WHERE HAVE I KNOWN YOU BEFORE

Return to Forever sound more confident here than on the transitional Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, the band having adjusted to the shift in their sound and becoming more accomplished in their compositions. Al DiMeola joins on guitar this time around and his guitar contributions whilst comparatively low key are quite individual and help distinguish the band from being yet another Mahavishnu clone. Stanley Clarke's bass sound is both more prominent and more distinctive this time around, and Chick Corea himself has clearly been tinkering with the synthesisers, incorporating them into the band's sound with a deft touch. With funk influences being even more important than previously - Earth Juice shows this side of the band particularly well - Return To Forever once again find a distinctive fusion sound to call their own, distinct from that of their first two albums but not as generic as Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. This establishes the groundwork for the final phase of their career nicely.