BILLY COBHAM

Billy Cobham's debut is a jazz fusion classic.

Being written entirely by a drummer, this album is obviously quite drum-centric. And there's no problem with that because even though drums are the highlight of the album, there's still plenty of time to appreciate the other players, such as Tommy Bolin (soon to join Deep Purple) on guitar and Jan Hammer on keys. "Spectrum" is very evocative of urban, nocturnal moods and ranges from exhilarating up-tempo jams ("Quadrant 4") to subdued, more "pornographic" soundscapes, such as "Le Lis" and it's not hard to get lost in the grooves and get swept away by the music, which is exactly what great jazz should do. The production on the album is strong throughout and there are no weak performances. The only reason that I'm tempted to give this a 4 star review as opposed to declaring it a fusion masterpiece is due to the fact that the album was recorded very spontaneously in only 2 days and as a result a lot of the compositions don't seem fleshed out. The shorter tracks, especially the drum solos, tend not to move the listener nearly as much as the longer pieces, such as "Stratus" and "Red Baron".

While not being "perfect", "Spectrum is still a jazz fusion album that anyone can get into and that I would highly, highly recommend for drummers to listen to. 4 stars.

It's quite funny that I only paid attention to this solo album by one of my favourite drummers only recently after decades of its release. As far as my childhood experience I only knew basically two albums Spectrum and A Funky Tide of Sings. Spectrum was special during my childhood as it was the first time I knew a talented young guitarist who latter become Ritchie Blackmore's replacement in Deep Purple sometime in 1975.

It's now quite surprising to me that I enjoy Total Eclipse very much especially the opening track Solarization which I consider it as not only a jazz rock composition but it's crafted with progressive mind as structurally the music comprises some movements: Solarization/Second Phase/Crescent Sun/Voyage/Solarization-Recapitulation with overall duration of 11 minutes plus. If I look at the style changes there are many I can find from the opening track. But it's not only that; this track is beautifully composed from start to end with great jaw-dropping drumwork by Cobham. It's really nice opening.

The following track Lunarputians (2:33) is stil another excellent track maintaining the gestures of brass section, similar with the opening track. Again I can hear how wonderful the drum work which does not only serve as beat keeper at the end of the segment but play vital role as one important thing to listen altogether with brass section. The album title track Total Eclipse (5:59) has a slower tempo music unlike the first two but it still maintain great nuances created from the first two tracks. The only difference is the more exploration of piano but still maintaining great brass section augmented beautifully with drumwork. When I say "great" brass section I mean it's excellently played and it produces really great sound especially if you use a decent stereo set. I do enjoy it very much.

Other tracks that are of interest are Moon Germs (4:54) which reminds me back to the first two tracks of this album - really worth listening; and also Sea Of Tranquility (10:44) - another wonderfully crafted long track started with ambient piano work and it moves excellently in crescendo , blending all brass section and its solo and again ....great drumwork. The concluding track Last Frontier (5:22) demonstrates Cobham's great drum solo.

I can not say this album other than excellent as the music is wonderfully crafted and Cobham's distinctive drumming demonstrated clearly throughout the album. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

TN;DL

One of the recent (and, probably, still on-going) discussions here on the Forum has been about "shredding vs. virtuosity", or something to this effect. This prompted me to describe how I feel about a few very highly rated albums from the Heroic Age of jazz/rock.

Faithful to the elated spirit of the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Birds and Emerald, the players on the Spectrum relentlessly thrash the bejesus out of their instruments, mostly in the first part of the album. I can't seem to be able to "listen past" all the neurotic shredding to get through to the music itself. Interestingly, I have no difficulty consuming almost unlimited amounts of (post) bop, which can be very intense and may appear all over the place, yet everything, all the loose strands and bouncy bits come together to form great music.

To sum up: Too Noisy; Didn't Listen. Well, I did listen, but couldn't enjoy, although I do recognize the value of the energy and the boldness of Billy Cobham's Spectrum.

It's a pity that no one has ever reviewed this very decent album by Billy Cobham which I consider worth collecting for couple of reasons. First off, it has a very good composition that you might not realize that it's written by a drummer - an excellent drummer, in fact. I have known Billy Cobham long time ago since 70s when he made 'Spectrum' album where he recruited Tommy Bolin of Deep Purple fame to fill-up he guitar work. The compositions he wrote here in this album has very good melody line typically demonstrated through keyboards and/or piano work. The best melody is basically the second track 'Red and Yellow Cabriolet' which has keyboard as melody maker of the song. Billy has proved himself that he is not just a drummer but also an excellent composer! In addition to that, the music has very good dynamics in almost every single track except the slow one 'Slow Body Poppin' '. Most importantly the whole album moves beautifully from start to end and it forms a cohesive whole. Yes, it has a solid structural integrity so that the music sounds like an album not a collection of songs.

Second, you can enjoy the beauty of Billy's drumming style even though he does not perform any drum solo work like he did with his previous album 'A Funky Thide of Sings'. He does solo work as transition pieces in some tracks which is I consider good enough, musically. He also let Sa Davis to perform his percussion work dynamically has does under some tracks like 'Red and Yellow Cabriolet' I basically enjoy his drumming style from the opening track 'Mozaik' where it has piano work and some short drum solo during the transition pieces. He then demonstrate that the second track 'Red and Yellow Cabriolet' has a solid and memorable melody through the keyboard work. Billy also inserts the new version of Stratus where he omits the guitar work and replaces it with keyboard. I think this new version of Stratus is good as another kind of the original.

Overall, this is a very good album by Billy Cobham and it deserves a 3.5 ratings . For those of you who like jazz-rock fusion music, I bet you'd like it. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

An excellent compilation!

Most people consider Billy Cobham as jazz musician and/or drummer - that's why this compilation has no one to write the review yet, only some ratings (6 people give rating). I also actually consider him under jazz category even though it's much more on jazz-rock fusion as his debut album "Spectrum" was actually fall under jazz-rock category with some progressive elements as well. But for those newbie to Billy Cobham they should have this compilation as it represents good track from him even though he still had many other good tracks from his nine albums until this compilation was released in 1979. Personally I do not follow all albums of his but I was so amazed with his debut and ini some ways I loved "The Funky Thide of Sings" as well.

All tracks featured here are really excellent. Look at the opening track "Quadrant 4" (4:30) which runs in very fast tempo with jaw-dropping drum work. I really love Bill's drum beats as it's inventive in nature and he always inserts fast beats in between segment powerfully, with unique tom and snare sounds and it's really enjoyable to listen. The next track " a) Snoopy's Search/ b) Red Baron" (7:39) is another fine composition with great bass guitar lines and guitar work backed with his inventive drumming. Another composition that demonstrates great brass section work and I always use this track when I open a workshop or seminar is "a) Solo (0:16) b) Panhandler (3:50)" where it has excellent energy, dynamics with stunning guitar work as well as tight basslines. I always energized when I listen to this track because the combined work of guitar, bass section, bass guitar and drums is really great! Try listen to this track and I am pretty damn sure yu would love it very much especially if you love jazz- rock fusion kind of music.

"The Pleasant Pheasant" (5:11) is also a great composition and it's a favorite track for those who love jazz-rock. "Stratus" (9:50) was actually my chief reason I bought the cassette of Billy's debut album because there was guest guitarist, Tommy Bolin, contributed to the track. It's really a great track for most of you who like jazz rock. Enjoy the stunning guitar work of Tommy Bolin in funky-style combined with tight basslines and dynamic drumming. Woooo......!!! I love this track very very much .....

