Customer Reviews

First Seven Days

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a huge Mahavishnu Orchestra fan, I was pretty excited when I stumbled across this 1975 album, which has been nicely remastered by Columbia. This album features Jan playing all of the instruments including acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, moog synthesizer, Oberheim synthesizer and digital sequencer, Freeman string synthesizer, and mellotron along with a full drum kit. As it turns out, he is a pretty good drummer. Steve Kindler provides some violin work here and there, while David Earle Johnson provides percussion on The Animals and Sixth Day People.

The music on The First Seven Days is a far cry from the full-out rave ups on Mahavishnu albums like Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973). Rather, this is a very prog rock sounding album, with loads of synthesizers, European classical influences, rock influences, and with very little in the way of jazz. In general, the pieces range from quiet piano interludes to heavier tracks that feature the drums (the title track for example). In general though, all of the tracks are very atmospheric and synth-heavy.

For those of you that are curious, this album is not an exercise in mere "blowing". Although Jan does flex some Mahavishnu-like muscle from time to time, the pieces are generally carefully composed and arranged, and exhibit a great deal of restraint for somebody with such tremendous "chops".

All in all this album is very highly recommended to prog fans, exploratory Mahavishnu Orchestra fans, and possibly even electronica fans.

Literally, after 30 years, this album is still as fresh, inspired and contemporary as it ever was for me. I'm not being sentimental, either. A timeless beauty. As has been mentioned by others, his Miami Vice "mortgage paying gig" is no reflection on the gift of this unique composer/player's ultimate ability to produce eccentric and confident, nuanced phrases of beauty. Add to that an exquisite synth technique! Had he been born in a prior century where orchestral music was widely celebrated and supported, we'd we listening to music influenced by such a composer. Hyperbole? No, I truly believe Jan possesses compositional ability the likes of many of the greats - only he was thrust into an era with a fun, but stifling musical vocabulary. A gem amidst mediocrity. And, I'd rank this album his greatest achievements. Why he didn't produce more like this, I've always pondered... but that's what makes The First Seven Days all the more special.

We all discover music which shapes our ideas of what music can be. Upon reflection, this album, 30 years later, has proven to be one such an album. It's bold, courageous and visionary, and still holds my fascination.

I wore out my vinyl copy, and was not disappointed to hear it again after many years. This suite of programmatic tone poems is every bit as good as I remember. Among a group of sometimes brilliant (e.g., his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra), sometimes cheesy (e.g., some of the JH Group and soundtrack stuff) works, this is one of which Hammer can forever be very, very, proud.

I have to start by saying that Jan Hammer is one of my heros. I even sprang for the autographed version of this CD. I had most of Jan's albums and lost them in a transient movement from California to Alaska. It started when I heard him and his group with Jeff Beck. You can hear the live version of "Darkness/Earth In Search of a Sun" on that CD which I also highly recommend. You'll also find "Oceans and Continents" and "Seventh Day" on the 'Early Years' compilation.

But what is so special about this CD is that it is the total 'concept' that Jan composed and arranged. And it's been completely remastered. You can notice the difference. This is an excellent mix with wonderful fidelity.

It also represents Jan in his early years of discovering synthesis. There's an excitement in this music that only comes from a fresh sound and new ideas. Jan masters these new technologies along with the traditional grand and electric pianos.
I don't think that Miami Vice fans will necessarily like this CD. Jan's early years were often sprinkled with dissonance and tribal rythms. But any true Jan Hammer fan cannot help but love this CD. This is an absolute gem!!!
Jan, you got any more old music you'd like to re-release? I'll buy them all.

Jan Hammer's The First Seven Days is a fascinating excursion into the richly hued world of multi-track keyboarding. With the exception of a violinist and a percussionist on the last 3 tracks, all the music is performed by Mr. Hammer on acoustic and electric pianos, synthesizers, and Mellotron, with the aid of a digital sequencer. The album is close to the work of guitarist John McLaughlin in its use of bitonal riffs and in the construction of the tunes, which tend each to consist of two or three distinct alternating sections; but for the most part Mr. Hammer prefers creating broad sweeps of sound and slow melodies on the keyboard to the sizzling lead work he turned out with McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. The melodies are often in unisons at a two- or three-octave range, accompanied simultaneously by a riff and by a synthesized string texture.

The Biblical story of the Creation is an ambitious subject for an album - perhaps a little too ambitious. It is to Mr. Hammer's credit that he has preferred evocative rather than imitative music and the material of each movement does indeed evoke the appropriate images, sometimes with startling felicity (cf. the funky percussion during "The Animals," and the shimmering tone colors of "Light"). But as Mr. Hammer himself notes, the story of the Creation provided him with "an excuse to write seven new pieces of music," and the titanic impetus of the Biblical story is simply absent from the result. The only points of high drama occur at the outset and at the conclusion of the album: What is in between is beautiful music without any of the urgency that one would associate with such momentous events.

Considered apart from its ostensible inspiration, however, the album is a gem. The cycling of the riffs creates a peaceful aura which the angular tonalities keep from cloying, and there are enough surprises both in the textures and in the junctures between sections to satisfy the most particular listener. -

Yes it's true that the name of Jan Hammer might scare some people off thanks to his scores for the cheesy TV series Miami Vice (which I could never figure out the appeal, not even back in the '80s). Luckily he had a lot more credibility previous, like his works with Jeff Beck and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. After Mahavishnu, he teamed up with his Mahavishnu bandmate Jerry Goodman and released an album in 1974 called Like Children (which features a humorously titled song called "Country and Eastern Music"). A year later, Hammer released his first solo offering, The First Seven Days. It's obvious the album's title has biblical references, the album stating that each of these "days" lasted from anywhere from one day to a hundred million years, and that the scientific and biblical views do meet in certain points. This is quite different from the old Mahavishnu Orchestra albums he was on. This is much more of a prog rock and electronic album, with tons of Minimoog and Mellotron (why he dropped the Mellotron so fast, I don't know why, as I don't recall hearing any on Oh Yeah, his following effort). The album has a bit of a spacy feel as well. The album opens with "Darkness/Earth In Search of a Sun", which starts off with just synth and Mellotron with little else. The second half, the drums kick in (which are also courtesy of Hammer too, the only instruments not him are violin from Steve Kindler) as he gives us some really amazing Moog work. "Light" is more of an experiment in sequencers, doing it in his own style (after all, not everyone experimenting in electronic music with sequencers had to sound like Tangerine Dream, and Hammer didn't). "Oceans and Continents" is a nice, piano-oriented piece with Moog and Mellotron. "Fourth Day - Plants and Trees" is another piano-oriented piece, but the only other instrument I notice is a little Mellotron, but it shows a bit of that jazz-feel. The next two cuts are a bit more experimental, "The Animals" and "Sixth Day - The People", the former featuring experiments in percussion and synthesizer, while the latter features the violin of Steve Kindler. "The Seventh Day" has more of a jazzy feel, dominated by Moog and piano, this one has a more light feel to it. I am so happy how little this resembles Miami Vice, but then this album was released a decade earlier than the TV series anyway. Wonderful album if you enjoy Jan Hammer or just electronic or prog rock in general.

In the 70s and 80s you could actually turn on the radio in the right markets and hear some great Jazz/Fusion. I miss those days.
At the forefront of this scene you found The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and Brand X.
I loved these groups but especially The Mahavishnu (and Brand X later.) What a lineup! John McGlaughlin, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman, Billy Cobham and Rick Laird - but they didn't last too long. TOO many great musicians I'm afraid.
Shortly after their demise Hammer came out with the First Seven Days. Stressing that there was NO guitar on this album he forged ahead. In the process he produced a timeless MASTERPIECE!
I'm not going to sit here and list the songs and the insturments he played. What I will tell you is that each piece is beautifully composed and performed with very little back up. All of Jan's training comes into play in a myriad of keyboard wizardry. He's not too shabby on drums either - the bands that hit the airwaves today would kill for a drummer of his caliber and he's NOT a drummer. Kinda makes you think doesn't it.
I can look back at my "vinyl" collection and see Jan Hammer listed on everything from Stanley Clark to Tommy Bolin, Jeff Beck and Billy Cobham and the list goes on. It's amazing just how much in demand he was in those days.
If you were EVER into fusion this disc is a MUST. If you thought Jan Hammer was only Miami Vice you need to wake up and listen to real music.
I guess I'm biased but this is one of the BEST compilations ever recorded. (Now I'm waiting for Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman's Like Children.)
Buy The First Seven Days, turn down the light snd REALLY listen. You will NOT BE disappointed.

This is my favorate of Hammer's works. I waited a long time for this to come out on CD. I love Hammer's use of odd time signatures along with his use of sequencing which is exceptional on this CD. His soloing, harmonic and rhythmic offerings are impeccable here. This CD is an interior journey as well as a musical heaven.

I'm hoping the "Oh Yeah?" LP will also come out on CD sometime too. The Jan Hammer group really kicks some Fusion %&^ on this one!

If you think Jan Hammer is only Miami Vice, think again. Hammer has done wonderful work both on his own as well as with the likes of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Billy Cobham and many, many more. His Minimoog solo work shows off some of the best chops you will ever hear. This record is different, however. It is a solo work that is slower paced and much more contemplative and introspective than any of the jazz fusion work he did throughout the 70s. This is one of my all time favorite recordings. It is nice to see it available in CD format. Let's hope some of Hammer's other solo work is released too. Hammer is a true giant who ended up doing cheesy TV scores. Sad, but there is much to be discovered in his vast earlier work.

What can I say? I just received the autographed copy of this landmark recording I purchased from janhammer.com and I am in heaven. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite albums of all time but it has been years since I gave it a listen mainly because my vinyl copy was played to death, literally. On CD for the first time, and digitally remastered, this album sounds better than it ever could have when I first bought it in the mid-seventies.

Sounds that might have sounded dated 10 years ago have come full circle now and this testament to musical genius is right in its element with an amazing mix of piano, mellotron, moog and a host of synthesizers with that distinctive 70s edge. Often atmospheric in nature the seven tracks that make up The First Seven Days rely on masterful musical and sonic construction to evoke moods and images wholly consistent with the narrative the album represents.

Jan Hammer demonstrates his unrivalled genius on so many levels: as a composer, performer (no one could do so much with a moog - NO ONE), producer and even in the way he brings sounds together to create whatever emotion it is that he wishes you to experience. For fans of Jan Hammer, fans of great music or fans of new age and synthesizer music this is a milestone in musical evolution which should be experienced and remembered. Kudos to Sony for bringing back. The First Seven Days is a classic in every sense of the word.