best Weather Report album, and would be even closer were it not for that astounding live record. I understand why people don't like it, but I'm so glad that I do. It's a wonderful record from a wonderful group, and both deserve far more acclaim and attention than they get around these parts. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
