Sound System [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Herbie Hancock | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1984
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00004HYLC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,033 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hardrock

2. Metal Beat

3. Karabali

4. Junku

5. People Are Changing

6. Sound System

7. Metal Beat [Extended Version][*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brand New Sounds Inspired by the Street, March 15, 2006

By 

DRD - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sound System (Audio CD)

Here's one to put the proof in the pudding. Those aware of this album are divided into two camps: those who think it's a rip-off of Future Shock and those who realize FS can't hold a candle to this rock-solid effort. On Future Shock, Hancock couldn't decide if he wanted to commit all the way, resulting in some tepid material. On Sound-System, caution is thrown to the wind, no holds are barred and Herbie goes for broke. (My sentence is full of clichés. The album is not.). Listen to the title track, which is pretty much a bunch of noise pounded into a melody - shards of sound that pierce the doldrums. This is an up-to-the-minute, high-tech sound for its day. Then you've got "Karabali" and "Junku," which mash-up indigenous music and the sounds of the street with reckless abandon - like putting Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in a blender with a group of griots. Sure, "Hardrock" is a photocopy of the great, seminal "Rockit," but that sound was so new, it was worth hearing again. "People Are Changing" shifts gears yet again, a towering soul number with vocals that address the struggle for racial equality. A jazz musician in his forties was making some of the freshest, most vital "pop" music of the day, pushing boundaries and toying with the very idea of genres. Far from being scattered, "Sound-System" is darn near cathartic in its energy and willingness to try new things. Herbie wasn't just thumbing his nose at jazz purists - he plainly didn't give a ----. What "Future Shock" hinted at, "Sound-System" hit out of the park.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More-is-less FUTURE SHOCK sequel!, July 8, 2000

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sound System (Audio CD)

The second of three collaborations with producer/bassist BillLaswell, SOUND SYSTEM at times finds new twists balancingstate-of-the-art studio production techniques with street-wise melodies and rhythms that began with 1983's FUTURE SHOCK. On several tracks such world-beat incorporations as the kora (an African stringed instrument) diversify the overall sound, which at other times seem entirely made up of "artificial" synthesized and sampled sounds (particularly on METAL BEAT). The opening track HARD ROCK is a blatant recycling of the FUTURE SHOCK hit ROCKIT, with some metallic guitar added into the mix in spots. Here and throughout most of the album, Hancock plays primarily background synth figures...he has an ear for textures and catchy riffs, but his improvisational talents are almost nowhere to be found. JUNKU is a more interesting successor to ROCKIT. However, one wonders if much of the music presented here has any significant value beyond being a demonstration disc for Laswell's craftsmanship in the studio. SOUND SYSTEM's highlights are the two tracks that stray furthest from the ROCKIT formula. KARABALI evokes memories of early-period Earth Wind & Fire. Note how multi-dimensional the Hancock/Laswell approach becomes when the "jazz" talents of Herbie and guest Wayne Shorter are given the freedom to create! Then there is the Curtis Mayfield-like PEOPLE ARE CHANGING, highlighted by Bernard Fowler's soulful vocals. On both tracks there is more to admire than the technology itself. Recommendation: purchase FUTURE SHOCK first. Then buy SOUND SYSTEM if you want a like-minded sequel with several effective twists, but also some more-is-less retreads.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An underappreciated album from Herbie, August 7, 2007

By 

Todd J. Peterson "an intrested observer" (Washington Depot, CT.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sound System (Audio CD)

Sound System had the misfortune of following the megahit Future Shock (Rockit). Consequently I think that it has taken some undeserved hits from fans and critics.
I give Herbie and Bill Laswell credit for throwing some new elements into the mix on this album. OK, Hardrock was supposed to be the next hit, but it is harder-edged and industrial than Rockit. I also really enjoy it. There are some more organic sounds in the mix from Wayne Shorter and Foday Musa Suso - love that kora playing on Junku!
This album is a bit uneven in places. Metal Beat is a bit spotty and People Are Changing doesn't quite work for me, although Herbie's piano stands out nonetheless. However Junku is darn near perfect, Hardrock really does rock and Karabali has a good world music mix with piano, sax and African percussion.
Sound System mixed elements of industrial and world music before those terms became household expressions. Also the African-style chanting on Karabali predates Paul Simon's Graceland. This isn't a classic in my book, but it holds up well. I picked it up as soon as it was reissued and still enjoy it.