Listening to this funk-fusion classic right now...

[Gang-Twanger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_1yvdYrBAE

Nobody could do funk-fusion like Herbie Hancock. I'm listening to the Sony Mastersound gold CD of his 1975 live album "Flood" right now, and even though the album gets awfully-self-indulgent on "Chameleon" (perhaps to the point of annoyance for anyone but his most-devoted fans), the rest of the album is killer. I love this whole period of his career. The funk-fusion days (Also, my main speakers take a major liking to '70's funk music). The 1973 "Headhunters" album is like my electric-funk bible. THE quintessential jazz-funk masterpiece. I mean, talk about firing on all cylinders. That one's perfect. Still, "Flood" has plenty of great moments as well, plus I think it's a better-sounding recording. The Sony Mastersound CD is extremely-well-mastered, as are most/all of the Mastersound CD's. Incredible-sounding drums. Perfectly-balanced. I wish there was a Sony Mastersound CD of "Headhunters" as well. That would be great).

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Oops, I forgot something....

I found out about a year ago that my mother went to see Herbie Hancock live back in the early '70's when he was with the original "Headhunters" lineup. She tosses that one out one day nonchalantly, like it was nothing, and meanwhile I'm standing there going nuts because "Headhunters" is one of my 3 favorite albums of all time, and she got to see these guys in some tiny, little club back in the day (She did say they were great though... She's not the humongous funk/funk-fusion fan I am, so her tolerance-level for that sort of self-indulgence is much-lower thsn mine).

*EDIT* - Speaking of funk, I'm now listening to Tower Of Power's 2nd album (and my favorite), "Bump City" on disc. The current US CD version from the early '90's sounds great (mainly-because they got it right the first time and haven't remastered it since). It's basically a straight-transfer of the LP (as is the case for the US 1st-pressing CD's of everything from the first album on up to "Live And In Living Color"). Very-smooth and balanced. This album has quite a story behind it. Tower Of Power's lead-singer at the time, Rick Stevens, sang lead-vocals on "Bump City" and remained in the band until 1973 when he quit just prior to the recording sessions for their follow-up album, "Tower Of Power" (Stevens suggested Lenny Williams as his replacement, and Williams sang lead-vocals on "Tower Of Power" and remained in the band for several years). After Rick Stevens left T.O.P., he descended into HEAVY-drug-addiction and eventually found himself owing a large sum of money to some drug-dealers who were threatening to murder his wife and son. Stevens went to try and talk to them and work something out, and the scene escalated into gunfire, and Stevens wound up killing both drug-dealers. He was convicted of murder and given a sentence of 40 years to life, and he was actually supposed to be getting out sometime in June, but I haven't heard anything yet. I've been following this story for years. Quite-intriguing. But regardless of Stevens' incredibly-checkered past, I still think he was the best lead-singer Tower Of Power ever had (and Stevens has reportedly-been a model example of rehabilitation over the last 40 years and has been given very-high marks by the staff at the prison and was involved with several prison groups/programs and counselled other inmates with drug problems). I think I heard that Emilio Castillo finally had some communication with Stevens within the last couple years, and even though the odds are clearly-against a reunion ever happening, I can't help imagining him back on stage singing with them, even if to sit in.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Been on a Tower Of Power kick since that last post (I've been working my way through their first 6 albums on CD). Once you start listening to good funk music, it's awfully-hard to stop.

 

[Alienz]

Headhunters, 'Survival of the fittest' :thmbsp: