Sunday 23 August 2009

Billy Cobham “Total Eclipse”

Billy Cobham

“Total Eclipse”
( LP Atlantic Records, 1974 )
Catalog # SD 18121

Tracklisting:
A1-I Solarization (3:00)
A1-II Second Phase (1:43)
A1-III Crescent Sun (2:40)
A1-IV Voyage (2:56)
A1-V Solarization-Recapitulation (0:50)
A2 Lunarputians (2:32)
A3 Total Eclipse (5:59)
A4 Bandits (2:30)
B1 Moon Germs (4:55)
B2 The Moon Ain’t Made Of Green Cheese (0:58)
B3 Sea Of Tranquility (10:44)
B4 Last Frontier (5:22)

Personnel & Credits:
Artwork By [Art Director] – Bob Defrin
Artwork By [Cover Illustration] – Gilbert Stone
Bass [Electric] – Alex Blake
Drums [Traps], Timpani [Tympany] – Billy Cobham
Engineer [Recording & Re-mix] – Ken Scott
Flute, Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] – Mike Brecker
Guitar [Electric], Acoustic Guitar [Ovation] – John Abercrombie
Keyboards – Milcho Leviev
Other [Personal Management] – Sid Bernstein
Producer – Billy Cobham, Ken Scott
Recorded By [Tape Operator], Technician [Assistant To Ken & Billy] – Bob Warner
Trombone [Tenor, Bass] – Glenn Ferris
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker
Written-By, Arranged By – Billy Cobham

Notes:
Produced for Bilham Cobly Productions. Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios and at Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY. Re-mixed at Scorpio & Trident Studios, London. All compositions published by Pegasus Music, BMI.

Review1:
Considering that 1974’s ‘Total Eclipse’ is Mr.Cobham’s third studio recording (and was already in pretty heady company in his catalog even when it came out) this is a likely candidate for Cobham’s best album and trust me I have heard most of them.Why?Because with the exception of the closing “Last Frontier” (a drum solo) this album is basically devoid of alot of flashy bombastic drumming on Cobham’s part.Just great use of sustained intensity on the wonderful “Solarization” suite.
The title concepts for most of these tunes refer to various astronomical phenomenon.And in the case of the ultra funky “Lunarputians” just an excuse to use aliens as an excuse to groove (a concept later used with vocals by a guy named George Clinton).Some elements of this album are very heavily jazzy such as “Sea Of Tranquillity” and the title track emphasizes one of the most important parts of this albums appeal-the tunes here are some of the all time best compositions
Cohbam has created. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing either that Billy had the help of ‘The Billy Cohbam Players’ as they are credited.These players include John Abercrombie,the Brecker’s, and the magnificant Alex Blake on bass.And I say that funnily in tribute to some community radio DJ’s in my neck of the woods playing acoustic jazz who love to list EACH band member followed by the instrument they play.They probably would never play an album like this on their shows but if I had a radio show I sure would play this….okay MASTERPIECE and proudly list the musicians and what they play because without Billy AND the mutual collaberation of these great artists this album would’nt be exactly what it was.Integrity at it’s finest!

Review2:
This is Billy Cobham’s third solo recording under his own name and is a fine follow-up to Crosswinds. The mini-suite “Solarization” not only showcases the band’s technical abilities, but also Cobham’s strong compositional skills. It also features a schizophrenic piano solo (”Second Phase”) from the underrated pianist Milcho Leviev, who sounds like a mutation of Cecil Taylor and Bill Evans. The funky “Moon Germs,” on which John Abercrombie is pushed to inspiring new heights, became a Cobham classic. “The Moon Ain’t Made of Green Cheese” is a beautiful flugelhorn solo by Randy Brecker backed by Cobham’s debut on piano. The band stretches out on the lengthy “Sea of Tranquility,” while “Last Frontier” is a gratuitous drum solo. This recording is highly recommended as Cobham still sounds inspired.
By Robert Taylor (AMG)

By Celo

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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