Top Ten Herbie Hancock Albums
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Topic: Top Ten Herbie Hancock Albums
Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Subject: Top Ten Herbie Hancock Albums
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 7:14am
 Once again, looking for your selections and thoughts on another top ten - this time for Herbie, whether it is in terms of importance or simply favourites etc I found this a little harder than Miles for some reason, in part because I had to deliberate over which VSOP album, and because I knew I'd have to put both Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage in too ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Replies:
Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 7:25am
 Empyrean Isles - probably my favourite HH release, covers a lot of ground stylistically, and includes classic 'Cantaloupe Island' and my favourite 'Oliloqui Valley' Speak Like a Child is full of beautiful moments Head Hunters - integral album really The Piano - sometimes it's just nice to hear Herbie in a solo setting VSOP, Tempest - My favourite of the quintet's live albums, a powerful - and the breakneck 'Red Clay' is pretty exciting stuff, I'd always thought it was hard to top the live version from Hubbard's reissue, but this one is somethin else Gershwin's World - an earlier (and less commercial I suppose) 'guests' album, with some interesting pieces in its own right ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 7:30am
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in a somewhat order of preference
Sextant
Crossings
Mwandishi
Man-Child
Trust
Fat Albert Rotunda
Empyrean Isles
Blow-Up (OST)
Deathwish (OST)
The Spook That Sat by (OST)
Flood
The Prisoner
but to be honest, I'm not familiar with most of this post-70's stuff
------------- my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones.... 
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Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:15am
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I've only got a few from here and there, Sean, so I know what you mean - in five years my list could easily undergo a big change in terms of the later stuff, as I reckon there's more than a few great albums I haven't found yet. Speaking of overlooked, I may have overlooked 'Blow Up' myself! ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Posted By: js
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:21am
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I'll start with: "Speak like a Child" "Thrust" "Crossings" "VSOP I" more later
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Posted By: idlero
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:52am
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my favourite is 'Crossings' ------------- I think the problem with a lot of the fusion music is that it's extremely predictable, it's a rock rhythm and the solos all play the same stuff and they play it over and over again ... Ken Burns |
Posted By: js
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 9:53am
You should check out "Speak Like a Child" you would probably like it, very nice piano playing.
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idlero wrote:Posted By: snobb
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 2:42pm
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Maiden Voyage Crossings Sextant Mwandishi Empyrean Isles Speak Like A Child Head Hunters Flood Fat Albert Rotunda Takin' Off
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 4:23pm
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Thrust Man-Child Headhunters Mwandishi Crossings Sextant Inventions & Dimensions Empyrean Isles Dis Is Da Drum Secrets ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm |
Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:49pm
| The electronic HH album seems to be popular now. I think that Speak Like A Child and VSOP are good personally. The "Live Under The Sky" album that VSOP in particular went. Or the trio album which was derived from the formation. I recommend trio of 77 than trio of 81. |
Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:53pm
| Or "Third Plane" is good, too. The album is an album in the name of Ron Carter, but may get the atmosphere like VSOP and the HH trio. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 8:59pm
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I don't know, aside from a tune here and there, I'm not really into his trio of 80s electronic albums like Future Shock, Sound-System, Perfect Machine. Very dated. There's good ideas, but he only needed to make one album. All 3 albums sound like they're part of the same album. Don't even get me started on albums like Magic Windows or Lite Me Up. I even listened to Sunlight the other night, and it was pretty awful. I don't think I finished one song, except the last song which is a blazing post-bop/fusion tune with Tony Williams. He did something right with Dis Is Da Drum. I can listen to that album any time. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm |
Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 9:07pm
| I felt that HH album of the 80s was almost something like disco music. However, "Future Shock" might be an innovative album in those days. Probably it may be the album which was not true if there is not Bill Laswell. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 9:10pm
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Well, I like Rock-it, I mean who doesn't? The rest of the album is good too, just very 80s-sounding. But that's all you need, the following two 80s electronic albums are just parts 2 and 3 of Future Shock (in other words, they all sound alike).
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm |
Posted By: js
Date Posted: 12 Jun 2012 at 10:10pm
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Not really, the second one, "Sound-System" is the best of the lot, that's a pretty good album. The first one, "Future Shock" has some good songs, but by the third one, the sound was way dated by hip-hop standards. I saw Herbie's first hip-hop tour, great show, very 80s, a stage set up for break dancers, dueling keytar axxe battles, very very 80s.
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 3:08am
Yeah, I must agree that his Future Shock/Rock It stuff freaked me out totally for decades
 ... I thought it was atrocious... This stuff came out as I was just getting into fusion and jazz... tNeedless to say that as soon as an album bore the HH moniker, I kind of fleed away - except for the Mwandishi stuff.... Which I thought that the Gleeson electronic wizzardry was Hancock's given his FS/RI stuff... (foolish kid, I was, uh? )Even today, I still haven't found time to explore that 80's & 90's stuff ------------- my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....
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Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 7:51pm
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Cool to see Fat Albert and Inventions get a mention I have to get Future Shock and have a proper listen, as I've little knowledge of the bulk of the material (from that period too) Any one got the Isreal prayer concert? It's always sounded like an interesting idea but I haven't heard any yet  ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 7:52pm
This one I've been meaning to get for a while name, thanks for the reminder, Kazu! ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 9:12pm
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^ Can't say I'm familiar with that album. Another album that has been overlooked in this thread (and overlooked in Herbie's discography overall), is his album, "MR. HANDS". I love it, it's such a different mix of stuff from fusion, to funk, to calypso jazz, etc. Underrated, maybe because it was released in 1980, but don't let that fool you. It's just as good as his Headhunters albums, like Man-Child and Secrets, not as good as the former, but a lot more enjoyable than the latter. MR. HANDS should actually be in my list instead of Secrets. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm |
Posted By: js
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 9:20pm
| Mr Hands was a big surprise seeing as how much of what he had put out prior was pretty bad, I wrote a real positive review for it, some songs on there really smoke. |
Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 9:25pm
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When it was an album by an unpublished sound source in those days, I memorize it. I think that the album is well-done. Shiftless Shuffle is collected in Directstep. However, the rhythm section in the Hands version is overwhelming. The performance of atmosphere and Jaco of 4 A.M is very splendid classic fusion. And I vote for "Spiraling Prism" personally. |
Posted By: dreadpirateroberts
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 10:26pm
^ Yeah - it's the Head Hunters line-up isn't it? (on 'Shiftless') Great album
I think I put Mr Hands in my top ten - the pic won't display here at work, but I'm sure I did - and I reckon it was John's review here that made me check out mr hands
 ------------- We are men of action. Lies do not become us. http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/dreadpirateroberts%28member%29.aspx?reviews=all/" rel="nofollow - Reviews... |
Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2012 at 11:26pm
| Talk about electronic Hancock. The album is not the Top Ten for me. However, I think that "Butterfly" of Kimiko Kasai is slightly an album with the form such as the spin-off. Probably John may know the album. |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2012 at 1:43am
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"Just Around The Corner"off of Mr. Hands used to be a favorite song of mine for a long time. It's so funky. And yea, Shiftless Shuffle is the original Headhunters lineup (with Harvey Mason on drums). 4Am if excellent, Jaco shines. It's almost like a long-lost track off of the Jaco s/t. Actually, each song is like a long-lost tune from different Herbie albums.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm |