Customer Reviews

Forecast: Tomorrow (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the greatest respect to the incredible Bob Beldon, Joe Zawinul, and Wayne Shorter, this Box Set should contain a warning.

The warning is simple: If you already own most of the stuff in this collection, don't bother. If you're completely new to Weather Report, buy it.

Coming from someone that's seen the band perform every year since 1972 and own all their official and quite a few "other" releases, I was really disappointed with this project (except for the booklet).

Here are a few things that are puzzling:

1) A Weather Report Box Set includes three songs (two composed by Zawinul and one by Shorter) that were never released by Weather Report:

a. In a Silent Way. released by Miles Davis

b. Super Nova, released by Wayne Shorter

c. Experience in E (Excerpt), released by Cannonball Adderly

(I agree with the liner notes that point to these songs as pre-cursors, but mentioning them would have been enough - they are all in print)

2) An incredible typo stating that Alphonse Mouzon was the drummer on "Unknown Soldier"

3) Including a barely improved version of Nubian Sundance that has been in circulation for many years from "other" sources.

4) Including another "better than, but not by much" version of the "other" sources for the 1978 Rockpalast concert on DVD.

5) Not remastering any of the original recordings. The tape hiss from the Live in Tokyo (I Sing the Body Electric) songs is still clearly heard and not upgrading those old recordings is just plain unacceptable in this day and age.

6) Finally, the cover itself - I have no words, except to admit "I don't get it".

Having said all that negative stuff - Weather Report remains the dominant "creative machine" of the Jazz Rock Fusion era and those that missed it should buy this without hesitating. If you're a long time Weather Report fan - there's absolutely nothing to get excited about here. The DVD was especially disappointing to me. I have had that concert on VHS tape for many years and now on DVD (all from "other" sources) and was shocked to see such incredible video noise on the official version. Zawinul's black and white keys look like polka-dots in many places. (I played the DVD in 5 different players; two TV's and my computer monitor to make sure it wasn't my equipment). I should have paid attention to the PR person at Sony that told me the concert was taken from a re-broadcast of the show and NOT from the master tapes. It's my own fault for having unrealistic expectations. I should probably clarify that while the DVD is in fact clearly better than the "un-offical" version, IT STILL LOOKS LIKE A BOOTLEG! Sad...

It is of some significance that this "review" is the first time I've chosen to speak out about something in Fusion that was less than flattering. It should also be noted that my disappointment is aimed directly at CBS/Sony/BMG and not the musicians/producers.

I'm still amazed that this record company can see fit to release this and hold back the already remastered Mahavishnu Orchestra Live in Cleveland Cd that was supposed to be released in 2004.

Lastly, let me make it perfectly clear that Zawinul, Shorter, and Beldon are musicians and people I personally hold in the highest esteem with Zawinul and Shorter being musical divinities as far as I'm concerned. While my review is an obvious personal venting, and I realize that Zawinul and Shorter gave this project their stamp of approval, I think that shouldn't be mistaken for a personal attack. My remarks are simply observations with some attitude directed at CBS/Sony/BMG.

By Rick Calic

Jazz Rock World

After years of planning and many false starts, jazz/fusion supergroup Weather Report is finally honored with a box set consisting of three cds and one smoking live dvd of the band at its peak when bass extraordinare Jaco Pastorius joined. Although there are only three tracks "from the vaults" (a fuzzily recorded alternate take of "Nubian Sundance", an alternate version of the Miles Davis staple "Directions" and a remix of the funky "125th Street Congress"), this box set still serves as an excellent overview of an important band. Tracks from all Weather Report albums are represented here except for the weak 1986 album "THIS IS THIS" (good move). Grammy-worthy liner notes along with rare photos dominate the colorful 100-page booklet that comes with the set. Box set producers Bob Belden, Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter are to be commended for putting together one of the best box sets of the year.

