THE CHICK COREA ELEKTRIC BAND

Unlike the Elektric Band albums that followed it, this album contains not one but two guitarists as part of the band (Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios), and there is no sax player in the band. While Chick had yet to find a steady lineup of musicians, he produced a strong album with his first EB release.

Even though his rhythm section of John Patitucci and Dave Weckyl are the only musicians to stay with the band for the next release, the guitar work (and keyboards) are what stand out to me the most with this album. Henderson and Rios both get to showcase their soloing ability on various tracks, and much of the material is often based around a guitar lick, keyboards (obviously!) or the two playing in unison. In fact, on a closer listen, many guitar sounding parts are, in fact, made by Chick Corea on one of his many keyed instruments. According to Chick's official website, only 4 tracks (King Cockroach, Side Walk, Cool Weasel Boogie, and Elektric City) feature guitar. Personally, I'm not so sure as I swear I'm hearing some killer lead guitar playing on "Silver Temple" that drops out near the start of the bass solo. Guitar or not, I like what I'm hearing.

"Got A Match" allows the keys/drums/bass trio to really shine by trading solos while weaving back and forth from the strong theme of the song, and may very well be one of the more popular songs on the album. Other tracks such as "All Love" also show the trio of Corea, Weckyl, and Patitucci in fine form.

The only real complaint I have with the album is that it's definitely a product of the 80s in terms of how each instrument is recorded. This is most likely an intentional move to have a modern sounding record for the time. While the sound is undeniably 80s, the overall catchiness of the compositions and strong musicianship make up for this. This may keep some people away from this album or the group in general, but if you've heard enough 80s fusion music, you're most likely used to it.

A worthwhile purchase for the fusion lover in your life!

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