Customer Reviews

This Is This

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

 

 

. . . is that it's almost impossible to encounter it objectively. That is, we approach it with all kind of expectations, none of which is likely to be met. Thus, the normal, and altogether understandably typical response, is a sort of shell-shocked denial--i.e., what the heck is going on here?

I admit, that was my first reaction.

For example (as other reviewers have pointed out), where's Wayne? Hardly present. How can you just sideline one of the most important composers/saxmen in the history of jazz? How come he's got no compositions? How come his sax is nearly non-existent (although it sneaks in, e.g., rather righteously, one must admit, on "I'll Never Forget You"--for me, a genuinely heartfelt and beautiful song--"Jungle Stuff, Part I," and a brief but brilliant foray on "Man With The Copper Fingers")?

The latter two, in my humble opinion, are entirely on board with classic Weather Report songs. Indeed, this whole disc fairly reeks of authentic WR vibes, even if it doesn't quite rise to the height of classic recordings such as Mysterious Traveler, Heavy Weather, and Black Market.

It's entirely understandable that reviewers typically relegate this disc to the dustbin of WR outings, in face of the impossibly high standards set by the greatest the bands' greatest recordings and the disconcertingly problematic features contained herein. But I'm coming to the opinion--reluctantly, it must be admitted, given my initial huge disappointment--that this disc is a whole lot better than it's generally given credit for being.

In fact, I'm almost tempted to give it a full five stars, as crazy as that might seem: I'm so taken by its rare, hypnotic, crazy groove.

Moreover, it's just fun, once you get rid of the overblown expectations.

Listen: it's OK to like--even love--this odd disc; I do, and I'm a top Amazon jazz reviewer. I'm giving you permission to go ahead and admit that you really dig this disc despite its weirdness and departure from WR norms.

OK? ****1/2, maybe even *****.

While the knock on this CD is that it was put together solely to fulfill contractual obligations and so contains uninspired writing and playing, there is still much to enjoy, if one can look beyond expectations.

Wayne Shorter may be missing from most of the CD, but when he shows up, it is worth the wait. His short, intense solo on "Jungle Stuff Pt 1" is, as always, brilliant. The fact that you wish it were longer is testament to this fact. The tune itself is catchy, falling generally into the "World Music" category of WR tunes.

The other highlight is Carlos Santana. Guitar was never a key part of WR (Ralph Towner notwithstanding), but here Santana generates a lot of heat on the title track and contributes a great solo on "Man with Copper Fingers." The sound IS different than prior WR, but is that necessarily bad?

Try listening without the WR expectations and see....there is a LOT of music out there that is far, far worse than this.

Wayne and Zawinul both wanted to end WR because they wanted to do solo work and WR took up lots of their time. Especially Zawinul, who usually had the most work putting together the material. This was a mutual finish to a beautiful legacy, and there are one or two outstanding cuts on this album. You may make it your last WR album, but don't pass it over.

Superstar guitarist Carlos Santana fills in for a largely absent Wayne Shorter on this jazz fusion release from Joe Zawinul and company. The title track is a powerful Zawinul/Santana jam with a driving rhythm that doesn't let up. The rather repetitive "Face the Fire" is something approaching World music, with its infectious beat that fortunately doesn't drag on too long. "I'll Never Forget You" is a still, meditative piece that I didn't much care for. Mino Cenelu's "Jungle Stuff, Pt 1" sounds like World Music again with its percolating rhythm and a nice sax solo from Shorter. "Man with the Copper Fingers" features Santana on lead guitar, playing a pleasant mid-tempo melody; this one's pretty cool. "Consequently" is a slower number featuring Shorter's sax and Victor Bailey's bass, but it's not one of my favorites. "Update" is a frenetic newsroom-sounding piece that showcases the keys and the drum kit - more noise than melody. After all this, the closing "China Blues" is pretty forgettable. A couple of very good tracks, but much of this recording is either too mellow or too repetitive. I give it three and a half stars.

It must have felt like finishing a marathon and then being tapped on the shoulder by a race official and told the course was actually short, with the need to run an extra mile that happened to be all uphill.

The band had broken up after Sportin' Life in 1985, with the various members now engaged in other projects. But that pesky small print in the recording contract stated that one more album was due. And this is the point where the debate starts on the merits of the release.

Joe Zawinul (key) again does the bulk of the songwriting - six of eight numbers - with Victor Bailey (b) and Mino Cinelu (per) each contributing one piece. The drumming is solid from Peter Erskine (d), there is a "guest" appearance by Omar Hakim and Wayne Shorter (sax) has a limited role, reportedly due to solo work. Carlos Santana rips into solos on the title cut and Man with the Copper Fingers.

The project has an artistic feel of a Zawinul solo effort, as the world music flavor dominates the mix. Perhaps his compositions were initially geared to the sessions that produced the outstanding Dialects, which was released several months before this album.

It was certainly a difficult way to end the career of the iconic band that revolutionized the fusion sound. But at least the band didn't go the odds-n-ends route from the dusty shelves of the vault and were wearing their "creative" shoes for the final race.

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.

Weather Report broke up after "Sportin' Life" was released, but they owed Columbia one more album. Wayne Shorter had other commitments and could barely participate. So Joe Zawinul went through his Rolodex and called up friends (Carlos Santana) and old band members (Peter Erskine) to help out. Needless to say there isn't much of real interest here; lots of Zawinul synth, and that's about it.

This is This is not like the (fifteen!) previous WR albums. After the release of "Sportin' Life" (beginning of 1985), Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter had already decided to stop their collaboration, and "This is This" was recorded only for contractual reasons. The Wayne Shorter contribution is not significant, the most important solo instrument is the guitar of Carlos Santana. Also there are no Shorter compositions, but you can find a nice Victor Bailey tune ("Consequently") and some pleasant Zawinul cuts. It's probably the worst Weather Report album, but it's a good fusion CD, anyway.

Weather Report were a magnificent 70s jazz-rock group that broke up six years too late. The band should have said a fond farewell with 'Night Passage', and their place among the true greats in jazz history would have been assured. But instead the band carried on, wounded, releasing albums which damaged its reputation, though each LP had its moments. The arrival of CD put the nails in Weather Report's coffin -- album buyers began to expect 55+ minute recordings, whereas the band usually struggled to write enough quality material to get much beyond 35 minutes per LP.

The relationship between Zawinul and Shorter was suffering by the time Pastorius arrived in '75, and it didn't take long for Zawinul to find a voice on his Oberheim polyphonic which could replace Shorter's sax. It's hard to tell that Shorter is present at all on many of the tracks of 'This is This'.

There are no compositions by Shorter, and the instrumental lead is often taken by, bizarrely for Weather Report, guitar. But that guitar is played by Carlos Santana. This doesn't sound like a Weather Report album. Indeed, the presence of Siedah Garrett got me thinking that it sounds more like a Quincy Jones' album, of the 'Q's Jook Joint' period. (Zawinul appeared on that album's predecessor, 'Back to the Block'.) I suspect it was left to bassist Victor Bailey to keep the band together for the duration of this recording session.

This is a contractual obligation album at least as bad as Monty Python's 'Contractual Obligation Album'. But at least they admitted it.

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.