The truly great thing about this box is the focus put on the early WR and the post Jaco version of the band. Most best of collections skip either or both completely. Disc 1 which focuses on the very beginnings is tremendous. There are new mixes of "Eurydice" and "Orange Lady", an unreleased studio version of "Directions"....it just shows you how esoteric and great the original WR was. Disc 2 and 3 trace further evolution till the end (leaving out their horrid last album, which is very good).

The DVD included is a very nice thing to have; the video is pristine and the soundtrack while not Dolby 5.1 or DTS (I can't see how it could have been considering the year it was recorded) is terrific enough. Seeing Jaco do his solo piece during the Third Stone from the Sun medly really and truly brings back many great memories. But for my own tastes, as good as the DVD is, I would have preferred a fourth music CD instead. As dynamic as the first disc is, too much music is left out trying to cram some thirteen odd years onto two discs. There simply isn't enough room to do so. I realize that Tail Spinnin' is the overlooked WR album, but this should have been the time to bring that album back into focus. No "Punk Jazz" either???

Shorter and Zawinul had full control over this release, so who am I to quibble really. It's a great collection and those new to the band should indeed start here. Old fogies like myself should enjoy it for the memories it brings back....I forgot how good Victor Bailey was for example.

I just wish there was more music.......but this is well worth the money.

I've got all their albums and CD's, but this box set is a very nice collection. The DVD is well worth it - I think the clarity is fine, and again there is no other live footage of this band available that I'll ever see (I saw this tour actually). Nice booklet; the 125th Congress remix is just a waste of space and does nothing - why was that crap necessary?

Sound is good throughout - could've boosted the bass a bit more in the mix.

And the cover is just silly. 4 stars tho.

What a band!! This is jazz fusion at its best, with monsters at the helm. Anyone who has ever played bass or even thought about it needs to see this DVD of Jaco Pastorious. One of the preeminent electric bass guitarists of then and forever, whose life was tragically cut short. This is a rare video of him in action, and he is simply outstanding. Wayne Shorter on all things sax will "blow" your mind. Just say "played with Miles"; 'nough said. And then there is Joe. Zawinul. A true heavyweight on keyboards with sounds that will amaze and entertain you. And lets not forget Peter Erskine on drums; unbelievable: strong, fast and dynamic. Even if you have a good collection of WR cd's buy this for the video alone, it is worth the price. Also comes with a killer booklet. Highly recommended.

I am going to give WR 5 stars always.

But Dang, I mean how long will Sony/Colombia continue to release the same material. And the video, I mean almost every WR fan has the video & it is nothing like that 76 Montruex show. If they were going to do a Rockplast show they should have released the Belgrade 1980 show. That concert is the one in which they go cosmic (out of this world). For those who don't have the show, it's in circulation and it's poor quality but it ranks up their with the "IN Concert" Mahavishnu 73. At the end they play Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz and Jaco, Joe and Wayne are phoenominal. I watch that show almost every month and I shake my head everytime in disbelief. You see most people don't realize it, but the 1980-1981 version of Weather Report was the best, and it's when Shorter came back with his free form playing. He's good on the 78 show but not great cause he's not improvising that much. The 1980 version of WR was like a free bebop fusion form of music. At the end of the show this guy is sitting in disbelief as the melody of "adios" is in the backgound. Jaco is playing like a god on this particular show, and Peter Erskine is holdin down the beat even though he is tired than a mother. I just wish Sony/Colombia would release the vaults and treat them with the same box set treatment as Miles Davis.

"The dwarf can see farther than the giant"

The dwarf being shorter and zawinul (Jazz Giants) begining weather report in 1971 (they were good but they came into their own in 1973).

But eventually they took music beyond what Miles (the Giant)did. And its a shame we Weather Report fans can't get what we want.

What we want is a box set(s) of all live material from 1973 to 1983. DvD shows that we don't already have from bootleging. But I guess I am on that "Dream Clock."

