Second Sight [Original recording reissued]

Marc Johnson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B0000260OF
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,379 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two for two!, January 21, 2008

By 

Robin Dymond "prog jazz fan" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Second Sight (MP3 Download)

Wonderful inspired work by some of the greats of modern jazz. Joining Marc are Bill Frisell, John Scofield, and Peter Erskine. No horns, no keys, just two master guitarists dueling over thoughtful and energetic compositions. This album is different than many albums of the time period because the compositions are so interesting, Marc's time with Bill Evans coming through? Marc has taken the traditional Rock line up and turned it on its head with the two Bass Desires recordings. If you don't own it you should.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENDLESS SUMMER DAY, June 25, 2011

By 

Steve Wyzard (Lomita, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Second Sight (Audio CD)

If you've never been convinced that a back-cover photograph could encapsulate an album of instrumental performances, take a look at Dieter Rehm's placid beach scene on the back of Marc Johnson's Second Sight (1987). While Johnson's first album with the same line-up (1986's Bass Desires) was an off-the-wall avant-garde surprise, Second Sight, while retaining some of the same textures, is otherwise very different. This is a much more cohesive, accessible, thought-provoking, and yes, relatively quieter album that doesn't sacrifice any of Bass Desires' sense of adventure or experimentalism. Second Sight remains the better album for the simple reason of more memorable compositions and atmospheres. Which of course begs the question, "Why is there a lone helicopter over the ocean on the front cover?"

The vigorous drumming of Peter Erskine and the howling guitar trade-offs of Bill Frisell (left-channel) and John Scofield (right-channel) mark "Crossing the Corpus Callosum" as a continuation of the previous album. The beach seems very far away in this musical depiction of a futuristic landscape, featuring many of Frisell's special effects and Johnson's long bowed notes on the bass. From here on out, the sonic atmosphere changes radically, with Frisell's following "Small Hands" being a gently picked largo. Erskine's "Sweet Soul" is one of those magical moods you wish could last forever: somewhat reminiscent of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows", Scofield takes the first verse, Frisell the second verse, and both join together on two choruses for this album's most soulful (naturally) track. Before anyone thinks this has become an easy-listening album, Scofield's "Twister" and "Thrill Seekers" restore order with twangy guitars, rock'n'roll cliches ("Twister" is almost the album's "hit single", a satirical take on Kenny Loggins' "Footloose"), offbeat drumming, bizarre basslines, and much soloing. Johnson, who never dominates the material, takes his first solo on "Thrill Seekers", which fades with more of Frisell's loopy effects. "Prayer Beads" is entirely a solo piece for Johnson, with a performance moving from leisurely to energetic. Listen to the double bass's strings snap against the fretboard in a resonant recording studio (credit: Rainbow/Oslo). "1951" is a much more typical Frisell composition (quirky/countryish) with stops and starts, bends, slides, a wandering bridge, and subtle percussion from Erskine. The album closes peacefully with Johnson's "Hymn for Her".

Before recording this album, Johnson had guested on John Abercrombie's masterpiece Current Events, and many of the same ethereal atmospheres on that album appear on this one. In spite of the wild contrasts, Second Sight is a lot more beautiful and a lot more "just plain fun" than Bass Desires, and is highly recommended to fans of all the players involved. In 1998, Johnson and Frisell would record an album called The Sound of Summer Running that attempts to be an aural sequel to this album, but falls just short. It's on the Verve label, and has Pat Metheny replacing John Scofield, and Joey Baron instead of Peter Erskine.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as exceptional as expected!, March 9, 2006

By 

Lovblad (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Second Sight (Audio CD)

Now this was oen huge disappointment. Do not get me wrong. I love Frisell and I completely agree with the other reviewer. It is simply that I was so blown away by the first bass Desires that I expected much much more. Also Bill Frisell has been associated with so many exceptional records that a very good record is simply not enough.