Better quality I believe than the other versions here on youtube. Opening song for their 1976 performance on the BBC Old Grey Whistle Test. Return To Forever, with Chick Corea - keys Al Di Meola - g Stanley Clarke - b Lenny White - dr
@@arkteosss Neither, according to his "religion". He believes that he goes to a "landing station" on the planet Venus and gets reincarnated, which is as illogical as what any other religion teaches.
Yeah, at the time I didn’t really see the connection between progressive rock and jazz fusion, but it seems obvious now, and this song-and album-is the classic example.
@@davebartholome2924 When I was a senior in high school 73-74, in the NYC area, the top rock radio station in the US, WNEW Fm 102.7, had already been playing music by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and all my Prog head friends into ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Soft Machine, you name it, were freaking out. Soon, Chick Corea released “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy,” and they went nuts for that. Point being, the Jazz Rock Fusion scene was attracting the Progressive Rock audience. I saw Return to Forever, as a warm-up for Renaissance.
@@smitskee At that time, I was living in Helena, MT, where radio stations were definitely not playing the Mahavishnu Orchestra! I only found out about Return to Forever because they appeared on Don Kirshner’s show (remember him?). Progressive rock was definitely more a thing than jazz fusion in Montana-a few prog rock groups actually played the Pacific Northwest! Jazz fusion groups played Seattle, but nowhere else.
All four musicians are amazing! Such incredible precision. Live and still note for note perfect. How do they do it? Rest In Peace Chick. You were a visionary.
Nowadays, the (so called) performers (not really any sort of musician) who wear clothes covering about 2% of their bodies ( as displayed on the recent awards shows) are not real musicians. They are paid by the companies promoting their agenda. Think not? Check out these people's history in the entertainment world. At least the young musicians playing the music as done here is something worthwhile and as a 65 year old drummer myself, I applaud these guys !
Yeah, that’s one of the things that drew me to this music-the fun they were having playing together. Rock guys seemed to be on their own individual ego trips when they were playing-with these guys, it was about the music and the fun they were having making it together.
I’m sure there’s stuff being made today like this and you just haven’t found it yet, think about it, we look back on this band as great because it’s been 40 years and we know it’s great, the stuff that will become classic is still underground
but the market for actually respecting, talkimg and caring about the music nothing more than a subz-genre of the overall music regurgitation machine. good music may atil be made, but the masses are now the lowest common denominator. 50 years ago that market only could afford radio, people buying the records were intellectually superior, as cruel as that may seem.
@@xXfrankreynolds69Xx That was my era and I can tell you that most popular music back then was trash, just like now. The bad stuff has been forgotten. It is true that today new "good" music is completely excluded from mass media and has disappeared in the USA. For them/us things are much worse now. There are a very few bright spots, such as Cory Wong. Great music lives in Tokyo. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-snw5FdVzS9g.html
@@Rushyesgenesis "Like" 10 years ago. Why use the word like? It's completely unnecessary. It seems to be a habit with a lot of people, and it's most annoying, as it is not proper grammar in any way.
nothing really hard to play in a sense of speed, but the way they play with rythmn is another dimension, imagina going trought all these little bits of partition.So mush off beats and fast rythmn
This was from the Romantic Warrior album, released on Columbia Records. The vinyl copy was so rich. I wore out two copies and am on my third. It was voted the best jazz record of that year. No wonder. To this day, the best quartet ever assembled. Period!
RTF's music was not only amazing in this era, but man just look at these guys. What ragtag mix of amazing individuals. Stanley Clark's bass sound is so freaking awesome too.
Saw RTF for an extended set (on his white drum set) in early 70's at Art Park, in Lewiston, NY outside of Buffalo, when Larry Coryell canceled. Just Amazing. Warm night, just perfect sound and Lenny was amazing (as was the entire band). Once I heard 'Earth Juice' I became a Lenny White fan immediately!
Those old synths produced a lot of goofy sounds and it took a lot of talent and patience to mess with them to get good musical colors that fit with the music and didn't sound gimmicky. I think that Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock managed to do it, not many others. I think Chick is a piano virtuoso but I don't think he ever got the hang of using synthesizers.
