HYMN OF THE SEVENTH GALAXY

This is without a doubt the finest album that Return to Forever ever released. That being said, I still do not give it 5 stars because it is missing that X factor for me. While I love the band and love the complexity of everything that they do on this album, it simply does not thrill me as much I think a 5 star album should. In terms of composition and display of technical skills, this album deserves 6 or 7 stars, but it lacks some intangible element that would push it over the edge for me. Every song on the album is excellent. Corea and Clarke both put on quite a show, as does Connors, whom I actually prefer to Meola for tonal reasons. Every element that makes a great album is here, but I just don't get as excited listening to this album as I do listening to the Return to Forever album. This is without a doubt one of the best fusion albums ever made, and I highly recommend it to fans of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis. Listening to it for Clarke and Corea's solos alone is satisfying enough.