THE CLARKE / DUKE PROJECT

Well this is really where Stan stops being "The Man", to become a pop-rock star wannabe and completely fails. Possibly the album present in the PA database with the least excuses for being completely crap. Indeed with Stanley Clarke and George Duke's credentials and previous achievements, it's quite hard to believe they released this piece of crud. AFAIAC, they don't even have the excuse of having to adapt to the 80's, because both were more jazzmen than pop stars, and none of the jazz guys compromised to commercial soup like these two (mind you, Herbie was not exactly filled with artistic aesthetics with his Rock It, but at least that track and album were groundbreaking). Anyway the two giants are part of a trio, where Robinson handles the drums.

Right from the opening notes of the instrumental Wild Dog,, you know we're headed for trouble (even if it is the album's best track), and the Louie Louie RnR cover is simply atrocious: it sounds like a bad new wave version with a bass solo. Things get worse with a tear-jerking syrupy Sweet Baby that you'd swear would find space on a Lionel Ritchie album. Same crap for the following or rest of garbage tracks, the soppy I Just Want To and ultra electro-funk Let's Get Started, but rock bottom is hit with the losing Winners and its disco beat. Only the short and side-closing instrumental Books track doesn't stink too much andconfirms that Clarle's songwriting is indeed better than Duke's.

It's rather hard to believe that this album was once released as a Contemporary Masters Columbia Jazz series (with the red frame around the artwork), because not only does it suck big bones, but it's absolutely nothing to do with Jazz. Just a piece of early 80's funk-disco crap, and probably one more album that Stan The Man would rather forget he ever made. Best avoided at all costs,