@@smitskee I used to really like the way Hammer bent the notes on his synth, it gave it an exotic feel that fit in with Mahavishnu's allusions to Indian music.
I am weighing in all the way from Lagos Nigeria. RTF was key sound track to my teenage years. Still love them to death. The best FUSION band ever! My one life regret is that I missed their show in NYC about 5 years ago... Perhaps one day!
You lucky devil! What a lineup of all-time All-Stars who are just wailing! I hate sounding like a bitter boomer, but what passes for prog or fusion these days just can't compete with the originators of the genre. It's not the fault of today's musicians, it's just that what they're doing has to go up against my memories of the music and players such as this. Is it just nostalgia or is there a qualitative difference? The question is strictly rhetorical and the difference personal. Can you recommend anything obscure but interesting from this period?
C’mon, it was the 70s, cut him some slack. Guys in bands-all kinds of bands-were buying their clothes from the ladies section in the department store. It might look gay now, but the idea was to look bohemian, androgynous, edgy-think Mick Jagger.
RIP brother. This album helped guide me in my musical education and endeavor since I was a kid growing up with like minded musician friends...turns out my wife cut both Stanley and Chicks hair when she was young and this is most likely her work on their heads...lol Chick you are not gone forever.... you have RETURNED TO FOREVER!
Brings back so many great memories! At one concert Headhunters music was bleeding through the PA from a radio show. During the stops of the song Chick would dance to Herbie's music bleeding through, then continue with their song without missing a beat. Great big smile! Miss you my man!
It's amazing how our collective musical journeys transform over time. In 1976 at the time of this show, I was 14 and listening to Boston, and other pop rock of the day, J. Geils et.al. One day I walked to the store to check out a Yes album (yep, real vinyl in those days, glad to see it is somewhat coming back....ah, but I digresss;;;), Close To The Edge. I didn't recognize one song listed on the back of the album cover, but what the hell, I heard a lot about this band Yes. WOW! what an eye-opening day that was....been a prog fan ever since. Now, almost 40 years later, I once again discover a prog/jjazz fusion behemoth, Return To Forever. Awesome music, Thanks RU-vid and the original poster for sharing this.
Still have this record, and it's still in pretty good shape since I always took care of my records. Still sounds pretty good on my Bang & Olufsen(B & O) turntable. I believe it won the Grammy that year for best Jazz Fusion album.
0:00 - 0:49 I cannot stop rewinding just to listen to this EPIC opener. I gives me chills everytime I play it. Is that supposed to happen? Or do I need to see a doctor? Oh well, I guess if I'm going to die, it might as well be from the listening to this. Either way, I'll have a smile on my face. Also: RIP, Chick! I was turned on to you when I was in middle school, and I'm still just as fascinated by your work decades later.
True story: I had a good musician friend who grew up with S.C., and that Christmas week in 1987 we all had dinner at Stanley's house in Bel Air. He was very cool.
In those years some american masters of progressive rock and modern jazz merged their musical ideas generating “jazz rock”, later called “fusion”. This song is one of the clearest example of that merging process.
It is hard to imagine that he played with 'cool jazz Miles'. This is so much better in so many ways. When I want to relax, I listen to Light as a Feather, but when I need a boost I listen to Romantic Warrior. So good.
For once I find it hard to express just what a superb band RTF were, this for me was their best line up. Was always a big Corea admirer from his work with Miles. Just the other day listened again, after many years, to some of the early tracks when Flora Purim sang with the band, I can't believe she is 80 now. Happy memories.
Of the great drum masters I have seen, I would have to say Lenny White was the most musical and lyrical. He really flies around the kit like a guitar or keyboardist.
Lenny at that time was very good. He brought something special to the Return To Forever table. Especiallly on the records "Hymnth Of The Seventh Galaxy" and "Romantic Warrior".
Overflow drivers ed class had us sequestered in a separate classroom for a month The teacher forced us to listen to this studio album everyday !,& other progressive Jazz albums instead of rock or Disco at this time in 78. It took a couple of listens, but I was into J Beck (Wired) so it was pleasant aural experience.
Every clip I see posted on Chick Corea is graciously praising his work. However, I'm still not seeing a single mention of the great Al DiMeola on guitar. I have just corrected this discrepancy.
