Customer Reviews

Tale Spinnin'

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two previous albums ( "SWEETNIGHTER" & "MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER") established what could be termed the "Weather Report sound", a pattern continued in "TALE SPINNIN" (1975) and characterized by:

1. The adoption of funky rhythm & blues "grooves" (a 1970's analogue to the bop swing feel that had for decades characterized jazz rhythm).

2. Elaborate electronic textures employed by Zawinul in an artistic manner (as opposed to the self-indulgent toys they became in lesser hands ).

3. An aura of the mysterious and ethereal (one of the prominent aspects of Wayne Shorter's compositional style)

4. Influence of music from various cultures around the world ( Joe Zawinul in particular, was an early exponent of what is now called "world music" ).

5. Virtuoso musicians: a point obviously true of Shorter & Zawinul, WR featured superb "supporting" musicians who were vitally important to the group's success.

Featuring a number of elaborately constructed compositions, "TALE SPINNIN" differs from its equally distinguished predecessor in the amount of room it allows for individual improvisation.

The opener ( "Man in the Green Shirt") is a "sunny" piece that exemplifies the albums penchant for more extended improv. For those that complain that Wayne Shorter rarely got to "stretch out" with Weather Report (a contention that misses the point of WR) "Man in the Green Shirt" provides a good argument to the contrary: this particular tune is certainly a good feature for the famed saxophonist's golden tone and quicksilver imagination.

"Lusitanos" is a typically well-composed Wayne Shorter tune, replete with a bizarre ("carnival funhouse") theme and delicate contrasting sections ( Zawinul has a good solo on acoustic piano ).

"Between the Thighs" (Zawinul) is a long tune ( 9 min ) in the favored mode of the "WR groove" but evincing a more elaborate, suite-like quality in its composition.

"Badia" (Zawinul) is a sequel to "Jungle Book" ("MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER"): a delicately orchestrated tune incorporating various "exotic" instruments ( muzthra, oud, melodica ) that radiates a life-affirming warmth.

Joe Zawinul has some good solo time on "Freezing Fire" but some of his synthesizer textures (esp the high pitched "bird chirp" doublings) tend to irritate. Shorter is featured with a darting soprano improv toward the ( somewhat abrupt) end of the tune.

The album closer ("Five Short Stories") is a duet featuring Shorter on tenor sax and Zawinul on acoustic piano, organ and ARP 2600 synthesizer. Romantic in nature, the tune ends "TALE SPINNIN" on an aesthetically pleasing but bittersweet note.

Addendum 1: The advertising sticker put by Columbia Records on the latest version of "TALE SPINNIN" claims that it features Jaco Pastorius. Not true- Alphonso Johnson plays bass on this particular album.

Addendum 2: The 24-bit remastered sound is superb. WR fans should strongly consider replacing the older versions with the new editions, which are definite improvements.

Sony/Columbia has long treated the marvelous Weather Report catalogue poorly. What's needed is a full reissue campaign with all titles being re-released within a timely period (1-2 years). Perhaps that's started now with the re-release of "Sweetnighter" through "Black Market." The surprise of records 3-6 is this one, the lightly-regarded "Tale Spinnin'." It's excellent for Wayne Shorter's contributions, and Zawinul has some typically strong material as well. The remastering job is fantastic, and the music, particularly bass and percussion sounds great. Unfortunately, someone at Sony (intentionally ? ) goofed by putting a sticker on the front cover stating that the late, great Jaco Pastorius makes an appearance. He does not, and Sony/Legacy's credibility takes a hit. Nonetheless, Pastorius isn't needed here; the music does fine without him.

This album gets 6 stars. It is one of the albums that stands up there on the pinnacle of that era along with "Birds of Fire", "Light as a Feather", "Bright Size Life", and a few others.

While "everyone is entitled to their opinion", I was alarmed by Amazon's Editorial Review saying it lacks substance, etc. and by a comment one reviewer referred to saying the album was considered lightly regarded. Independent of the place it has in my heart, it was a five-star album in the Downbeat review of the time.

I consider it the best of Weather Report's work. It is, to borrow Mr. Sachs' term, "transitional" in the best sense of the word. The earlier Weather Report was darker and more "outside" in its improvisations and aesthetic. The later Weather Report was more composed and structured.

