Customer Reviews

Yellowjackets

5 star:		(10)
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2 star:		(1)
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After almost a quarter of a century this album still sets the standard for modern jazz. As fresh and relevant today as it was back then I haven't heard anything that even comes close to replicating its inventive energy.

If you like your jazz funky, with a touch of RnB, Rock and a dash of Salsa step this way. You will never ever forget the riffs laid down by Ford or the nimble keys of Ferrante. A top notch debut album widely respected and revered by musicians in the know, it has been copied but never bettered.

I tend to group this album along with Robben Ford's "The Inside Story" as the most representative recordings of the West Coast Jazz/Rock fusion sound. While certainly a bit more commerical sounding than the Ford disc, it still is a fantastic piece of work. Anyone who would even think of calling this "fuzak" hasn't listened to this recording enough. While Robben doesn't get a chance to solo on every cut, if you're a fan of his, this album is a must have. His playing is breath taking. And to me, the rhythym section is as good as it gets.

I will agree with other reviewers here. Jazzy, classic (because of the piano), soulful, gospel (even though there is not a single word said along the album), upbeat, melodic, inspired, uncompromised music (not targeting the American top 40) is what you will find on this album. These people can play and go for it ! It is in fact hard to write a review of this album because of the complexity and diversity of each track, crafted with energy and enthusiasm. The whole thing blends magnificently all along the album, even though it is JAZZ !

I fully agree wit the other reviewers, the guitar play is amazing. It sets the tone and rhythm on "Imperial Strut", "Rush hour", "Priscilla" (just when you were thinking "oh, there goes a pasty song"). Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Carlitos Rios, Eddie Gomez or perhaps even Jeff Beck couldn't have done it better.

My favourite here is "It's almost gone". Deep bass even though the piano is in frontline, and a sort of oriental mood for the first 110 seconds. Powerful composition, very intense and deep. Then, bang the drums kick in, the keys overpower the piano and the track picks up and takes you high. Three minutes later, the piano closes the journey with the same melodic sounds it started. This is wonderful music. The closer on my edition, "Top Secret", replaces "Sittin it in", and it is a good trade off. You can't stay still in your chair with this one...

Bravo to the Yellowjackets for this gift and get or keep this one in your collection. If anybody ever asks you who they are, say the truth : one of the bands which showed a different approach to music in the mid seventies/eighties, together with Pat Metheny or Steely Dan, when everything was disco or a "plastic" genre that also became silly with time ("west coast music" with people such as Jack Wagner, Roger Voudouris, Adrian Gurvitz...). Remember that this band has always been sort of unconventional. I haven't listened to all of their releases, but not one of the albums I have from them or heard from them is like another and this one is a gem.

In short, an album that has not aged, that is worth listening to over and over, which is not commercial music and that should be played for more than just "connaisseurs". If you haven't heard anything from these guys, you should like them if you like "AJA" (Steely Dan) and "OFFRAMP" (Pat Metheny).

Great fusion album from 1981 with great musicians. One of those rare albums where everything clicked perfectly and every song is great. Incredible guitar work from Robben Ford who also co-wrote some of the songs. Since this recording was 100% digital the transfer to CD makes it sound even better than the vinyl.

This is one of the BEST (underlined best) "new jazz" recordings to have come along in years. These guys simply were having fun when these tunes were penned and recorded, and the youthful exuberance goes over the top and then some. I love the tunes on this CD (Matinee Idol, Sittin' In It, for example).

Groove on down the road with this masterpiece. You won't be disappointed.

Peace Out

Although the Yellow Jackets have grown into one of the finest electric jazz outfits in the world their beginnings were nothing to sneeze at either. Their current sound is more "Weather Report" where as on their earlier recordings, and in particular this one, it has more of a "LA Express/Crusaders" feel but with a powerful energy all it's own. Super tight arangements, excellent grooves, unbelievable solos (especially guest and mentor Robben Ford's), horn sections to die for. You will NOT be dissappointed with this CD!

An awesome album, great performances by the whole band. This is a must for any Fusion aficionado's album collection; especially THE HORNET. What a tune. GET IT!!!

I have listened to the Yellowjackets for 25 years....their early albums are their best in my opinion....this one particularly!!!!!

Unlike a lot of people who debuted in this "field" in the early 80's The Yellowjacket's are scortching.At least here they are-rather then have a sound that imitated the sing-a-long melodies and light pop of Chuck Mangione and Spyro Gyra The Yellowjackets influences were definately jazz-funk-rock fusion in the beginning. Most of these songs are uptempo and powerful,certainly not anything you could call "smooth jazz" by todays standards anyway."Matinee Idol" gets everything started great with a great rhythm but it's on "Imperial Strut" that the album gets SERIOUS-the bands chemistry with the intense polyrhythms provided would certainly make bands like The Crusaders proud!"Sittin' In It" offers up Yamaha CP-30 solos right out of the George Duke school and is able to pull it off with funk to spare!"Rush Hour" on the other hand presents a sound I cannot even liken to anyone else's;the mood and the tempo change from dancable jazz-funk to exciting fusion to such a degree it's impossible to know when each sound ends and begins."Priscilla" presents a groove that has the same minimalist approch as Bob James but again changes gears on a dime."It's Almost Gone" explores a somewhat classical style piano and more of a solo approch.Whatever you want to say about what The Yellowjackets would become in the future or what this type of music would evolve into this is one of the best debuts in it's genre at that time.And it really makes you wonder why the band didn't exactly stick with this sound as the years passed.

The yellowjackets were Robben Ford's backing band that b/c of his record deal with Elektra had to be a "featured guest" on this record. Truth is the band was touring/giging working out these songs for awhile before recording and the tightness of VERY intricate grooves are apparent on every track. For those who don't find fusion a bad word, this is it at it's most musical height. Robben Ford's guitar playing is simply out of this world with one breathtaking lick after another. This is his last hurrah with this type of playing before he returned to his blues roots (and some would argue, less exciting playing). Produced by LiPuma who did so many of these seminal records at the time. Buy the version with the extra tracks. More Robben solo's on that show even when he was human, he was simply unmatched for the combination of feeling and technical prowess. BUY NOW!