Search - Jeff Lorber :: Galaxian

Magic Monsters On The Seventh Mountain!!!

Andre' S Grindle | Bangor,ME. | 04/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Galaxian" has a bit of magic in every cut.Wheras other Jeff
Lorber Fusion albums leave the listener slightly wanting THIS
brings out the best in Lorber and company on the THUMPASAURUS
funk jam "Monster Man" featuring Stanley Clarke & his AXE bass!!
"Magic Lady" and "Spur Of The Moment" compliment this well,the latter with a delicious Rod Temperton/Quincy Jones-styles production.The dynamic "Seventh Mountain" and "Think Back And
Remember" shine on as mellower pieces with Kenny Gorrilick's
soaring,adventurous sax BEYOND outshinning his bland intonations
as Kenny G (what a waste of a MAJOR master blaster).Note to
customers:this is still early,firey Jeff Lorber Fusion-before
the mush took over and the last album to be credited as such.
Future albums would be promoted as Jeff Lorber solo albums.That
matters not since the overall quality of this CD is so high.Fans
of modern smooth jazz or classic fusion lovers with an aversian
to pop should come here-either way it will surely change your
opinion of Jeff Lorber for the better!"

Agree with Funk Meister, early Jeff Lorber is kick-butt good

Stephen Kammerer | Taji, Iraq | 07/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this album on vinyl in 1985 in a record collection a barracks mate was selling prior to leaving military service, what a find!! He had this one with Lorber's "Soft Space" album, I scooped them up instantly. I listened to Jeff Lorber when he used to record in Oregon studios before moving south to LA where the big bucks beckoned. True to his band's original name, this is honest-to-god fusion with Jeff's trademark improvisational keyboards overlaying quality musical work by many of jazz's greats. From the thumping "Monster Man" to the title cut at the end, this is timeless music that will appeal to any and all fusion purists out there. "Soft Space" was nothing to sneeze at, either, my favorite on this album is "Katherine", excellent piano solo in the center of the cut, this song resurfaced as a remake in Lorber's later work. "Soft Space" was co-produced with Chick Corea, a comparatively rare album - I don't see it in Amazon's vast inventory. At any rate, "Galaxian" is a must-buy, trust me, and if you can locate a copy of "Soft Space", more power to you!"

Please tell me Fusion did not grow up to be "smooth jazz"

R. Scott | Reston, VA United States | 12/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was in the Navy from 77-81 and stumbled on Jeff Lorber in the Ship's store. "Soft Space" and "Wizard Island" were my first acquisitions with "Soft Space" delivering some of the most interesting melodic compositions I have ever heard to date in the fusion genre. I wish Soft Space would get re-released on CD... Who's with me? Galaxian quickly followed into the collection along with everything else. Over time, JLF got more into vocals and a more conventional sound.



Back in the day, I used to see Lorber live in the San Diego area in small bar-type venues. The sound was sizzling hot and expansive with the synthesizer and sax really getting a bite into your head by way of your ears.



Too bad that great overall sound has kind of morphed into the lame-o genre of "Smooth Jazz," which I have to confess really makes me crazy, more so than MUZAC. Maybe Jeff could get back into his roots stuff, turn the Smooth Jazz genre around and send it back to mamby-pamby land where it belongs, and give us something to really groove to again.



Yanni call your office..."