Survival of the Fittest [Import, Original recording remastered]

Headhunters | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Arista Europe
• ASIN: B00005IAWZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,203 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Survival of the Funkiest, August 16, 2005

By 

GojiraBasu (New Hampster) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survival of the Fittest (Audio CD)

Easily rates as one of the very best jazz/funk albums of all time. The title track "God Make Me Funky" is as funky as it gets. This is Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters", recording their first (and best) record without Herbie or any other keyboard player present, although he did produce it. This allows for more space, in more ways than one...

Without Herbie's full, dense keyboards and synths of this period, there's much more open space, giving a better opportunity to hear the individual players, all of which have phenomenal tone and chops. Paul Jackson's incredibly punchy Fender bass sound and funk technique are second to none. The great Bennie Maupin is excellent as always. Acid funk pioneer Blackbird McKnight is the ultimate electric funk guitarist, playing everything from precision wah-wah rhythms to absolutely insane effects-washed leads. Drums by Mike Clark and all sorts of heavy percussion by Bill Summers are excellent.

And speaking of "space", this is Space Funk at it's best. I mean, it even says "The best Space-Funk album" in big letters on the back cover of this RCA Victor Gold Series reissue!

Highly recommended for fans of the Herbie Hancock Headhunders albums or any of the great Miles Davis electric stuff. Their second album "Straight From The Gate" is not nearly as good, but has a few interesting cuts, and another ridiculously wild guitar solo by Blackbird McKnight.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rich and Funky!!, June 17, 2001

By 

ZAHZAH "zahzah" (MISSION VIEJO, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survival of the Fittest (Audio CD)

In the 70's Hancock was a king. This "Headhunters" band was of a particular mythology. I own this on vinyl. It is an ABSOLUTE TRIP !!! This is something! Headhunters and Thrust had funk. Mwandiishi and Sextant had space. This has space and funk. I swear, when I was in high school in the late 70's (sucking up whatever US releases of Miles I could find) this album scared me! It is sooooo intense, psychadelic and FIRM !!! It wasn't ever "more Herbie". It was seriously KICKIN "first generation" fusion, standing on it's own, at it's best then. I'm still waiting>

P.S. I own the CD release, now, and it sounds fine. Excellent addition to the "Mwandishi" period!!! I mean... REALLY GOOD addition !!

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Back In The Day Jazz-Funk Classic, August 7, 2001

By 

Michael Strom (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Survival of the Fittest (Audio CD)

This was the album cut by Herbie Hancock's back-up group soon after the massive unexpected popularity of Herbie's Headhunters LP. It's actually much better than Herbie's own follow-up LP, Thrust. The 1st track, God Made Me Funky, is everything the title promises, with a really great, greasy guitar riff (by Blackbird McKnight) holding it all together. One of the very best jazz-funk cuts of all time. The first & last tracks have vocals, the other 4 are all instrumentals.

Most of these tracks would have fit very comfortably in Herbie's Headhunters LP. One or two are not quite as interesting as the rest, but the highlights (including the aforementioned God Made Me Funky, Daffy's Dance & If You've Got It, You'll Get It) are way worth the price. The sound quality is first class.

If you've been disappointed by more recent Headhunters releases, join the club. This one is the real thing -- accept no substitutes.