Return to Forever - Where Have I Known You Before

One of the Best albums ever made

"Majestic Warrior" may have sold the most, but this is the best Return to Forever album hands down. In fact, it is also the best fusion album and quite possibly one of the best albums ever produced. No one is better than Corea in mixing accoustic and electronic instruments. Clarke reaches wonderful heights as well. Al Di Meola's best work is yet to come at this point (see Elegant Gypsy for that), but he excels on this work, as does Lenny White. This is one of those "You are stranded on a desert island and can only have one album" kind of albums. Even my rock friends like this one. The whole album flows, from beginning to end, and not a bad song or dull moment in the whole program. Love it. November 18, 2008

Great Music...Poor Recording Quality

I have been an RTF fan for more than 30 years. I first heard them when I was in a rock band in high school-I was about 17 at the time; other band members more music savvy than I was turned me on to them, and I remain an admirer of their music to this day. RTF really is/was a jazz rock fusion supergroup. Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al DiMeola, and Lenny White are each terrific musicians in their own right, and the years that have passed since the definitive RTF lineup broke up in 1976 have borne that out. Each member has produced excellent work in a variety of forms (Clarke, for example, has carved a niche for himself doing movie and tv scores in addition to his solo albums).

"Where Have I Known You Before" in particular has always been a favorite of mine, with signature tunes such as "Vulcan Worlds" (showcasing Clarke's fascination with the original Star Trek series), and the long musical trip known as "Song to the Pharaoh Kings". The album is indeed a classic, but the recording quality is less than stellar, with the sound being compressed and narrow. Corea's keyboards, his Fender Rhodes in particular, sound brassy, with quite a bit of the lower frequencies missing. I have always thought that "Romantic Warrior" (recorded for Columbia rather than Polydor) is by far the best work this RTF lineup produced in terms of recording quality.

Just this last Tuesday night I had the pleasure of seeing the classic RTF lineup back together again on their present reunion tour at the Paramount Theater in downtown Denver, Colorado. The band played both of the aforementioned songs in addition to others from "No Mystery" and "Romantic Warrior". Chick had some sound issues regarding his keyboards early on, but once this problem was rectified the band proceeded to blow the roof off the house. Everyone got the chance to do extended solos, which are a hallmark of RTF's music to begin with. It was an incredible concert-and the only time I have gotten to see this lineup live(I did get to see the final RTF lineup that recorded "Musicmagic" back in 1978). It was well worth the wait. One can only hope a concert DVD is created from this tour; RTF's fans will snap them up to be sure... June 7, 2008

Wonderful! One of the best albums ever made!

I forget exactly now, but I think my title for "Romantic Warrior" was almost identical, because these two RTF albums are truly two of the best albums ever made, if you like fusion! This early effort of Chick Corea's experiment in jazz/fusion features Chick's keyboard prowess more strongly than the Warrior album. I like his short "Where Have I..." solo tunes on this album, which gives a feel of a concept album to this work. I think this was the first album to feature the RTF "dream team" of Al DiMeola on guitars, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums. But, excellent writing mixed with flawless execution and tremendous performances by all artists involved makes this a true hallmark of '70s fusion, and very honestly one of the best albums ever made. Oddly enough, the album which came in between this album's '74 release date and Romantic Warrior's '76 release date (the '75 album "No Mystery") was an okay album, but it did not have the fire, imagination or spark to make it truly special. THIS ALBUM DEFINITELY HAS THE SPARK TO MAKE IT SPECIAL! If jazz/fusion (or even '70s prog rock) figure measurably in your music collection, hear me and HEAR ME WELL! Two albums you need to have in your collection are "Romantic Warrior" and "Where Have I Known You Before" by the incomparable and too-short-lived Return To Forever!
May 9, 2008

an amalgam of celestial bliss

this is the first shot fired,in this classic rtf lineup.which included,chick corea on keyboards,stanley clarke,on bass,lenny white,on drums,and featuring a 19 year old,al dimeola,on guitar.this is the great lineup,that everyone knows and loves.there are both great songs,and great playing,on this particular cd,and even though al dimeola's playing is superb,on this cd,it's still not as strong,and as prevelant,as on later releases,such as,no mystery,and romantic warrior.but this is still a gem,and a fusion classic,and definately one to add to your collection. May 1, 2008

Maybe you had to be there...

In 1974, I enrolled at Berklee College of Music majoring in drumset performance as a 17 year old. Having come from a picturesque small town, I was unprepared for the rough neighborhood that was lower Massachusetts Avenue. Along came "Where have I Known You Before", which we listened to every day. All of my friends & I had a daily reprieve from the funky dorm rooms & bad food. We knew there was some magic in the world. Soon after, I saw the band at Boston Symphony Hall from the 8th row, and I was at once energized to be a better musician and at the same time, intimidated by the very young hot players of the day; Al Dimeola, Stanley Clarke, Terry Bozzio, Pat Metheny.
Some folks have told me that they think fusion music is presumptuous or precious. That's fine. But remember that the we future musicians at the time were facing the soulless disco tsunami, that we had lost Hendrix and Allman, and RFT and Mahavishnu reminded us that in music there lived joy and humanity and skill that no 8-bit drum machine could squash. This album reminded me that better times were ahead. But maybe you had to be there. March 30, 2008

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