Search - Chick Corea :: Light Years

Fusion pioneer on autopilot

Greg Brady | Capital City | 12/10/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Too much of this sounds (as another reviewer aptly describes it) like "Fu-zak": bland and hummable but ultimately unmemorable. (You know the kind of song you hear as the 'theme song' to cable public access talk shows? I was reminded of that several times while listening to this...)



Only sporadically did songs from this one jump out at me ("Time Track" and the title track are 2 of the better cuts) and several cuts ("Flamingo" is a case in point) were downright yawners. There's no question these are fine players and that Corea himself was critical to the formation of jazz-rock fusion as a member of Return to Forever but this just doesn't excite me.



BOTTOM LINE:

I'm at a loss as to why I bought this one now that I listen to it years after purchase. Definitely one to skip. For a better look at Corea's fusion powers, try the self-titled CHICK COREA ELEKTRIC BAND (ASIN B0000001PW) or his former band Return to Forever's ROMANTIC WARRIOR (ASIN B00004HYLF)."

Light Years....

Chris Covais | 07/21/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Every musician on this album was a top notch jazz musician, just not at their best form for the recording of this disk. Now, don't think I'm saying this just because I'm a purist, and don't like 70's and 80's fusion. I do, and The Chick Corea EB has made some killer cuts. Everything sounds too commercial here, something off of a 1985 Spyro Gyra album. Dave Weckl had too many electronic drums in his kit, and the whole thing sounds techno. These musicians are playing real good on this album, but maybe if they were playing some acoustic instruments and not stuff that sounds dated today, it would be an enjoyable listen. If this is your first EB listen, and don't like it, keep looking. There's great ones out there!"

Interesting Exploration

Richard C. Celio | ca | 10/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not my favorite but here is what I love about it. Chick seems to enjoy exploring. With these players he has the perfect ensemble to do that. I get the feeling that he wraps his head around a sound or feel that he wants and just goes after it. Each album seems to point in a different direction with each track taking us further out there. Sometimes we don't know where we are going but it is sure a fun ride. I don't know if he's exploring techno or what on this one but there is so much subtle stuff going around a huge, fat beat that it's hard not to play it over wondering what you just heard. You definitely have to have a good sound system to listen to this; otherwise you miss it, like taking a scenic highway with dirty windows."