Return To Forever

[Pumpkin]

Man, it's been awhile!

Gags aside, I've been living in a bit of a literal wilderness the past year, with not much to do but work on a book I'm writing (great progress, will be published, but lord is it an endurance contest) and twiddle around on the pile of gear I bought for a project I'm no longer in:

One of the positives is that I've been gifted the opportunity to use my brother in law's Zenith home stereo. It was made in the 60's and the on board table is junk, so I bought an Audio Technica deck and plugged it in through the stereo tape inputs. The amplifier, equalizer (two knobs, woooooo) and speakers (two oval shaped things, about 8 inches the long way) sound just, ooooof. There's a soul in that old wood and tweed. Anywho, I've been using this rig to play records. Entire Zeppelin studio discog, some Beatles (Rubber Soul!) and most recently, Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

Just, wow.

The sense of "space" between instruments and the warmth of the setup brings those keys and synths to life. This time in wilderness has knocked my technical chops down a bit (happens when you don't play scales everyday), but my ears are finally starting to develop the way I want them to. The whole record was kinda mind-bending to me, even without fully understanding the music theory. The way everything fit without perfectly agreeing, but without any real trace of dissonance- absolutely magical.

I tried sharing this with my brother in law, and he made it to the flute before he gave up.

So I figured I'd bring my story in and see if I could find a more appreciative audience here. And, for those kind souls stopping by, I'm open to suggestions on what to listen to next. Never cease to be amazed by the stuff you all come up with.

-P

 

[Bob_Ross]

most recently, Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

Which album(s) have you been listening to? [edit: I see you mentioned the flute, so I'm guessing it's either the eponymous debut or Light As A Feather ...because nobody admits to listening to Musicmagic! ]

Back in the 70s when I was a teenager I owned all of the RTF albums on vinyl. Hugely influential; they got a lot of playing time on my crappy teenaged turntable.

Some time in the past decade or two I picked up Light As A Feather, Hymn To The Seventh Galaxy, and Romantic Warrior for my CD collection. I don't listen to them a lot these days -- I suppose one could argue that despite the impressive musicianship evidenced on all their recordings these albums haven't aged well -- but when I do I am consistently reminded of what an incredible pair of ears Chick Corea possesses. He is a visionary and telepathic improviser, with very few equals.

 

[jerry]

Weather Report, Steely Dan and Roxy Music's Avalon all come to mind when thinking of excellent recorded work.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Which album(s) have you been listening to? [edit: I see you mentioned the flute, so I'm guessing it's either the eponymous debut or Light As A Feather ...because nobody admits to listening to Musicmagic! ]

Back in the 70s when I was a teenager I owned all of the RTF albums on vinyl. Hugely influential; they got a lot of playing time on my crappy teenaged turntable.

Some time in the past decade or two I picked up Light As A Feather, Hymn To The Seventh Galaxy, and Romantic Warrior for my CD collection. I don't listen to them a lot these days -- I suppose one could argue that despite the impressive musicianship evidenced on all their recordings these albums haven't aged well -- but when I do I am consistently reminded of what an incredible pair of ears Chick Corea possesses. He is a visionary and telepathic improviser, with very few equals.

I like Musicmagic......

 

[Pumpkin]

Which album(s) have you been listening to? [edit: I see you mentioned the flute, so I'm guessing it's either the eponymous debut or Light As A Feather ...because nobody admits to listening to Musicmagic! ]

Back in the 70s when I was a teenager I owned all of the RTF albums on vinyl. Hugely influential; they got a lot of playing time on my crappy teenaged turntable.

Some time in the past decade or two I picked up Light As A Feather, Hymn To The Seventh Galaxy, and Romantic Warrior for my CD collection. I don't listen to them a lot these days -- I suppose one could argue that despite the impressive musicianship evidenced on all their recordings these albums haven't aged well -- but when I do I am consistently reminded of what an incredible pair of ears Chick Corea possesses. He is a visionary and telepathic improviser, with very few equals.

The eponymous debut, yes. If you had to pick one other album worth multiple listens to invest in, which would you get next? Tough, I know.

 

[Bob_Ross]

If you had to pick one other album worth multiple listens to invest in, which would you get next? Tough, I know.

"Tough"? I don't think so. Romantic Warrior, with Light As A Feather as a close second...and all the others a very distant third.

True story: When I was a junior or senior in high school (so this would have been shortly after the album was released) I listened to Romantic Warrior every single day for three months straight. It just sat out on my turntable for the entire summer, and every day either when I got home or right before going to bed I'd spin at least one side (if not both).

 

[StereoPlayer]

"Tough"? I don't think so. Romantic Warrior, with Light As A Feather as a close second...and all the others a very distant third.

True story: When I was a junior or senior in high school (so this would have been shortly after the album was released) I listened to Romantic Warrior every single day for three months straight. It just sat out on my turntable for the entire summer, and every day either when I got home or right before going to bed I'd spin at least one side (if not both).

Love it too!

 

[RichardW]

Check out some of those early Jean-Luc Ponty albums, especially Imaginary Voyage. Also, Stanley Clarke's School Days spent a lot of time on my turntable.