Simply said, this compilation is worth-collecting really.... Especially if you love jazz-rock fusion music. ANd after having this album, buy the individual abum from the debut one. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Arguably the finest drummer to grace the 1970's rock sphere, fusion exponent Billy Cobham has truly enjoyed a lengthy and highly-successful career. As well as having played with some of the very finest in the business - the likes of Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Herbie Hancock come to mind - Cobham has also managed to produce two of the era's key fusion albums in the shape of this dynamic debut release and the atmospheric 1974 follow-up 'Crosswinds', albums that helped define a movement despite the fact that they both appeared several years after the genre's major trailblazer 'Bitches Brew'(1969) had been issued. Alongside the likes of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return To Forever featuring Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, 'Spectrum' belongs to that unique set of 1970's fusion artists who were informed by the late- sixties experiments of Davis, Ted Macero and Tony Williams yet also took the genre one step further, integrating funk, psychedelia, Eastern raga modals and cosmic sound collages into a what would now simply be known as 'fusion'. Of these albums issued, 'Spectrum' seems the most indelible, as well as being one of the most revered, both by older listeners who were there during the 1970's and by a new, contemporary audience of fans, critics and artists who have used the album as an influential cultural reference point. With the British dance trio Massive Attack sampling the gloriously-funky bass-line of 'Stratus' for their seminal track 'Safe From Harm', 'Spectrum' is now an album that has transcended the decade of its creation. It's an album that features an intricate electric sound, filled with blistering guitar strikes, galloping bass bumps and skittering beats when fast; dipped in fuzzy synthesizers and wandering off via neon-flecked keyboard ambles into that wonderful mystical midnight ambience that only jazz can create during the musics calmer moments. Apart from the nine-minute stealth rock of 'Stratus', highlights - which are many - include the twittering sonic swirl of opening track 'Quadrant', and the dreamy, acid-lounge-licked multi-parter 'To The Women In My Life'. Both tracks segue both furiously and calmly - sometimes at the same time - through a rapid-fire journey of thrilling instrumental face-offs, the interchange between Cobham's quicksilver druming and the neon-dropped keyboards, throbbing bass-lines and stammering guitars of his ultra-talented backing players(a set which includes Mahavishnu keyboardist Jan Hammer and guitarist Tommy Bolin amongst others) proves thrilling throughout, showcasing not just Cobham's technical prowess but also his deft compositional abilities, a fact imbued by the make-up of the songwriting credits; Only Cobham's name appears. Considering the overall quality of 'Spectrum', its fair to say then that Cobham truly deserves his place in the pantheon of great modern jazz men. This is a high sophisticated and technically dazzling record, filled with memorable beats, hooks and solos and undoubtedly one of the 1970's very best. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Mahavishnu Orchestra legend Billy Cobham is one of the drum masters and on his debut album he unleashes a furious tirade of percussion madness along with his amazing congregation of virtuoso musicians. The opening track of "Spectrum", 'Quadrant 4', is an incredible adrenaline charged belter, featuring frenetic lead guitar of Bolin that blazes with wah wah and high string bends that will astonish. There is a strong jazz rock feel present with the percussion but it is the lead guitar soloing and the Moog solos that makes this a masterpiece track.

Next up is a drum solo that is very emotionally riven ranging from outbursts to restrained measured tempos. The track 'Searching For The Right Door/ Spectrum' is certainly a jazz fest of woodwind, bass, drums and guitar virtuosity. The sax soloing is as mind blowing as Banton at his best.

Next is 'Anxiety/ Taurian Matador' that is again broken into 2 sections, the first being a short interlude of drum power, and then an outbreak of jazz lunacy. Bolin's guitar work is excellent again, with trade offs between the Hammer's keyboard phrases.

'Stratus' follows a 9:50 piece, that received accolades over the years and even reached the masses as an edited single. I love Sklar's pulsating bass on this and melodic hooks that lock into a cool groove. This one simmers along beautifully, with some psych space rock sounds, and an overall jamming vibe like the psychedelic 60s.