This album is the perfect blending of the compositional and the improvisational. That line between those two facets is at its least detectable of all their albums. And for me, that was the goal of that era of music; to make everything feel organic and created in the moment. To listen and relisten to the music and wonder what was written down and what took off in the moment of performance. I read that Joe Zawinul arrived at much of their music by jamming. This is why "jazz", for lack of a better term, is the most life-honoring of the musical forms. Life has its structured moments and its moments of the unplanned, the whim, allowing oneself to follow the unexpected.

And the range of what the music evokes is as broad as the globe itself. Sights and sounds of the Carribean, North Africa, the Middle East, urban America, first world, third world, acoustic, electric. There are moments that are joyous and celebratory, there are moments of great tenderness, there are moments of ache and longing, there is power, there is space, comtemplation, and distance.

I just hope you enjoy this album as much as I have over the years

Tale Spinnin' is certainly an underrated WR Album - not their best, but a good album nevertheless.
The musicianship is thoroughly great (as usual), as is the general majority of the compositions.

The album starts up with the bright, racing, yet slightly moody Zawinul composition, "Man In The Green Shirt".

The album then continues with the funky Shorter piece, "Lusitanos". Features some nice Alphonso wah-wah style bass, and a great Zawinul acoustic piano break. One of the best tracks on the album.

Then we come to the bouncy Zawinul piece "Between The Thighs". There's some nice soloing on this one.

What was once Side 2 starts off with another Zawinul piece, entitled "Badia". There's a slightly middle eastern feel about this one. But before you judge this one alone - listen to the version of this on their live album "8:30". It's one of the best on the album.

We then come to the second Shorter piece on the album, named "Freezing Fire". Great musicianship. A slight reminder of "Palladium" from their 1977 album Heavy Weather.

The album finishes with the Zawinul/Shorter Electric/Acoustic duet, entitled "Five Short Stories". This piece is quite different to their (mainly) acoustic duet "Blackthorn Rose" on their previous album. An interesting piece nonetheless.

This is a great remaster, and it could quite possibly be the best packaged of current Columbia WR remasters. I just can't understand why on the front of the CD case, Columbia have placed a yellow sticker that claims to feature Jaco Pastorius - This is simply untrue.

But apart from this, this album contains nice solos and great music.

More funky and down in the groove than other albums, with a lot of electric piano, and possibly the fastest acoustic piano solo I've ever heard from Zawinul. Good playing from Alphonso Jonson, maybe his best work with WR. Wayne gets a little more on this album too. Ndugu remains one of the greatest fusion drummers of the 70's, and there's a lot of percussion on this album too. The atmosphere for me is one of fun and improvisation. This album belongs in every WR collection. Funny that CBS thinks Jaco was on this...By the way, anyone who slags Peter Erskine does not appreciate what he did for the band when Jaco brought him in. They really became a group rather than strong individual personalities. No one drummer was the best WR drummer, all added their voice. Erskine was the best fit, I think, though Acuna really was phenomenal. I saw the 1977 Heavy Weather tour with Acuna and Jaco and it changed my life. Shorter used him on several of his solo albums.

In 2007, the main 16 Weather Report Columbia titles were re-released in Japan with new DSD remastering in mini-sleeve format. From an audio quality standpoint, the DSD versions now supercede all the earlier standard-CD-audio U.S. releases (some of the WR catalog are available as SACD's).

Additionally, the Japan editions feature a welcome 2CD restoration of "8:30" to the original 13-track double-LP album configuration, with the proper inclusion of "Scarlet Woman", which had been edited off all domestic editions to allow for a cheaper, single-disc release.

So far, the WR DSD catalog is only available in mini-sleeve format, and all `sleeves are limited edition. If it is your desire to own the latest/greatest audio, then don't delay in picking these up, although it is always possible that Sony Japan will release them again as less expensive jewel case editions somewhere down the road. However, for the true WR fan and vinyl nut, it's great to have the wonderful mini-LP replicas of the original LP covers!

I wanted to provide links for each 2007 `sleeve edition, but unfortunately, Amazon only allows 10 per review. But, by linking to the 2007 DSD remaster of the first Weather Report album, you should be able to use the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" tool to locate the rest of the 2007 DSD titles (just make sure you verify the release date and Product Description).

