Hands Down [Import, Limited Edition]

Bob James | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: Japanese Import
• ASIN: B000068WD9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,113 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lively golden oldie from Bob James, February 8, 2008

By 

Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hands Down (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of Bob James for almost three decades now and have most of his albums in my collection. I like his earlier stuff a lot more than the stuff he's doing these days though - apart from his work with Fourplay, which I'm really into.

He walked the line between jazz and electronica on this album from 1982, which was his follow-up to the very successful pop-influenced Sign of the Times. I imagine purists either turned up their noses or ran screaming but I loved this album from the first time I heard it. As I've said in a few of my reviews, I have the greatest respect for any artiste who's prepared to take risks, blur the lines and do something different from what everyone else is doing. James deployed all manner of keyboard - acoustic piano, polyphonic synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, drum computer & bass synthesizers - and he made them all work very well together.

Standout tracks include the Rod Temperton/Bob James-penned "Macumba" and as its title suggests, its rhythms and chants are both African-inspired, with excellent vocals by Patti Austin, Vivian Cherry, Yvonne Lewis, Luther Vandross, Milt Grayson and Zach Sanders and then there's the Bob James-penned "Shamboozie", a funky little number featuring alto sax by Spyro Gyra front man Jay Beckenstein.

My two personal favourites though are both ballads and both written by James; "Janus", featuring tenor sax by Eddie Daniels and the beautiful acoustic piano-led "Roberta" with its solo trumpet by Mike Lawrence and sweeping orchestral arrangements. Also worth a mention is the bass work by James's longtime collaborator, Gary King. He sounds so liquid in places, I always used to think he played a fretless. I never did find out one way or the other.

The other two tunes - "Spunky", which opens the album and "It's Only Me", which closes it - are both a lot of fun and here's where you'll find the electronica I referred to at the top. I feel they've aged well though and James's clever improvisations make it clear that while this might not be jazz in its purest sense, it's still very much jazz. Produced and arranged by James (Joe Joegensen is credited as associate producer), the whole album is only 35mins 43secs long (each track averages around 6mins) but people could do that back in those days because the music was so good. In this age of quantity over quality (22 track albums?), it would be unthinkable.

If you're thinking about getting into Bob James and you'd like to hear something original and spirited, this (or "Sign Of The Times") might be a good place to start.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Bob James Album, July 21, 2007

By 

Andre S. Grindle "Andre' Grindle" (Brewer Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hands Down (Audio CD)

The year is 1982 and yes:Bob James has discovered the synthesizer.But unlike many it's apparent he isn't going to let his style go all downhill because of it.This album features all of Bob's previous trademarks-sing a long melodies,the influence of film and television music and a production style I can only describe as economical. There's also an influence of contemporary electronica here.So to the ears of others 'Hands Down' might just be one long 35 minute and 43 second rare groove."Spunky" certainly had that effect on you but the one that grabbed me especially hard was "Macumba",whose beat actually has a very similar feel to early hip-hop break beats as well as having a strong percussive/Afro beat influence that is....none other then the work of Mr.Rod Temperton himself.On "Shamboozie" and the half slow/half fast "Janus" Bob shows his command over the regular ivory's and horns for two trademark playful tunes."Roberta" on the other hand is a very pretty ballad with classical overtunes.The closing tune "It's Only Me" brings all the best qualities of the album.The song itself is not unlike a Rod Temperton tune,especially one composed for Michael Jackson and does sound a lot like something from Thriller,but it's Bob's own composition.So if any of you Bob James followers thought he was "missing in action" after his massive 1979 production this is something worth looking into.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing instrumental music album, October 5, 2003

By 

Arhippa Kaurapuuro (Helsinki, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hands Down (Audio CD)

The shopkeeper of local store of old CDs & vinyls had written words "royal fusion - out of print" to price tag of this CD. So I bought it. Since I am big fan of funky R&B and retro-synthesizer/computer music it is easy to believe that I love this album. This album is not jazz. Perhaps not even fusion. This is instrumental music that is influenced by early synthesizer-pop, R&B and jazz. What makes this album so good are the wonderful compositions with good producing work. It is a pity that many lovers of good instrumental music don't know what they could find from jazz shelves of recording stores.