Customer Reviews

Spectrum

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This cd is groundbreaking in an aspect that hasn't yet been referred to: the union of the more frantic 'Mahavishnu' type soloing ,(McLaughlin, DiMeola) with a more relaxed, blues inflected style,(Clapton,Allman), from Bolin. Up until this moment the two soloing styles had been at odds with each other; the fusion guys thinking the blues-rock guys weren't ambitious enough, the blues guys thinking the fusion guys weren't soulful enough. Bolin was the man for the job of unifying the styles, combining a relaxed bluesy vibrato with chops to spare; still the hallmark of the best modern soloists.

One of the things I enjoyed about the 1970s fusion era was the way it allowed musicians to indulge their taste for different genres. Artists are easily pigeonholed, and the more successful they are, the harder it can be to break out of the role they are cast in by fans, the media, and their own promoters. Miles Davis recognized this stultifying syndrome in jazz and refused to be trapped, breaking ground for the merging of segregated forms with his pivotal album "Bitches Brew." Other pioneers, like Ornette Coleman, Tony Williams, Joe Zawinul, and John McLaughlin, also cast off the stale conservatism of "mainstream" jazz and experimented with combinations of jazz improvisation with rock, eastern, Latin American, electronic, and purely abstract forms.

In the aptly titled "Spectrum," Cobham revealed his interest in, and aptitude for, rock and funk, as well as considerable compositional skills. Fans who were used to the more esoteric, odd-metered intensity of the wildly original Mahavishnu Orchestra might have been disappointed by the down-to-earth, straight time jams found in Billy's solo work, but those of us who appreciate a solid, funky groove along with hot solos immediately cottoned to this side of his personality. We also dug the fact that he could go from barnburner tracks like "Quadrant 4" and "Stratus" to the cool and jazzy "Le Lis" and it was the most natural thing in the world. Yeah, you could dig rock, you could dig jazz: it was all good.

"Crosswinds," "Spectrum," and "Total Eclipse," were mainstay albums in many collections during the '70s. Each one reveals different aspects of Mr. Cobham's special talents and tastes. In my humble opinion, they are essential listening for anyone interested in the evolution of jazz-rock.

a reviewer here actually said this disc was...boring?!?! Hmmmmm.
I still find this to be one of Cobham's best releases. When Jan Hammer and Billy kick off 'Quadrant 4' you know they mean business. Not only does Cobham have great fusion chops, the man is flat-out funky! He can lay down the fattest grooves. Tommy Bolin scorches on the guitar. So sad he couldn't overcome his subsance abuse and left us much too early. What a talent!

Listen to Tommy and Hammer trade riffs in 'Taurian Matador', brilliant! Hammer is leading the charge and Bolin is right there with him, burnin' up the fretboard while Billy lends his usual brilliant support. This disc has remained a personal favorite of mine thru the years. Just a very solid effort from Billy and the boys. R.I.P Mr. Bolin

www.electriceyes.us

I'll keep it short. This album is as good as it gets with regards to Jazz Fusion. This is THE Billy Cobham album to get. A lot of fusion is just mindless noodling, and as a result the syle gets a bad rap. This album, along with "Inner Mounting Flame" and most stuff by Weather Report and Chic Corea is the quality stuff.

This album features the guitarist Tommy Bolin, who died from a drug overdose just as his career was taking off. His playing on this album, and outstanding interplay with Jan Hammer on keyboards, shows that he was a major talent cut short.

This is a good starting point for anyone wanting to explore the musical style.

This album was the 'high watermark'for rock/jazz fusion of the 70's.Taking nothing away from Mahavishnu,Beck or any others who put out stellar music from this period. This is the one for me!A desert island disc for sure,it's such a crying shame that TOMMY BOLIN IS STILL NOT WIDELY KNOWN TO THIS DAY!despite efforts by his family in keeping his name alive.I already owned this disc sans the extra track but when i saw that Tommy was on said track i immediately ordered it and promptly gave my other to one grateful freind.I highly recomend this disc to anyone besides Drummers and Guitarists who want to hear some of the most Tightest,exciting,smokin',smooth and soulful music ever layed down to wax!!BUY IT NOW!

Almost 30 years after "Spectrum" was recorded, there still seems to be a youthful interest in "funk jazz" and "fusion"; especially now that digital sampling has exploded into the music
world and e-musicans are trying to create music that is both dancible and sonically interesting. Moreover, "Spectrum" almost serves as a "how to manual" for making tasteful music from these genres. It features some very good musicians in Cobham, Jan Hammer, Tommy Bolin, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, and others. I highly recommend it along with Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow". Admittedly I rarely listen to either much anymore, but that tends to happen after a few hundred listens.

