Polls - Weather Report

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Weather Report

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URL: http://www.JazzMusicArchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1365
Printed Date: 25 Apr 2024 at 3:24pm
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Topic: Weather Report

Posted By: darkprinceofjazz
Subject: Weather Report
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 4:43pm

To me, everything after Jaco is overrated, too slick and overproduced, not really his fault, but I definitely Like the more Avant Garde style of the first few albums, to me, Live in Tokyo is the Peak of this band, from then on they got to formulaic and the World Fusion burned out quick. So my Vote is slightly overrated, Also for what it's worth, apparently Shorter was pushed to the back quite a bit from Black Market on. Though even his solo stuff after W.R. disbanded, isn't all that great either. I happen to think the band Caldera from that same time period does a much better job with the style W.R. was shooting for.

Replies:

Posted By: snobb
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 4:58pm

darkprinceofjazz wrote:

To me, everything after Jaco is overrated, to slick and too overproduced, not really his fault, but I definitely Like the more Avant Garde style of the first few albums, ....

I'm with you here Wink

Posted By: js
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 5:47pm

I didn't vote, but I've seen that band several times. My favorite was the version with Alphonso on bass and the extra percussion, I also liked the original version of the band. Later versions of the band seemed to not have the same inspiration.

Posted By: Kazuhiro
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 6:34pm

Probably I almost carried out an idea as musicality of the bands before Jaco joined it and seemed to establish it. The musicality before being dissolved thinks that there was almost only an atmosphere. Still Black Market and Heavy Weather will be still popular. It will be certain that they established one form of Fusion. However, the evaluation of a general band does not vote in various things by a listener.

Posted By: darkprinceofjazz
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 6:49pm

js wrote:

I didn't vote, but I've seen that band several times. My favorite was the version with Alphonso on bass and the extra percussion, I also liked the original version of the band. Later versions of the band seemed to not have the same inspiration.

I agree with you, take Heavy Weather for an example, the chart busting single "Bird Land" I like that track, it's well composed and has a spontaneous feel, but the rest of the album is just so bland by comparison, a few good tracks, some of it borders on "light jazz" They were selling a lot of record for a jazz artist during that period, so there was a big market for it, so I can't blame Zawinul and Shorter at all, considering their Legacy's were already etched in stone, It probably isn't fair to say underrated or overrated for the entire band, I think Time periods is more appropriate, pre Jaco post Jaco is probably a better way to state it, When you think of the self titled debut and I sing the Body Electric along with Live in Tokyo, Thats a whole different sounding band. then gradually things began to change, I still liked Sweetnighter and Mysterious Traveler, Tail Spinning showed what was to come to a greater degree, but I still liked it. Black market rolls around, and it was like the fire went out, the synths became almost completely dominate and the world music seemed watered down or generic to me, and pretty much it just stayed the same after Heavy Weather. it also didn't help that Shorter almost completely abandoned the tenor sax as well.

Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 26 Dec 2011 at 4:27am

snobb wrote:

I'm with you here Wink

Also,

I am fairly well known for my anti-Jaco WR contributions (his systematic overplaying), but I can't blame it on him.... WR was mostly Zawie, with some Shorter.... Nothing in WR happened without Joe agreeing... My main gripe with albums like BM or HW is that they lack focus, IMHO.... They're all over the place.... not cohesive enough to make an album in the "prog " sense

I also prefer the avant-garde of the Vitous era, while the funky-groove era of Johnson sits fine with me...

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my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....

Posted By: Abraxas
Date Posted: 26 Dec 2011 at 4:22pm

Overrated? Jaco's-period? After Jaco?

Please be more specific.

Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: 27 Dec 2011 at 11:34pm

snobb wrote:

I'm with you here Wink

Seconded (with the mention that I probably still love Black Market - it used to be my favourite fusion album, my introduction to the genre, but I haven't listened to it in years).

Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2011 at 10:41pm

I'll agree with everyone. Weather Report, even though a really good band, is a bit over rated. They're grat musicians all in all and they make good music but there is better.

Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: 29 Dec 2011 at 11:13pm

^ you don't agree with me, for sure. I think they're underrated. ;)

Posted By: The_Jester
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2011 at 10:47am

Ohhh! Well, everyone as got his opinion and I'm sure you can defend it very well.

Posted By: Cannonball With Hat
Date Posted: 30 Dec 2011 at 3:18pm

I agree, overrated (including the jaco era). Personally, their first four (plus Live In Toyko) are the ones I get the most enjoyment out of. Tale Spinnin' is where they kind of lost me. Some good tunes after that, but not really any strong albums. Just seemed all the fire was gone and inspiration was lacking. Even at their best moments, stuff like HW/BM/etc just doesn't seem "alive" or "deep" like the early stuff.

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Hit it on Five.

Saxophone Scatterbrain Blitzberg

Stab them in the ears.

Posted By: MilesBeyond
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2012 at 7:52pm

I dunno. The albums, sure. And like you said, it's that slick, over-processed sound that does it. Even though it's not smooth jazz, it sounds like it is.

But then I started seeing Youtube videos, of that era playing... Man, that was something else. You take them out of the studio, out of the glossy crap, and I'd say it's nearly as raw and energetic as the early stuff.

Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2012 at 4:02am

MilesBeyond wrote:

I dunno. The albums, sure. And like you said, it's that slick, over-processed sound that does it. Even though it's not smooth jazz, it sounds like it is.

Totally agree... the over-slickness of BM and latter release played against them , for me (but not for the general public, since BM and HW are best sellers)

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my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicted musicians to crazy ones....