THE TOYS OF MEN

This is something of a comeback album for Stanley Clarke, as he seemed to disappear from the recording world for almost a decade. This album has it's moments. Clarke's bass playing, both acoustic and electric, is as astounding as ever. But this album seems a bit bottom heavy with solo acoustic bass. Not that I don't appreciate a great acoustic bass solo, but the sheer volume of them here gets somewhat tedious to listen to.

Around the acoustic solos are some nice songs. The opening track, "The Toys Of Men" is an epic sized electric fusion suite. It's extremely well played by Clarke and his band of relative unknown sidemen. There are a couple of funky bass jams, a staple for any great fusion bassist. The second of these, "Bad Asses", just drums and bass, has some impossibly fast slapping that makes my jaw drop every time I listen.

Another good song is "Chateauvallon 1972", which to me is a bit reminiscent of vintage Mahavishnu Orchestra.

It's an uneven album, but well worth owning.