Billy Cobham - Stratus 

100% true. My dad grew up with him in Sioux City

Spacing out at this masterpiece, overnight at a radio station or two (somewhere in America). Not to be greedy, I was only too happy to share this creative fire ftom Olympus with those in the wee wee hours (bet it kept a few folks awake at the wheel, fo' sho')!

Well, the song is in pentatonic. Basic rock, so Bolin could go wild with no need for the knowledge of advanced jazz theory. Just saying.

@@dean4559 in my early 20's in the 70's, this was a transitional bridge from Rock of the 60's & 70''s which seemed to be losing it's creative and revolutionary appeal, to jazz, which can never let you you down in creativity. Joe Farrell is another bridge for me, from hard-driving rock to jazz. They appealed to my need for a hard drum rhythm to pause long enough to appreciate the creativity of the other instruments going on. Thus, I expanded my appreciation, which has lasted a lifetime.

Well, I wasn't doing heroin. That's for certain.

You are exactly right! I was a young drummer at the time. And I appreciate that your comment grants Buddy his greatness. He really was great! But Billy was great in a very different, unique way. I would come home from a concert where Cobham played in a state of shock. I had never heard anything like him before!

SOLARIZATION, the opening track from the follow up album BILLY COBHAM • TOTAL ECLIPSE in 1974 blew the doors off. Note: don't listen to a scratchy album post of it listeners. Digital. He had a new double bass fiberglass drum set by MILESTONE to replace the legendary FIBES clear double bass set and he cut a timpani in half and called it a Gong Drum (later made by TAMA). Albums that take you on a voyage like a number of the fusion albums did then as opposed to a collection of shorter three minute songs are a favorite.

They did also have Bill Ward back then. Not trying to take anything away from this masterpiece.

@@Gargoyle3438 the fusion jazz of that period was amazing stuff.

yep like 032!! listen carefully

It has been for me since '73 ha ha.

Back when this came out, I was pleasantly surprised with Tommy Bolin. I wasn't surprised about his skills, just surprised that he did this with Cobham. This is a world away from Deep Purple. BTW, I'm a Cobham fan. not so much a Deep Purple fan. Now I'm from Philly and a childhood friend's uncles were Micheal and Randy Brecker. Loved Micheal's colab with Billy on "Heather"

Well, cobham is defenitely the Best drummer, i have heard live in my lifetime, No contest, alone his psycical presence left me in awe.

Blow by Blow.

You think that Jeff Beck album beats this one out, ​@@doovie101? I won’t argue that it does or doesn’t myself. They have one player in common.

Leland Sklar ~ This is such a timeless bass-line.

'spLOSive! bam! Even better than Bruford's "One of a Kind" snare.

I love the N&C that Chris Whitten uses on Paul Mcartneys Tripping the live fantastic.

I get that 👍

The slight reverb makes it pop in the right way.

U bet,kick also,right in the chest,for snare I love Yes,,big gen And 90215 for great snare rec

Especially, in the true sense, you have a fusion of two jazz base musicians, Billy and Jan, playing with two great Rock based players.

It seems like a simple bass part, but finding a bass player who can hold it down rock solid isn't that easy. I've heard too many start to drift.

@@8sigreg Definitely a challenge. I've been playing for over 40 years and I just tried it for the first time a week or so ago. It's just three notes but man, keeping them in order and clean isn't easy.

@@hubbsllc agreed. Forearm destroyer too. LOL

@@8sigreg exactly. I’m a bass player and often listen to Leland’s playing against the snare…he’s just dead on, all the time.

Master groover...stole the show.

builtforspeed339 God Bless your words , dam true.

Builtforspeed hai ragione. Non lo dimentichiamo il Sig. Tommy Bolin.

Mr Cobham ...thinks your adorable.

His what?

Beck and Tal blew it up too!!!

It inspired him to make Blow by Blow

And Miles Davis' "Jack Johnson"@@tomgross1953

Fantastic albums!

Not one! This piece is The Masterpiece. The Cornerstone. THE FUSIONPIECE! The Basic and the HighEnd at the same time..............................

Check out Jeff Beck, Jan, and Vinnie Colaiuta's live version. Vinnie is obviously a great drummer, but he swings for the fences a couple times where Billy would keep it more inside. Still, it's worth a listen; the groove is true to the original.

kneelandpray2 It’s late 2019 and I just discovered that Leland Sklar was the bass player on this legendary original. I keep saying to myself, “self, stop being surprised at where you find Mr. Sklar, he has played for almost everyone, on almost every album worth talking about, almost since magnetic recording tape was invented.” I have a dvd of Toto live in Paris 2007. What an amazing concert. Greg Philinganes, Lee Sklar, Simon Phillips !! I read later (I hope this isn’t a bogus story) that just before that tour, their bassist had an accident so they called Mr. Sklar and asked him to stand in for the tour. He learned the whole show in 2 weeks but watching him doesn’t provide a clue. In several little spots during the show he slips in licks from other iconic artists. I caught a whisper of Weather Report Heavy Weather. It’s hilarious. He’s played with EVERYONE.

The bassline was famously sampled by Massive Attack on their track Safe From Harm.

The bassline comes from some higher power.Not of this Earth.😎

You’re not mentioning the disgusting bassline that lives the entire song. Huge reason it’s such a groove

Don't forget the majesty of the bass on the record mostly by Lee Sklar who did this ICONIC bass line

Yes.

Lee Sklar has his own channel on RU-vid and plays along to his original lay down bass track , it’s worth checking it out.

Cobham is rock solid. The entire band was ahead of their time. And, it's so sad we lost Bolin way too early.

You are still catching up like I am Jeremy..

sampled by Massive attack

The wonders of technology!

EXACTLY the same to me!...I woke up thinking Eclipse but not quite...then Stratus....it's that memorable! ...a song that sticks in your head 45 yrs

damn nice dude

there had been LPs and CDs out there and if you havent lived under stone you migjht have been able get access to it....

IMMORTALE!!!

Man I love dat bass!!!

And listen how even his notes are. Very consistent.

Check out his RU-vid channel. He jammed along with this the other day using the actual bass he played on the record.

@@a-funk1253 Yeah, I wonder how many people are able to appreciate the difficulty of playing a simple line over and over while remaining tight and consistent. A hallmark of a great bass player.

Damn straight.

Let's not forget Lenny,Narada and Bruford!!!

​@@blairmathis3349100%

Don’t forget jan hammer!

And Lee Sklar on bass.😊 ​@@leksheychef6063

🤣

Absolutely!

Without a doubt.Was living in South Carolina at the time.Heard this on a savannah Georgia radio station and bought the album immediately.

Stargazer by RAINBOW seems more a proper candidate here. Its mot I cant appreciate stuff like this but at the same I feel awkward, it sounds so much 70 s drugs inspired.

Right on! ✌️

minocher vania ☆☆☆wow!!! Lucky you......you got to grow up in Switzerland and you were listening to this gem? Veeeery nice. Peace and love.🎶🎶🎶

Did the Swiss jam it?

@@bowelmusicreleases_DAMF only in Montreux.

@@minochervania2179 Thats correct, 1970 did not had jazz scene even today there are not many Blues&Jazz bars/clubs where you can listen live musik without buying a ticket. We are missing bars where live music is played even today 40 years later...

OHH what's the Beastie Boys one?!

There isn’t. Just the Massive cut.

You can tell this album has a lot of influence on the Beastie Boys album The In Sound from Way Out.

LONG LIVES BILLY BOLIN!!

Don't forget the trashy China cymbal ride!

Peccato che non rulla mai……🙄🙄

William Nelson yeah I saw Mahavishnu Orchestra at Reading Fest the same year, minus Jan Hammer but still an amazing gig, I did copious amounts of acid to this record when I first got it, sort of seared it into my soul to an extreme earworm thing 😂

Amen! The groove on this track should be taught in all drum classes...

Check out tony williams lifetime believe it lp.youll dig it...

@@michaelmarino3013 The track FRED by Tony Williams is amazing. Sadly gone but his drumming was outstanding !

But.. Weren't you shot down during WW1, 1917?

+Werner Voss Sick.. And now you're back, resurrected by the groove

I've got 3 copies just KUZZZ!

My friend gave me the album back in 76. I got rid of all my albums in 1998. Bought Spectrum last year-just to have. I need the CD.

thats awesome

Tommy and Alphonse Mouzon were great too. Check out GOLDEN RAINBOWS

Indeed it is and always will be.

joke's been made a million times. take your life.

@@tightirl Agreed.

No joke foo

i wanna be your neighbor

Anthony Corrreia also yells FREEBIRD!!! at every show he attends.

Yeeeeeeees

sounds like you need a new bass player.

@@sn1ffy85It sounds like you haven’t picked up a bass in your life if you can’t understand how much of a BITCH playing this bassline is

Miss Tommy got to see him with Zephyr Out standing

Corea Kixx HOLEECRAP that’s almost exactly my story !! I was a high school senior in 77 and I lost my fusion cherry to RTF Romantic Warrior, Dimeola’s “Elegant Gypsy” (overall lifetime favorite album I think because I cannot get bored with one second of it), Stanley Clark “School days”, And an dizzying overdose of Jean-luc Ponty. A friend’s older brother had 3 or 4 Ponty albums. That violin twisted this 18 year old brain. The very coolest thing happened. My Dad...WWII veteran, drummer, music degree, former marching band director, fell hard for this new weird music I was bringing home. He and I lived together for awhile after the divorce and when I came home one day he didn’t hear me come in Because he had Gino Vanelli’s “Brother to brother”.... CRANKED UP on my hot rod Sansui stereo. Jazz-fusion was a very cool father-son connection.

Yes,great everything....Kicks ass all over the everywhere,Lol!!!!

Yes

What? No replies 😕

I just learned something about that flawless spine tingling 16-bar riff...it’s a sound effect known as “ecoplex” which takes a sequence and repeats like a digital echo...I still love it. Don’t matter to me if you use technology to create sonic bliss...

Thanks for the time mark..good God so awesome

@@richardparrot9202 been around...but yes what a great example..just is so awesome

Makes me feel like I'm flying over and under the city.

Midnight rockers, city slickers.

Me too ,on both counts

siddik43 like the difference of gravy and sauce

N

I hope you have a good time with your speakers

Ice

@@JOHNSTIER23 p

Unknown maybe to today's youth...- but NEVER UNDERRATED!!!

That's the truth my friend!