There have been several attempts to represent Weather Report with single disc collections. Unfortunately, lengthy compositions, stylisitic diversity, career span, and musician changes make such cursory overviews highly problematic. This multi-disc set comes fairly close to capturing what the excitement was all about.

Weather Report was arguably the last great ensemble from the classic age of jazz when the music continually moved "outward." Born in the ashes of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew band, keyboardist Josef Zawinul and sax player Wayne Shorter, along with a string of great bassist/composers, continually tried to push their music in a forward direction, often abandoning entire styles in the interest of exploration. This set presents some of the best examples of their studio recordings.

As is to be expected with musicians of this caliber, the music is almost uniformly superb. Considering how much other Weather Report music could have been included here, the first few tracks featuring other artists doing proto-Weather Report music is an unnecessary waste of disc space (this music is easily available elsewhere). The jewel of the "rarities" is the energetic live rendition of Nubian Sundance. After listening to these songs as presented in chronological order, it might seem that the loss of superman bassist Jaco Pastorius left them somewhat adrift. The last few tracks seem to rehash older ideas, leading to the inevitable dissolution of the band.

For the Weather Report neophyte, this is an excellent career overview. For the collector who has this music on the original albums, the point of interest is the DVD. It captures a live performance from the Mr. Gone tour, with Jaco, at possibly the peak of the band's peforming career. The cameras focus on Zawinul for the most part, and you get a great view of the man's hands pumping out melodies like there was no tomorrow (I was reminded of watching Jimi Hendrix, whose hands often seemed to move over the guitar with a mind of their own). Jaco performs here before his mental powers began to decline, and he proves a worthy foil to Zawinul and Shorter, providing inventive support work and showing off his considerable talents during solos. I found Shorter's Zen-like meditations somewhat of a surprise, but when you're playing with busy stylists like his bandmates, his minimalist, repetitive sax ruminations are the perfect counterpoint. Which isn't to say Shorter doesn't rip off a heated solo now and again!

If you are a Weather Report fan already, you might want to consider if the cost justifies the few musical rarities or the DVD (the book included is of small interest; mainly it's a gushing ode to Zawinul and Shorter with the occasional biographical fact tossed in). If you are a jazz fan who wants an instant Weather Report collection for their library, it is definitely preferable to the other greatest hits collections. I dock the box set one star for the weakly written book and the lack of more rarities (how much live material must be out there?!), but overall a strong look at a complex band.

I don't understand complaints that the cd's here contain already released material. The product description clearly says so. I for one found this collection a very nice compliment to my only other Weather Report cd "Weather Report, the Jaco Years". "Forcast: Tomorrow" contains great stuff from the pre-Jaco and post-Jaco years. The photos and notes in the accompanying book are very good.

As for the DVD, it is also clearly described as a video from the Rockpalast concert of 1978, and if you already have it you are very fortunate. I had not seen it before, and I found it to be very good. The performance is excellent. The cameras switch to capture the ensemble well. The close ups are good enough to follow how each performer is executing their important solos. Jaco is at his best. This is the quartet with Peter Erskine, and the performance captured here is more complete and, to my ear, better than the "8:30" cd.

This is an awesome musical overview of the greatest Jazz-Fusion groups. All the information is in there about each track that you want to know(ie. players, producers, albums, dates etc...). The sound quality is superb. This is a box-set for people who want to discover this band, not for the people that own everything Weather report has put out.

Now on to the DVD. Simply AMAZING. Great sound, great shots, great selection. I mean JOE WAZINUL, WAYNE SHORTER & JACO PASTORIOUS on the same stage together on your own television. What could be better. Musically I really don't have an answer for that one.

All in all, this is a well priced package of both stunning audio and video works of the greatest Jazz-fusion players of all time.

Excellent, thanks a lot! I really enjoy buy it!

Excellent, thanks a lot! I really enjoy buy it!

Excellent, thanks a lot! I really enjoy buy it!