Customer Reviews

Return to the 7th Galaxy

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Let's say you got rid of your LP collection sometime in the '80s and now you're thinking about replacing those lost RTF albums, but you're not sure if you want to buy them all. Well, this compilation makes a very good substitute. Most of the band's albums are covered, starting with the eponymous 1972 debut and ending with "No Mystery." I'm not sure I agree with the decision to include the live radio versions of 'Spain,''After The Cosmic Rain,' and 'Bass Folk Song,' as the sound quality is somewhat poor, but, on the other hand, where else can you hear rare tracks featuring Steve Gadd and Mingo Lewis? It's probably worth having this glimpse into the group's evolution, as well as the intensity of their live performances. But as the previous reviewer says, the real gold is on Disc Two, with its generous portions of "Where Have I Known You Before?" and "No Mystery."

If you're familiar with RTF and are simply rebuilding your collection, buying this along with "Romantic Warrior" will cover a lot of ground.

If this is your first experience with 1970s fusion, you might be better off buying one of the following CDs: Rockers, check out the original "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy" album and work your way forward. Jazz fans, try the very first album, or "Light As A Feather," and then move on to "Where Have I known You Before?" There's quite a difference between the various incarnations of RTF and not everyone is going to like everything, but I'm betting you will like one or the other.

Having only previously owned 'Romantic Warrior', I didn't know quite what to expect of this set. The first disc has three cuts from a guitar-less RTF that are only slighlty less enjoyable due to some dated vocals. There are 3 live tracks with Bill Connors on guitar, great stuff no question. The best is saved for last though, disc two is the classic Corea/Clarke/DiMeola/White line-up. Fantastic jazz-rock that is still far ahead of much music recorded today. Overall, a great collection if don't already own the Polygram RTF discs.

Excellent collection of RTF music. I listen to this quite a bit simply because it has the best flow. Not having to put on seperate cds looking for all the great ones is awesome! I disagree with the previous review about the sounds quality on the live stuff. It's pretty nice considering the period and the trainwrecks that happened during live performances in those days. Clean and clear. I have plenty of "bad" sounding stuff that makes these sound like gold. Great 2 cds! Now we need the RTF Old Grey Whistle Test on DVD!!!

While I must admit that "Romantic Warrior" is a good listen, any REAL fusion lover will automatically know that this was definitely the beginning of the more "COMMERCIAL" sounding and/or "more easy listening" fusion that led the pack for so many BAD fusion acts to come. Diehard RTF fans definitely have WHERE HAVE I KNOWN YOU BEFORE and NO MYSTERY as their all-time faves. But don't get me wrong, I love all the RTF records. I just happen to have my own favorites. However, I totally disagree with the other reviews that sensationalize "Romantic Warrior" as the ultimate RTF record. Here's my advice: If you don't own any RTF music, then start here with the best of the best. In my opinion, the best RTF stuff is the mid-period years (74-75). What is disguised as FUSION nowadays is enough to make me want to vomit. HOORAY for the days when FUSION wasn't used as another name for SMOOTH "easy-listening music for the dentist office" JAZZ.

Music criticism being subjective, it's natural that each critic really only writes autobiography. I grew up with Corea and was especially focussed on the transitional period from the Vitous-Haynes trio to the Altschul-Holland trio and "Circle" with A. Braxton to the first, second and third incarnations of Return to Forever (with the ECM solo records on the side). Of all this material I must say that "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs" is my favorite acoustic effort: pure, driving and uplifting. "The Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" is far and away my favorite electric effort: edgy, harmonically and technically brilliant, this record shows what a true fusion of jazz and rock might look like. The later funky-disco flavor of WHIKYB and No Mystery were less profound, in places a bit silly. Romantic Warrior was the beginning of the end: the gate to later excess....

it's been years but when I first all these Cats together playing as they did it Brought so much joy to my ears.I enjoyed the tones,arrangements&overall chord Progressions&the way there Harmonys talked directly to one another. it's great to hear all the Inceptions of this Band. my favorite overall is the run of Corea,Clarke,White&Dimeola.there brand of fusion truly had no limits.for me personally while i have dug other projects these cats have done as Solo Artists&in side Projects to me there is something just special about them during the RTF Era. right now I'm listening to "No Mystery"&enjoying all the Blends&Runs that are going on within that song.there Instrumentation,timing&Improv all compliment One another.true teamwork.

I have these tracks in album form, but having them in digital form will be cool also.

What can I say? prodigious jamming from one of the pillars of the Fusion movement. A raw, funky mix of Jazz, Rock, Latin & Classical that never fails to take me back to better days & better bands.

Back in the 70's I was a serious fan of Fusion and Return to Forever was the standard bearer of that genre. This particular compilation of their work is a real gem containing work from the Airto and Flora Purim days as well as some slightly later stuff. the key for me was the live performance with Steve Gadd on the drums. Gadd is a drummers god and can play anything with anybody. I was transported back to those exciting days listening to this. Get it, you wont regret it.

This is well worth picking up for anyone curious about RTF, especially for three tracks from a radio concert featuring the very short-lived lineup of Corea, Clarke, the great Bill Connors, Steve Gadd and Mingo Lewis (also, these tracks are mysteriously unavailable on iTunes' version of this now OOP CD). It covers the band's Polydor records period, which means that there are no tracks from "Romantic Warrior," RTF's big hit. I like the Connors version more than Al DiMeola's more gymnastic approach, though the group are all fine writers, which keeps their work from descending into wankdom. Good overview, but all of their recordings leading up to the jump-the-shark "Musicmagic" record are worth hearing as are some incendiary live shows that are out there.

There certainly is a 'split camp' thing with Romantic Warrior being "best of RTF" or not. While I know there are exceptions, I'll generalize and say (seemingly so) that jazz enthusiasts who grew up listening to Chick through the Miles days lean towards the earlier work of RTF, while prog rock fans (long-time listeners of Yes, ELP, etc. - many of them new to RTF) put Warrior at the top of their list. I'm in Camp #1 - I consider Where Have I Known You Before as the purest and freshest that band has ever sounded, followed *very closely* by Hymn (love its raw energy, and Bill Connor's work). I thought they jumped the shark with Warrior - it sounds way too sterile and overproduced. While a technical triumph for sure, they still bulldoze their way through a lot of the music. Not their best, but still a gem - Sorceress is one of my all-time favorite tunes.