Return To Forever, Hymn Again No Romantic

[bassbrad]

Sometimes you wake up with a band on your mind, nothing else will do but to pull the records and revisit the grooves, the tones, the moments, the images, the passages, the dances, the struggles, the beauties. To me this music ties both my past and my future to a timeless continuum like almost no other.
Thank you Chick, Stanley, Lenny, Al and Bill!

 

[jerry]

Those albums came out at a time when my listing tastes were opening up more and more, they will always have a place in my music library.

 

[The Owl]

Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy holds a very special place in my heart, groundbreaking stuff.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I too!
I am currently revisiting RTF after I heard a local Jazz station play "No Mystery"
I shouted "YEAH!!"sitting in my car.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Groundbreaking stuff. I owned them all on vinyl in the 70s, and currently have Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy and Romantic Warrior on CD (along with Light As A Feather).

 

[Cuda]

RTF is what got my blood flowing to learn how to play the bass.

 

[Don Kasper]

I attended a double bill concert in the mid 70's at the Univ. of Buffalo, NY - (the aforementioned) Return to Forever was the featured act...the opening act was the (extremely) acoustic jazz group "Oregon".
For those of you who may not be familiar with "Oregon" - they were the opposite of RTF - (their loudest instrument onstage was an Oboe.)
I guess even the Promoters were dropping Acid back then.
I enjoyed both groups, FYI/TMI.
Thanks.

 

[JimK]

Promoters saw each as Jazz Fusion...

Or-
They were from the Bill Graham school. Graham had some odd pairings at his Fillmore East venue.
Woody Herman opening for Zeppelin?!?!
Laura Nyro & Bitches Brew-era Miles?!?

 

[Watchootognbout]

Promoters saw each as Jazz Fusion...

Or-
They were from the Bill Graham school. Graham had some odd pairings at his Fillmore East venue.
Woody Herman opening for Zeppelin?!?!
Laura Nyro & Bitches Brew-era Miles?!?

Jazz Fusion goes from Wild to Mild.
On most every Fusion album there is/was at least a handfull of slower,milder acoustic or electric pieces.
If you took all those tunes and put them all together on a recording some wouldn't call them Fusion.
But the are!

 

[Watchootognbout]

RTF is what got my blood flowing to learn how to play the bass.

I picked up the bass because of "School Days"
And Stanley Clarke led me to RTF.
And Al DiMeola's solo projects and his respective bass players.
And Chick Corea's solo projects and his respective bass players.

 

[kesslari]

Oregon and RTF shared crazy instrumental skills

 

[jerry]

I would listen to both Oregon and RTF back in the day, a very nice balance.

 

[MrLenny1]

Light As A Feather was the first Jazz album I got.

 

[jthisdell]

Where Have I known you before is one of my favorite albums of all time and it plays well after 40 years. I saw them with the Romantic Warrior tour but WHIKYB really stands the touch of time far better. Also a great albulm for running. The little Where Have I pieces between songs are beautiful.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I would listen to both Oregon and RTF back in the day, a very nice balance.

Ever hear Shadowfax’s 1975 debut album Watercourse Way ? It’s like if you took RTF and Oregon and threw them in a blender. (Perhaps w/ a little Mahavishnu for spice.)
Highly recommended.

 

[jerry]

Ever hear Shadowfax’s 1975 debut album Watercourse Way ? It’s like if you took RTF and Oregon and threw them in a blender. (Perhaps w/ a little Mahavishnu for spice.)
Highly recommended.

Yes, I still have it, Mel Martin and Listen too. Those were the days when stereos were getting better too, the instruments on those albums sounded soooo clear. Wasn't Shadowfax one of the first Windham Hill artists?

 

[Bob_Ross]

Wasn't Shadowfax one of the first Windham Hill artists?

They were, but they didn't hook up with Windham Hill until after the release of Watercourse Way, and they definitely toned down some of the pyrotechnics in order to do so. That debut album was on Passport Records iirc, and was produced by Larry Fast.

 

[jerry]

Larry Fast, what a great mind!