I got to see Billy tour for the 30th anniversary of this album in a small club a few years ago. It was a great concert! I had a great time, despite the fact that the only original band member he could retrieve was bassist Lee Sklar. Even the guitarist did a reasonable job of covering for the late (incredible) Tommy Bolin. Let's face it: Tommy's phenomenal guitar work is a large part of why this album is a true flagship in the realm of '70s fusion. Even considering Tommy's work in Zephyr, The James Gang and Deep Purple (not to mention a few solo albums), THIS album is by far THE BEST TOMMY BOLIN GUITAR ALBUM EVER!!! When I first heard the opening song "Quadrant 4" during my early introductions to fusion, my first response was, "This is supposed to be a JAZZ album???" Quadrant 4 is one of the greatest instrumental rock guitar anthems ever...even if it's supposed to be jazz!!! Tommy's playing is incredible on 4 songs on this work. Even the title song and "Le Lis" which are more jazz tunes with brass and flute (and do not include Tommy) blend fabulously with the fusion songs, making this a wonderful album! Billy's friend from The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jan Hammer is spectacular on the keyboards, and all band members do fantastic work. Now, let's get to Billy himself. A drummer friend of mine had the fortunate chance of seeing The Mahavishnu Orchestra back in the day. He said he wondered why they set up 2 drum kits for just 1 guy....but he didn't wonder for long!! He said "they NEEDED 2 drum kits to hold the guy down so he wouldn't float away, he was so unbelievable!! He sounded like there was at least 2 drummers going at the same time....one kit couldn't contain the dude!!" And when I saw him touring for the 30th anniversary of this album a few years ago, I can still heartily agree. They still need 2 drum sets to hold this dude down! And, Billy's drumming as well as his surprising gift at writing all the music on this album, is a great part of what makes this album sparkle as the MUST HAVE album it is!! Get this album for Billy's unbelievable drumming!!! Get this album for Tommy Bolin's phenomenal guitar work!! Get this album, because it is truly a flagship for instrumental rock and brilliant '70s jazz fusion!!!

The funkiest, most energetic and most immediate offering from an artist of the great "fusion" era. Cobham, Tommy Bolin, Jan Hammer and the rest of the cast produced a remarkable keeper that should appeal to fans or rock, funk and progressive jazz. Quadrant 4 begins with a mind blowing solo from Hammer and is highlighted with an orgasmic explosion from Bolin, driving his Fender strat to new heights and showing that yes, at least one rock artist, can more than hold his own against jazz musicians. Stratus is funkier and takes more time to develop but it is the equal in impact and originality and exceeds in staying power as evidenced by Massive Attack's liberal use of this song's influence on "Blue Lines." Even the drum solo interludes that can often times seem like filler work on other albums are vital on this classic progressive rock/jazz beauty.

I really don't like the word fusion, because people think it means different things. might not call this album fusion at all, it's more like straight funk. It's like anything else Billy Cobham has done solo, maybe a little more intricate. Instead of the late 70s solofest jams and the post-80s horn funk, Billy has created an actual band for this record, with some of the best interplay I've heard.

It's got the wonderful Jan Hammer on keys, a fusion regular who adds to every album he graces. The first song starts with a Hammer solo you've got to hear. For the most part the bass takes a back seat, with no solos but great lines, and Ron Carter even plays acoustic on a few tracks. The album also has very few horns, a great trumpet feature here and there, but mostly the album focuses on the guitar/keys/drums. Of course Billy takes many of his usual snare-drenched solos, but he keeps them mostly between the songs as intros so as not to disrupt the very catchy grooves going on. Still, even under the solos and melodies he's going crazy as only a few can without losing control of the tight band.

Tommy Bolin, a guitar player that unfortunately few have heard of, is the star of this album. He had been on the rock circuit with Deep Purple and other bands, but on this album he is as good as anyone else I've heard, and definitely the best choice for this album. John McLaughlin is a ownderful guitar player in the straight fusion sense, and his technical skill is unprecedented, but on an album as funky as this, a rock/blues player is a better choice (Not that John can't play rock, but you know what I mean). My favorite song is Taurian Matador, which is simply Jan and Tommy trading 4s over a sweet beat.

This album isn't as out-there or straight-8 as Mahavishnu albums, but it is really funky, every groove is perfect, my only complaint is that it's not longer.

I purchased this, hoping for a further sonic upgrade to his classic debut album over the Atlantic/Atco REmasters Series (#7268-2), released in the late 90's. However, it is either the same or an identical mastering job to the domestic CD, albeit with one interesting footnote: This disc has all of the "a-b" subtitles correctly track-marked (10 track marks total) where the domestic version was mastered with only six tracks of the primary song titles.

This version also sports a nice but unimportant booklet that holds nothing new for someone familiar with Cobham's career up to the release of this album. The glossy digipak is pretty, but only if you have a re-sealable plastic sleeve to store it in; otherwise, it's going to get ugly quickly just from normal handling.

Bottom line: Unless you are a completist, buy the less expensive domestic version.

The power of this album was underscored in April 2002 by Cobham's short "Spectrum Anniversary" tour of the U.S. I was fortunate enough to see him here in L.A. at back-to-back shows at the Conga Room & The Coachhouse. The Conga Room show had a higher energy level, as the band got to take a half-hour break in the middle of the show and came back re-charged (Clint Eastwood, you should have stayed for the 2nd half!). For an encore, the band performed a blistering version of "Quadrant 4" that left the audience on their feet screaming; an awesome show.