Next is 'To The Women In My Life/ Le Lis' with piano at first and then reaching deep into a well of Latin tones on trumpets. The funky vibe is cool but this is not my favourite style, though not a bad break from the wild music previous. 'Snoopy's Search/ Red Baron' follows, opening with space invader electronic effects that are outdated but fun in a retro sense. Then a cool as ice jazz groove locks in with some great guitar work.

Overall this is an incredible procession of jazz brilliance focussing on the drums, similar to the infamous "Let There Be Drums". At least one of the tracks here ends up on a compilation, sometimes all three 'Quantum 4', 'Stratus' and 'Snoopy's Baron', and sometimes even more. It certainly is one of the best jazz fusion albums I have heard, on a par with Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Having already established himself as one of fusion's greatest drummers through his work with Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham's first solo album even further secured his position as a drumming god. Throughout the course of Spectrum, Billy Cobham and company dish out some of the most impressive playing you'll ever hear on a fusion album - not at all surprising when you take a look at the star-studded lineup including Tommy Bolin on guitar, Jan Hammer on keyboards, and Lee Sklar on bass (to name but a few). In addition to being an unbelievable journey of virtuosic musicianship, Spectrum is also one of the most important albums in early seventies' fusion. While there's still a very firm root in jazz music, Cobham lets more rock and funk into his sound than many other fusion players were doing at the time. In short, Spectrum is an innovative, technically astounding, and downright essential example of classic fusion.

Spectrum shows us right from the very beginning that this is an album that's every bit as directed towards the rock audience as it is for the jazz crowd - the blistering opening number "Quadrant 4" makes it clear through its fast-paced drumming and rapid fire guitar and keyboard soloing that this is one of the more unique fusion albums from its time period. The rest of the album rides the border between rock, fusion, and funk, often melding the three into a mix that's distinctly Cobham's own. Most of the album is excellent, but the title track, "Le Lis", and "Red Baron" have always stood out to me as particularly great. Though most folks disagree, I do find Spectrum occasionally drifting into endless displays of technicality rather than anything particularly memorable - though the whole album makes for a fun listen, not all of it is especially noteworthy once its playing time is over. I think this is something that Cobham perfected on future releases, and I actually regard Total Eclipse as a much more consistent release than Spectrum. That's not to discount the music on Spectrum, however - Cobham clearly wrote some great tunes for this album, but I just tend to think that his skills sharpened even more over the next few albums.

Even though Spectrum may not be my favorite release from Billy Cobham, there's still no denying that this is a spectacular classic fusion album. The musicianship is through the roof, the production is sleek and professional, and the majority of the music here is memorable - factor in the historical importance, and it looks like Spectrum is an essential listen for any fan of the genre. I always have a great time when I hear Spectrum, and I'd say 4 stars are well-deserved for this impressive debut.

This one is a late-'90s date. Crystal clear sound but harkens back to the day of "Spectrum" and "Total Eclipse". The guitar is not as wild, however. Still electric but very melodic. Every track is solid jazz/fusion and timeless. It doesn't sound like it was from an "era" in the fusion genre. Electric piano and a little acoustic throughout by Gary Husband (yes...THAT Gary Husband of Allan Holdsworth/Level 42 fame). Randy Brecker is very up front in the trumpet/fluglehorn department on this recording and carries most of the melodies. A very solid album. Recommended for fans of Miles Davis, Allan Holdsworth, Chad Wackerman and the ECM label. I'm very surprised that I'm the first to review this album on the progarchives.com site. A lost gem in '90s fusion and a great return for Billy Cobham in 1998.

Recorded just under a fortnight before the abotive sessions for the Mahavishnu Orchestra's third studio album (which would eventually see release as The Lost Trident Sessions), Billy Cobham's solo Spectrum is a drumming tour de force which also showcases Tommy Bolin's guitar mastery. Fellow Mahavishnu member Jan Hammer gets to indulge a quirkier side of his keyboard playing, and in general the album has a lighter and more playful mood than, say, The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. Short, brief, and to the point, the album is a great listen for anyone wanting to explore the classic Mahavishnu lineup's careers beyond the group's first few albums.