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Like Children

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Two ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra guys decided to record together in 1974 and the results was Like Children, which became the first ever release on the Nemperor label. With just Jerry Goodman and Jan Hammer, you know them as a violinst and keyboardist respectively, and when you hear Goodman play guitar and Hammer play drums as well, you know right away they are fully capable on those instruments too. No one plays bass, although Jan himself would use the Moog for bass lines. The duo recorded at William James Guercio's Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado (Guercio was the manager for well known brass rock groups Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Chicago recorded a couple of albums at Caribou), as well as Trident Studios in London (where well known acts like David Bowie and Genesis had recorded, not to mention Mahavishnu Orchestra). Little wonder the cover features Rocky Mountain scenery, and the back cover featuring some rather rustic pictures of Jerry and Jan playing their instruments. Here you get treated to fusion, with the electronic and prog rock leanings that Jan Hammer would favor on his first solo effort, The First Seven Days released a year later, as well as rock and roll elements. Both also sing, and while they're never considered great singers, the vocals are never intrusive and works fine. "Country and Eastern Music" rocks with those trademark lead Moogs (that became highly influencial by many other jazz rock/fusion and prog rock artists), great violin work, and great themes too. "No Fear" is all Jan, with him experimenting with sequencers. This cut, obviously is something that wouldn't be out of place on The First Seven Days. "I Remember Me" is a more mellow and ambient piece, while the duo gets more funky with "Earth (Still Our Only Home)". "Full Moon Boogie" is a nice rock and roller, but with their twists, including Jan's Moog. OK, the only song that don't quite work out for me is "Giving in Gently", their attempt at soft rock, and believe me, the results aren't so pretty. But the rest of the album is simply amazing, and I highly recommend it. Listening to this, you can easily forget that Jan Hammer would ruin his credibility a decade later by scoring for the cheesy and overrated TV series Miami Vice.

My old cassette copy of this album wore out and I had to splice it, ruining some material. I was thrilled to see a remastered version available on CD. One of my Top Ten favorites between Beatles and Zappa, from The Flock to Mahvishnu Orchestra, this CD has memorable tracks that have stood the test of time. Jan Hammer has been able to morph with an electronic instrument like no one else.

I never thought I'd see this on CD because it's so quirky, but I hoped I would since the original vinyl version of Hammer's synthesizer solo "No Fear" was subject to quite a bit of distortion. To be fair, that track did appear on a compilation CD a while back. But it sounds much better in context. It's worth remembering that the synthesizer had only been in use for around five years at the time this was recorded, and was still basically an analog, monophonic instrument. Hammer really was a pioneer in the field.

These are some of the oddest catchy tunes you'll ever hear. And even if they sound a little strange at first, you may find yourself listening to them over and over. There is this weird eastern European classical feel combined with rock rhythms and fiddling -- hence the "country and eastern music" reference.

The bass isn't missed too much, though Hammer doesn't overtly attempt to imitate one. Often there's echo/delay used, but frankly that's one of the things that makes Hammer's synthesizer playing so distinctive. I'm pretty sure this was the first time nearly anyone had heard him play drums, and he acquits himself pretty well.

Some of this material was apparently discarded from the first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. One of the pieces (Steppings Tones) is actually by that group's bassist, who doesn't appear on this record. A version of this tune by the full band eventually surfaced on the "Lost Trident Sessions" CD.

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, this CD is filled with music that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike anything these artists did before or since. Goodman "fits" better than Steve Kindler, whom Hammer played with for his next few albums before, apparently, giving up on violinists altogether. Goodman went on to do some work that was called "new age" and still shows up on the occasional jazz album. Hammer went on tour with Jeff Beck and then wrote music for the "Miami Vice" TV show. Well, he had to support himself somehow -- not too many people bought this album!

There are nice reviews of this piece of art, so just a few remarks.
1) You cannot imagine how uneasy was to obtain this fantastic LP, moreover, created by an emigrant from Czechoslovakia (son of a jazzman and a jazz female vocalist), here in Prague at that time. (In common shops, you could not buy a thing - there were just some 10 LP records licensed and issued annually with western music.) So after freedom came in the 1990's, I was looking for buying a CD, as my vinyl that I had bought on a black market in the old days, did not sound too well. It is really incredible how long we had to wait for this CD. To mention at least one of the tracks, I love "The Night."
2) To be fair, the Amazon.com database refers to this record as to Jan Hammer's work. But to be correct, Jerry Goodman should be named first of the two guys.
3) To translate the shouting in "Country and Eastern Music": the two words ("pivo, vino") mean "bear and wine" in Czech.
No need to talk more. Put on this CD and enjoy, be it with beer or wine. A masterpiece of the jazz-rock fusion. You must feel it was just made for fun of those two musicians.

