http://youtube.com/watch?v=uxg1AoEz9p4

Anyone heard of a band called "Return To Forever" - they were a feature on billboard.com, and they seem like a snap jazz band that might have influenced our man P. Seems like good power-jazz. I dig it.

TANKAEFC said:

There's a new thread on their reunion tour, right here:

http://prince.org/msg/8/263536


...
[Edited 3/12/08 17:30pm]

paging TheAudience and paligap!

NuPwr319 said:

...You rang?


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

TANKAEFC said:

If they did I haven't heard it yet.
Clue me in if you're referring to something in particular.

Although they didn't release that many albums, they are probably the second most popular 70s fusion group (some might argue for Mahavishnu Orchestra), right behind Weather Report.



...these are the albums that were done by the Fab Four who are about to hit the road again.

4 other albums (1 of them live) featuring various other members round out the catalog.


A group well worth checking out if you like listening to folks that can really play.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

My two favorites by them are: "Romantic Warrior" and "Music Magic". Those albums take me way - way back. The music was so tight, and so unusual - strange even. Very mysterious vibe around their entire project.

When I saw that Chick Corea was part of that band, that filled in a gap for me. I think I also remember him being on The Cosby Show or something (or was that Tito Puente?)

A question - might Chick Corea be where a bit of the inspiration for the Madhouse sound came from?

TANKAEFC said:

Uhm... YES.
Four incredible musicians, including the one of theee best bassists in the world, Stanley Clarke

I love 'Vulcan Worlds'

...

PDogz said:

The latter, "Music Magic", turned off so many hardcore fans and quickly hastened their dissolution. "Romantic Warrior" is generally agreed up aon as their magnum opus.

TANKAEFC said:

Wow, the light bulb has been discovered.

Romantic Warrior is my fave, by far. Maybe because it's the first album I bought by them. I first bought this when I was 12 and the reason that I wanted it was because of the name of the band, the title of the album and the album cover artwork! That's how I got hipped to this band. I loved the album right away. That's how I searched out Stanley's solo work, Al's solo work and the band's other albums.

PFunkjazz said:

Interesting. Like most music, I guess I'm fond of "Music Magic" because of what was going on in my life around the time I was listening to that album. Although I always still wish that the entire song "So Long Mickey Mouse" stayed like the intro of the song. But yeah, that album brings back many good times with friends I haven't seen in many, many, many years.

"Romantic Warrior", not surprisingly, brings back memories of a different sort. Being awakened in the middle of the night with what still stands as one of the hottest liaisons I've experienced in my life to date! "Romantic Warrior" was the background music. Ahh, the memories!

Prince covered "Spain" at 3121 Las Vegas.

PDogz said:

For MM, only Chick and Stan remained. Never was sure exactly why Lenny and Al split (presumably to do their own things), but Coea was giving a lot of recording time to his wife Gayle Moran. She sang in a whispery operatic tone that took a lot of the earthiness from the music. Also the band was expanded to include a hornsection. As much I love horn sections, I have to say this was one of the worst ever.

theAudience said:

Ya know I've got some bootleg CDs from the WHERE HAVE I KNOWN YOU BEFORE and RM tours. Good recordings.

PFunkjazz said:

Well unass them shitz!


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Yeah, love me some RTF. My favorite was always No Mystery, I think because it was a bit more rock heavy.

TANKAEFC said:


Maybe a little, though the Madhouse albums are a lot more minimalistic compared to the lush arrangments of RTF. Nevertheless, listen to the piano in the intro of "Condition Of The Heart" - that to me suggests that Prince was into people like Chick and Keith Jarrett at some point.

PFunkjazz said:

This is the most information I have ever learned about these albums. Like for example, I had no idea that was Chick Corea's wife that was singing those songs. Yeah, the operatic style definitely took the music to a different area.

I guess this album caught me at a good time in my life, when I was searching out new music, music that was away from the mainstream. I was listening to a lot of Frank Zappa at the time too, and stuff like Jean Luc Ponty, Alan Parson's Project, and even early Kraftwerk. "Music Magic" caught favor with me because I didn't know I wasn't supposed to like it. I accepted it for where it took me. I didn't even give any thought to who the musicians were, or whether it was their best work or not. But I agree it was way different from the other stuff those guys were putting out at that time. In many ways, this album sounds like music from a haunted carnival or something.

I can understand why you'd hate it.

theAudience said:

On "Computer Blue' afer the vocal and e-drums fade out there's a unison run of guitar/keys that's remniscent of Chick and Al. That's about all I've ever noticed of, but from "Day One" of listening to PR I felt assurred Prince had listened to a good deal of RTF.

This is an incredible band,collectively,and individually, they are great composers, as well. This is definitely a Super Group! I actually think they achieved true fusion far more successfully than almost anyone else.

PDogz said:

What freaked me about RW was the concert presentation. You might notice some of numbers on the album are composed for acoustic and others for electric instrumentation. The concert was split into near-perfect halves; RW in its entirety. All the electric tunes first, and closing with a long acoustic suite. It was mindblowing! There simply weren't any other group of musicians bringing such superb virtuosity on both electric and acoustic.

Like you, my music experience was tied to a group of friends. It was college and we were sitting around the apt with a lot of dead time between classes. I knew RTF was playing at DORTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, but my car was in the shop. I was trying to get somebody to loan me their car so I could get there from the Valley. I finally talked my roomie into making the run, He was somewhat into fusion, but boasted more about YES, GENTLE GIANT and ALAN PARSONS. I guaranteed his mind would be blown or I would refund his ticket. Tickets were dirt cheap and readily available, so we picked up two other guys from down the hall and rode over to Downtown LA.

We were all yelping and hollering man! Totally freaked and geeked! They were convinced they had seen the greatest group of musicians ever and I felt mighty proud. Nowadays when I see the guys this is one of our greatest memories.

rockwilder said:

I'm more inclined to give those props to Mahavishnu Orchestra since they were the first fusion super group to appeal to a rock crowd.

theAudience said:

WR was a much jazzier unit and integrated with a lot of cultural influences that became known as "world music".

Also add Herbie's band(s) in the hierarchy. Headhunters band was probably the funkiest of them all and MWANDISHI was one of the most provocative.