Also, of note: In this same release were updated DSD remasters of the following WR-member solo albums, also as mini-sleeves:

Jaco Pastorius (1st album)
Wayne Shorter "Native Dancer"
Joe Zawinul "Di-a-lects"

And, the two Havana Jam albums, both where WR appeared live, also as `sleeves:

Havana Jam 1
Havana Jam 2

And, FINALLY: 2007 witnessed John McLaughlin finally relenting to release the full Trio Of Doom studio & live recordings, the awesome line-up of McLaughlin, Pastorius and Tony Williams, which could only be found previously on the Havana Jam albums, albeit in edited form.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

The first time I heard "Badia" I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever heard, and I rushed out to buy Tale Spinnin'. Putting on the record (it was a record back then...) it starts with "Man in the Green Shirt" which also became one of my all-time favorite tunes. I don't understand why this album doesn't get the respect it deserves, but that's the problem of the people who don't listen to it. If you like Weather Report's music, this album has some great tunes and some great moments, there for you to enjoy.

This is not the quintessential Weather Report album, but it is the key transitional work and is my personal favorite. Like all the others, this album has its own sound and feel to it that doesn't miss. I love the beautiful closing ballad

I would disagree with the assessment of the editorial review here at Amazon and feel that this disc is as good as any by Weather Report. The music is great in a suttle sort of way, granted it may be not as challenging as some of their other works, nor as adventurous but they were settled into a nice niche. Why fix it if it is not broken? They were at the forefront,setting the pace in the 70's, all alone on top in their musical fusion; there were only bands below them attempting to capture their essence. The disc itself is highlighted by some great solos or improvisations rendered in the traditional jazz manner. The disc includes lines and structure created for free forms to flow and evolve into beautiful muisc. This is original world music with flavors from different and distinct cultures brought in by the the different players. The glue that holds it all together, in spite of personnel change is Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. The outstanding track, "Man in a Green Hat" is a classic WR song that embodies the band. "Lusitanos" illustrates the leaders abilities also as it features some great music by the man himself, Joe Zawinul as he creates atmospheric runs on the various keyboards. The interludes are woven together with his magical runs on the keyboards as Wayne Shorter dictates his horn to compliment the music. "Five Short Stories" is a harmonious ending to a great disc. It is a tease of things to come in future albums or discs. It leaves you wanting more. If you are new to WR check them out, they played vital music that still sounds good today. Recommended for musicians or those that appreciate innovation and fusion and the roots of world muisc.

I don't understand the tepid assessment of this album. It is one of my favorites of all time in any genre. It stands the test of time, sounding vibrant as ever some 30 years down the road. It is as contemporary today as ever, being the bedrock on which virtually all world jazz is built on. And for the most part, (with a few notable exceptions,) they did it more convincingly and with less self consciousness than anything being done today.

When I first bought the vinyl I back in 1975 I was hoping for the same great energy as Mysterious Traveler and was initially disappointed. It took almost a year before I revisited this album. Perhaps I had matured enough to appreciate it by then, but it eventually it became one of my all time favorites, and it still ranks up there with my absolute favorite Weather Report recordings.

This was a transitional period for the band. Miroslav was out and Alfonso Johnson's funkier bass was now driving the bottom, enabling the band to move in a whole other direction. It's a great blend of wild jamming and tight compositions. Starting right out of the gate, The Man with the Green shirt is one of the great Zawinul compositions. It is Joy itself, an unselfconscious ecstatic celebration of Life.

There are no fillers here. Luisitanos, a quintessential Shorter composition exhibits all the classic Shorter touches, angular and emotional yet cooly logical in its phrasing. It features Joe in a (then) rare acoustic piano solo, simultaneously at his most relaxed and most burning. 'Between the Thighs' is a loose, rambling space-funk romp, yet is it also full of complex tutti passages and rhythmic depth .It's got a lot of thorny ensemble writing, yet it unfurls as naturally as a peacock spreads its feathers. It's as though the whole band is hooked up here, interacting and relating as one. It takes the listener on a journey to the swamplands of the Mississippi Delta, the high desert in north africa, and winds up in a party somewhere in the tropics on Mars. I have taken that trip a thousand times, yet every time they play that dreamy part with the tubular bells it takes my breath away. I think Stravinsky (as well as Ellington) would've gotten a kick out of this music.

Badia is an incredibly prescient view into areas musicians would be exploring some thirty years hence, but this was 1975(!), and these gentlemen were already masters of world jazz, a genre yet to be named and in many ways never surpassed. 'Freezing Fire' is another burning Shorter composition, and in it's afterglow, the album winds down with the reflective and intriguing, ''Five Short Stories', another great Zawinul composition.

Because of the joy and affirmation it communicates, I play this CD on special occasions, when I am feeling like I need a boost, or when I feel most alive, and embarassing as it might be to admit it, sometimes I'll put on candles, turn off the lights and dance to it! For this is a CD that embodies the Dance of Life.