Back in print again, and SWEEEEET! This was in the first wave of post-Mahavishnu Orchestra projects, along with Billy Cobham's "Spectrum". Both are MONSTERS! Also, look up "Oh Yeah" by the Jan Hammer Group. First rate!

IF YOU ARE A FAN OF JAZZ AND JAZZ FUSION , YOU SHOULD BUY THIS CD . I HAVE FOLLOWED THE CARRERS OF BOTH MUSICIANS AND THEY KNOW HOW TO CREATE AND BRING A LOT OF JOY TO THE EARS . I ALSO OWN THE LP RECORD ALBUM . YOU WON'T BE SORRY !

my analogue copy of this record had long disappeared. been looking for a digital version for a while & finally stumbled over this release. there are some wonderful tracks on this disc. given it was recorded in the 70's and involved lots of overdubs to make it happen, the recording quality is first class. as are the performances. a must for mahavishnu orchestra fans!

For a recording that came out in 1974, these one-time Mahavishnu Orchestra stalwarts show a remarkable dexterity and sense of wonder in their mixture of rock, jazz and what would later become referred to as "world music". What is most interesting about this recording is not these guys efforts at perfection, of which this recording doesn't really seem all that concerned with, but their efforts at being true to their passion, which this recording excels at. Although, no one would call Jerry Goodman a fantastic guitarist, his abilities and limitations on guitar don't interfere with the artistic vision he and Jan Hammer convey here, and are plenty to keep both mind and curiosity satisfied. Jan Hammer was, as a drummer, a very capable player, in these pre-drum machine days, and his feels, grooves and fills are all very precise and danceable (even in his odd meter playing). Coupling their abilities on these secondary instruments with their abilities on both of their primary instruments, violin and keyboards, you have a duo that is very innovative in thought, playing and conception. Although, I'm not a big fan of vocals in this style of music, Jan and Jerry carry it off with good intonation, bright melodies and good vocal harmony in the couple of tunes that have vocals (you gotta love "Country and Eastern Music" for it's title alone, if not for it's unusual rhythms and eastern-tinged melodies). Altogether, a very innovative recording by two top-notch players in their field at the height of their creativity.

Something very wonderful was achieved by these two Mahavisnu Orchestra alumni's at the time both released their first solo album together,in fact at all. Here we're not only dealing with two master musicians in their creative prime but who are able and ready to present that creativity in such a way that it makes a huge impact on the listener,in a concise way too. For one thing Jan Hammer is one of the greatest composers in the fusion world. I'm not sure if many people are as aware of that as they should be. It's on this album that Jan's way with the moog probe synthesizer began to be fully explored:the signiture sound he developed on albums such as Oh Yeah? really developed here and on every track he exercises it in some way along with his rhodes playing. Jerry Goodman is a welcome guest violinist and composer and does great at both. In the end it's more or less Jan's show in a lot of ways even if it is a collaborative effort. "Country And Eastern Music" is a great track to kick off on as it's both funky and it rocks and does so with plenty of energy to spare. "No Fear" is all Hammer's show on the synthesizer he really lets go on this heavy space groove. Both "I Remember Me" and "Night" are both great and dreamy compositions that allow the melody to develope in sometimes the same dark kind of way that they had in to duo's old group. They are some of the most vital compositions and melodies in his backlog. "Earth (Still Our Only Home)" gets very deeply into this bassy funk style with minimal vocals that come in and out. "Topeka" as Jerry's only solo composition here and showcases more of the rock influence of this album. Former Mahavisnu co-member Rick Laird provides "Stepping Stones" which extends on that dreamy quality. "Full Moon Boogie" too does a great job crossing the bridges between jazz-funk and rock. "Giving In Gently/I Wonder" brings everything together that makes the album great into one grand finale. Overlooked in a lot of ways for many years this is a tremendous album not only for this duo but for the fact it acted as such a powerful jumpstart to Jam Hammer's spectacular solo career yet to come.

I remember when I had this in album and then I finally wore it out. I try burning it to a cd but too many inperfections from player (alot). This is a close to two musician's from Mahavishnu Orchestra but then again a classic masterpiece from a totally direction style of music. Great rock n roll with a touch of MO fusion. Some day they will re-unite just like the famous powergroup Cream did. Let's cross our fingers! A must for all MO fans! I saw them (MO) in summer of 73 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Az. Mahavishnu Orchestra-this CD brings back great memories from two great musicians. A must buy. Thank You for this re-master "Like Children".
rjp