RETURN TO FOREVER — Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (review)

RETURN TO FOREVER — Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy album cover

Album · 1973 · Fusion

4.5/5 · 2024-10-11
FunkFreak75

For Chick Corea's third album using the Return to Forever moniker the bandleader must have felt the need to make some major changes. (It seems obvious that he felt the need to response.compete with the first incarnation of his Bitches Brew band mate John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra.) Gone are the Brazilian husband-wife team of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim--and, thus, the Santana-like Latin flavor and energy--and gone are the horns; what we have here is now a power fusion band--the most rock 'n' roll like form of all: bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards.

A1 "Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy" (3:25) here the band opens with a dynamic display of the new member more rock 'n' roll-oriented skills and volume. The way Bill and Stanley play off one another is very cool. (8.75/10)

A2 "After The Cosmic Rain" (8:33) using a form that enlists two or three different speeds, we get a nice view of the skills of Chick, Lenny, and Bill Connors with Stanley showing off a lead-guitarist kind of mentality with his fuzz-bass. Stanley's dextrous use of full chords on his electric bass is also quite unusual and ground-breaking. Chick on the electric piano is more demonstrative than melodic in his showmanship and I find Lenny's drums to be mixed a little too loud (as well as come across as a little too rock 'n' roll). Nice but not really anything very engaging or memorable--except for Stanley's bass solo. (17.5/20)

A3 "Captain Señor Mouse" (8:56) the hard driving rhythm track of this one could've easily come from a rock band like The Allman Brothers Band or Think Lizzy. This is the first song on which I am certain that the band used multiple tracks to accomplish the full soundscape here as the percussion, multiple keyboards, and even guitars have too much reinforcement to be done in one take. I like the occasional shifts into the Latin motifs while Chick's electric piano patterns and solos finally sound more like the signature style that he would become known for: with lots more slurs as if he were bending notes (which he later masters on his MiniMoog). The drum and bass play beneath Chick is nothing short of miraculous: tight and yet jaw-dropping in speed and dexterity. No wonder this song became a standard in Chick's concert repertoire. I even like the drop back into harpsichord at the end of his extended solo (and, of course, his signature bounce accents beneath his bandmates' solos). Bill Connors' first truly extended solo in seventh and eight minutes is truly remarkable, marred only by his over-obsession with John McLaughlin-like long-held note bending. When he does his runs and quick changes in direction it's impressive. (19/20)

B1 "Theme To The Mothership" (8:22) It is obvious to me that the band is gelling and heading toward the sounds and styles that we will come to know and recognize as distinctly their own the further we get into this album--this song being yet another step in this process from "Captain Señor Mouse." The one variable is Bill Connors' style (which obviously affected the style of incoming star Al Di Meola in that he had to learn these songs in Bill's style for auditions and live replications). At the same time, it is often remarkable how similar the styles of the two guitarists are. The more rock-steady (almost sedate) bass play (when he's not soloing) of Stanley Clarke is surprising over the first five minutes, but then, as Chick starts his multi-instrument solo in the fifth minute you can finally hear the bass begin to introduce some of those lightning flashes of flurries and riffs between or in response to some of Chick's pauses between phrases--just like the blues and R&B-trained guitarists do between their own vocal phrases. The band still hasn't mastered the art of unforgettable solo blasts with unforgettable melody lines, but they are very much on their way. (18/20)

B2a "Space Circus (Part I)" (1:28) gentle, hypnotic Fender Rhodes arpeggi from Chick's left hand over which his right hand spits out melodic riffs. Quite lovely. An obvious influence on Ronnie Laws. (4.75/5)

B2b "Space Circus (Part II)" (4:08) a pause after Chick finishes the intro, then Stanley and Chick jump forward with Lenny and Bill quick to join in. I love the sound Bill is using on this one. Stanley is back in lead-predatory mode here, but Bill may be up to his challenge. Lenny elbows his way into the spotlight in the fourth minute and then, finally, Bill lets loose. It's good--more Larry Coryell-like than Mahavishnu Di Meola in that there is a "nasty filth" to his sound that Al or John rarely aspire to. (9.25/10)

B3 "The Game Maker" (6:49) contemplative electric piano play to open, some gentle metallic percussion, too (cymbal and triangle hits). At 1:50, when the full band kicks in, Bill's twangy guitar is first to jump to the lead with Lenny and a dreamy Stanley in solid support. Even Chick, with his rotating two chords of fast arpeggi is in full support. In the fourth minute Chick breaks in with a solo that gets Stanley's adrenaline pumping and to which Bill sees a need to compete and fire back. This duel between Chick and Bill goes on for some time as Lenny and Stanley--especially Stanley--impress from beneath. A great song that fully illustrates the cohesive whole-band skill and comradery that this band will master. The Mahavishnu Orchestra may have broken the J-R Fuse genre wide open, but it is RTF that perfected it! (14.25/15)

Total Time: 42:16

This album is quite a favorite with a lot of critics and fans, but I think the band is still undergoing growth and self-discovery and have not yet fully-defined their everlasting sound.

A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of genre-advancing Jazz-Rock Fusion. Again, that which Mahavishnu started, RTF perfected.