I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC

Weather Report's second album fuses together two very different halves: the first features four new impressionist tone poems, the second a supercharged Tokyo live performance. In the studio, Weather Report explores deceptively disparate arrangements with commentary led by Wayne Shorter, Miroslav Vitous and Joe Zawinul. New member Eric Gravatt anchors the pieces with purposeful rhythms, augmented on one track by percussionist Dom Um Ramao. The music initially sounds noisy, almost defiant, but there's clearly a method to Weather Report's madness. On "The Moors," which features Ralph Towner's twelve-string guitar at the onset, a palpable eerieness rumbles throughout like a storm cloud building strength. While this music is often regarded as a fusion of rock and jazz, the influence of impressionist composers like Debussy can't be discounted; like Frank Zappa, Weather Report's instrumentation pays particular attention to the individual "voices" of its players. Because the music features many voices talking at once, the different musical commentary may seem cacophonous to some ears, but in fact they are cogs in the same big machine working toward a common goal. The live tracks, recorded in Tokyo's Shibuya Kokaido Hall on January 13th, are more forceful by comparison, with every member pushing their own individual envelopes into a noisy but fascinating hybrid of art jazz and rock. Zawinul's keyboards are bold strokes that use a variety of different sounds and textures (the likely beneficiary of having synthesizer pioneer Roger Powell as a consultant), while guest Wilmer Wise unleashes a bizarre trumpet solo on the opening medley that nearly upstages the band. The live tracks allow for individual members to lead the discussion, with Gravatt and Vitous creating the craggy terrain for Shorter and Zawinul to traverse. Although Eastern sounds are incorporated on "Unknown Soldier," the multicultural experiment really gets underway with "Surucucu," where shards of sound are delivered alongside the unmistakable stamp of Shorter. Though the freedom-of-expression aesthetic makes for some very alarming music, I Sing the Body Electric is really a celebration of sound (a point alluded to in Robert Hurwitz' fine liner notes).

4.5 stars really!!!!

WR's second album is the direct musical continuity of the debut, even if the percussionists are different. Indeed, the all-stars Mouzon and Moreira had given way to relative unknown Gravatt and Um Romao, thus keeping the American-Central European- Brazilian equilibrium of the their debut album. Recorded, for half in concert, in the winter of 71-72, Body Electric is WR's most challenging album of their career, closely followed by their debut. Released on Columbia (this label was clearly a pioneer, having just about every great JR act in its stable, bar Nucleus and TW's Lifetime), the album comes with a stunning artwork, underlining the album's title, which serves the music just right. The Zawinul-Vitous-Shorter trio is now really at ease with each other and it really sounds like it.

Starting out on the abstract and stunningly cosmic Unknown Soldier (a surrealist piece with a war interlude halfway through), then veering hard with the scorching Moors (goose bumps guaranteed when listened to LOUD), the album settles in a definitively trippy groove with Crystal (Vitous-penned and Vitous-starred, albeit superbly underlined by Shorter) only to finish on the torrid Second Sunday Of August, where the groups is violently slams you within the outer limits of your mind, barely escaping the infliction of permanent insanity.

The live-recorded flipside opens on a hot medley, with Shorter and Zawinul's instruments on the constant brink of saturation, providing an incredible energy, something that the new rhythm section induces effortlessly with an implacable complex time sig. Of course improvs are around the corner and will drag on a few evitable (in the studios) lengths. The following Surucucù really shows the striking difference between the group's live energetic facet and the more adventurous studio spirit. The closing Directions is another scorcher, even if it is clear that the different members try to outdo each other.

With Body Electric, the group had reached its apex, and with the departure of Vitous (he was a bit short-changed in terms of writing space, IMHO), there would be inevitable musical direction changes, something that the following Sweetnighter album would start and the next Mysterious Traveller would finish, transforming the group from a steaming jazz-rock to a groovy funky fusion band, with the arrival of Pastorius.

In a genre full of highly original and creative albums, three albums stand out in the world of early 70s psychedelic jazz fusion: Herbie Hancock's Crossings, Miles' Big Fun, and I Sing the Body Electric by Weather Report. This album by WR has it all, ground breaking electronic keyboards, highly original compositions, free jazz solos, and the latest in studio sound effects that help build a huge thick wall of sound. One of the innovations that makes this album so much better than their debut album is the addition of guests on many of the songs giving their band the sound of a small orchestra.

Side one opens with Unknown Soldier. This highly ambitious and complex tune opens with Gregorian style vocals driven by a quiet yet intense double time free jazz rhythm. This opening Gregorian melody then blends into a long abstract jazz melody which is interrupted by ominous siren sounds ala Edgar Varese. Next, the song builds in intensity as Shorter breaks into an intense free solo and battles with an onslaught of drums and percussion. Finally, the earlier melodies return, as well as some English style neo-classical melodies. This is one of the finest pieces that WR has ever composed.

The next song, The Moors, opens with Ralph Towner playing some hard abstract blues based riffs on a 12 string guitar. This sounds nothing like the ECM Towner many of us have heard, but sounds more aggressive, almost similar to some of McLaughlin's playing. Next Towner's guitar solo is interrupted by intense driving bass lines and rhythms topped by woodwinds that sound like an African war procession from a bygone age. As this driving section winds down Towner reappears in the mix and blends his earlier riffs with the melodies of the rest of the band.

After a slightly tedious abstract tune called Crystal, the first side closes with Second Sunday in August. This song also features a long and complex melody that is driven by double time wood blocks and rumbling tympani backed by a sea of psychedelic keyboard sounds.

Side two consists of live material recorded at a 1972 concert in Japan. The band sounds good as a live unit, but I miss all the great studio effects that were present on side one. The style of jamming presented here has a lot in common with the style that DeJohnette and Miles established on Miles Live at the Fillmore. The sound of these two albums is very similar, on both albums you can hear free style jazz-rock drums with aggressive bass lines and distorted electric pianos backing up a lead horn soloist. Also, percussionist Airto plays on both albums as well.

The first Weather Report album revealed a new band with a lot of promise, but on this follow up effort WR really expanded their sound and their compositions to create one of the best jazz fusion albums of all time.

A big improvement over the debut in my opinon. First of all this is a very ambitious recording with lots of guests to fill out the sound. Shorter is more prominant while Zawinul uses a lot of distortion on his Rhodes, it even sounds like a guitar at times. Vitous uses a fuzz box on his bass at times too. It's like these guys are ready to take on the music world and are holding nothing back.This is a landmark Jazz album in many ways. By the way they have a new percussionist and drummer on this one. The music itself is complex, dissonant, avant, experimental, raw and difficult. I'm still trying to come to terms with parts of it. Truth is I didn't even like it for quite a long time (haha). Half the album is a studio recording, the other half a live performance recorded in Tokyo Japan, January 1972.

"Unknown Soldier" is apparently an anti-war tune which features some guest trumpet and english horn. It begins rather ominously. The middle section is like a sample of war including the marching style drumming. I like the sax that follows as it gets dissonant along with the other sounds that come and go. It settles beautifully as it ends on a hopeful note. "The Moors" opens with some guest 12 string guitar from none other then Ralph Towner from OREGON. Sax and drums take over before 2 minutes. It's really interesting to listen to the music here. Ralph returns with his guitar and joins in with the soundscape. "Crystal" opens with a spooky atmosphere and percussion. Shorter comes in with Zawinul before a minute. Nice fuzz from Vitous later. It's true that this track would have fit in well with their debut album.

"Second Sunday In August" is surprisingly dark to start with but then the sax comes in along with drums, percussion, bass and keys. The next three tracks are live. "Medley : Verticle Invador / T.H. / Dr.Honorus Causa" starts off with the band being introduced in Japanese. A drum intro follows then that distorted Fender Rhodes starts making noise before the sax joins in. Yeah this is pretty raw sounding thanks to Zawinul. They seem to jam after this. Nice. "Surucucu" is experimental and avant to begin with. Sax before 2 minutes with percussion, bass and keys helping out. Distorted Rhodes after 3 minutes and it gets chaotic. A calm follows. The sax screams after 4 1/2 minutes as the song kicks back in. It settles a minute later to the end. "Directions" is my favourite. This song blows me away with all the intricate sounds, a collage really. The interplay is so impressive especially between Zawinul and Shorter.

If your feeling adventerous or like a challenge then please check this out. Impressive and influential.

Free Form Jazz Fusion at its Best

Weather Report's I Sing the Body Electric is an album that I've only recently been able to handle and appreciate. It's extremely free form, pulling in sounds ranging from low spoken murmurs to more classic jazz soloing to strange atonal feedback. The album is custom made for lying back with headphones, as the mix is very open and airy. I feel like I'm floating in a spacy dream. The tonality will slide from pleasant melodic major phrases to chaos almost seamlessly, tricking you into thinking there was planned structure for just a moment and then flying off again into the stratosphere.

Though excellent throughout, the album starts as its high point and coasts home. "Unknown Soldier" is an improvisational, wide open piece held together by a constant swing gallop on the ride cymbal. It's amazing how that one constant element allows the band to explore vast stretches of musical territory without the listener feeling lost. "The Moors" is a bit more structured, starting with a fiery acoustic guitar piece before the band comes in, filling out the piece with a great spacy energy. "Crystal" is the most wide open of the tracks, somewhat like the opener but without the ride, viable now because the listener has settled into the WR atmosphere. A big fuzzy bass holds a looser anchor while the sax floats above. Electric piano and percussion enter successively, panned hard left and right. The first side ends with "Second Sunday in August," a percussion-heavy tracks that is much fuller than the earlier songs. More grounded with a more traditional jazz drum rhythm and sense of melody, this last studio track sets us down back on the earth before we proceed.

This first half I would whole-heartedly give 5 stars without question. However, I am forced to reconsider as the second side is a collection of live tracks that while strong, don't match the mastery of the studio tracks. They do ratchet up the energy quite a bit, treating us to a collection of frenetic free form jamming that makes me wish I was at the gig. As with any live jams, there are definite highs and lows in the midst of the improvisation. I personally have a much higher tolerance for this when I'm at a gig than listening to recorded material, but the music is strong enough to maintain my interest here.

One would think that a 5 star side one and a 3 star side two would average to 4. However, this album holds such a unique and powerful place in my library that I can't give it anything below a masterpiece rating.

"I Sing The Body Electric" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US Jazz rock/fusion act Weather Report. The album was released through Columbia Records in May 1972. After leaving Miles Davis group, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and keyboard player Joe Zawinul formed Weather Report to further explore the jazz rock/fusion style they had played with Miles Davis on some of his groundbreaking late 60s/early 70s releases. Most notably on "In a Silent Way (1969)" and of course "Bitches Brew (1970)" (Wayne Shorter contributes to a couple more).

Since their 1971 self-titled debut full-length studio album percussionist Airto Moreira has been replaced by Don Um Romao and drummer Alphonze Mouzon has been replaced by Eric Gravatt. Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, and bassist Miroslav Vitous remain from the lineup who recorded the debut.

The music on the album is jazz rock/fusion played with great intensity and impressive skills. Lots of soprano and tenor saxophone playing from Wayne Shorter, complex and groovy rhythms, high class bass playing and loads of different experiments with keyboard sounds and notes by Joe Zawinul. The latter´s performance here is absolutely brilliant. That distorted Rhodes sound is pure magic in the hands of Zawinul.

While "I Sing The Body Electric" is generally regarded a studio album it´s actually only the four tracks on Side 1 of the original LP that are studio recordings while the three tracks on Side 2 are live recordings. They were recorded live in Tokyo, Japan on January 13, 1972 and have been edited for this album. The unedited versions are available on "Live in Tokyo (1972)". "Unknown Soldier", "Second Sunday in August" and "The Moors" (featuring 12 string acoustic guitar playing by Ralph Towner) are great quality studio recordings, while the more ambient "Crystal" is less interesting. It´s free form jazz alright, but there is a sense of structure and direction here that you don´t always find in music of this type. The live tracks are generally great quality material too. Especially the 10:10 minutes long "Medley: T.H./Dr. Honoris Causa" where both Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul show off their skills. The fiercely fast played "Directions" is incredible too, but "Surucucus" is more of an aquired taste because of the it´s near chaotic sound.

"I Sing The Body Electric" features an organic and powerful sound production. The live recordings are naturally a bit more raw and unpolished than the studio tracks on the album, but they are still very well produced. So well written material, high class musicianship, and a well sounding production are words that are valid to describe this album. While the debut album certainly showed promise, the more "structured" compositions on this album are the right step forward for Weather Report and "I Sing The Body Electric" is overall a high quality release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Second Weather Report album is interesting in it's construction: the first LP side is usual studio recording ,and the second - live in Japan recording. So, it's as two in one, showing two different sides of that band.

So, side A is free-jazz fusion, similar to debut album. Drum/percussion section is changed, Airto Moreira and Mouzon both left, but you can't feel big difference in sound because of it. In fact, it's the same free-jazz based fusion with soloing Shorter sax and Zawinul electric keyboards. And again, this music is placed far from usual fusion of RTF or Mahavishnu Orchestra sound. In fact, it's free jazz with some rock elements ( not too much), I can say that this music is more connected with Zappa's avantgarde sounds, than with classic jazz-rock fusion. Sound is perfect, and all compositions sound fresh even now!

Side B is much more energized, with stronger rhythm and drive. In fact, the band shows more jazz-rock fusion sound during live show. But again, the sound is cold, clear and very characteristic.

Possibly, the best WR album ever. I think everyone interested in free-jazz, avant-jazz or experimental fusion will love it. But that album could be too unusual for more mainstream jazz- rock fusion fans. Don't recommended to those hating modern jazz.

Weather Report - I sing the body Electric (1972)

50% studio, 50% live album

This hard to digest free from jazz of Weather Report struck from the first moment. The studio part of the album (side one my vinyl) is very dark. The opening section has some haunting choir that finds it's way through the sophisticated rhythmic session. The wind-instruments are narcotic and the bass is punching us through the songs. The second track of this side is a 12 string free jazz acoustic guitar part with inaccurate but striking playing of guest musician Ralph Towner. By now I begin to accept this record was not meant for easy listening or when I spend time with my girlfriend: this is music that evokes that serious facial expression of mine because of it's mysterious and not-so-human sound.

On side two there's a liver recording with less guest musicians and thus a more controlled sound. They keys are confronting, with distorted free jazz patterns. The wind-section sounds a bit out of place sometimes, but overall the solo's are fine.

Conclusion. This record represents a dark haunting journey through free-jazz with little catchy moments and little grip on the process for the listener. It's sound is heavy and the music is daring. For this amount of quality their must be a crowd willing to listen to it's chaotic view on music. I find myself in the middle; I can enjoy this music when in a specific mood, but I do miss some structure in it's concept. I do love it's mysterious atmospheres. If your not particularly interested in jazz rock you might not be interested in this record, if you're a fan of the genre you might want to find out what this confronting record has to offer. For me three stars, for fans of free jazz 4.5 stars.

This album was a shock to my Weather Report-experienced ears since, after hearing the band's later albums, I wasn't really expecting this type of Miles Davis-experimental Jazz music to be featured on their earlier releases. I guess that this was only natural considering that both Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul collaborated with Miles in the past. Personally I'm still on the fence about the landmark album Bitches Brew which I find to be an adventurous and daring experiment on the part of everyone involved in that project. Still, that album was just the first stepping stone towards a style that would later be expanded towards a more mature state. This doesn't really happen on I Sing The Body Electric since this release features one side of studio performances while the other consists of shortened-down live improvisational jam music.

To be honest I don't think that the material on side one can be considered an expansion of the earlier Miles Davis' albums since this sounds more like a continuation of that same style without anything new added to it. This doesn't mean that the music here is bad, on contrary, there are quite a few excellent moments like the dark and aggressive middle section of the opening track Unknown Soldier or the wonderfully performed 7-minute atmospheric piece called Crystal. The latter is especially memorable for Joe Zawinul's underlying electric piano sounds that completely steal the show from Wayne Shorter's saxophone.

Side two just never hit it off with me in the same manner since it offers a completely different side of Weather Report's music that I tend to dismiss as pure improvisation. It gets annoying listening to Shorter and Zawinul trying to steal the spotlight from each other on the 10 minute medley track while Surucucus shows almost everything I dislike about atmospheric improvisational music which comes off sounding pretensions and sloppy. Directions is my favorite piece out of the live material since it keeps the interplay between the two stars relatively short while adding just the right amount of Eric Gravatt's drumming into the mix.

Overall I'm really surprised about the comments that I Sing The Body Electric has received since I always thought that mixing many styles of a band's repertoire on one album makes the material sound disjointed. If I wanted to hear more music in the style of side one then I would much rather pick the underrated band-titled debut album or Live In Tokyo, if I wanted to hear more of the improvisational live material.

***** star songs: Crystal (7:16)

**** star songs: Unknown Soldier (7:57) The Moors (4:40) Second Sunday In August (4:09) Medley: T.H./Dr. Honoris Causa (10:10) Directions (4:35)

*** star songs: Surucucus (7:41)

After their delightful debut, Weather Report reunited for another fusion landmark. I Sing The Body Electric is one of the most remarkable albums of its generation, expanding the free-jazz musicianship of Bitches Brew to create an magical atmosphere, very rich in tone, dreamy and sophisticated in ambience.

The album is roughly divided in two parts. Side one covers very ambient and experimental fusion territory, almost bordering on avant-garde sometimes. There's a very interactive musical balance between all members, with not one soloist taking the lead but all musicians contributing freely into the spontaneously created improvisation. Weather Report brings another type of fusion then the more riff-based and rocking fusion of MO and RTF so they might be a bit harder to grasp for rock fans, but I find it a mesmerizing experience.

Side B is more upbeat and aggressive but certainly not an easier listen. Quite the contrary, these tracks were recorded live and sometimes sound like Shorter and Zawinul engaged in a muscular dexterity battle instead of actually trying to create a musical dialogue. The Meddley and Directions are a very anarchistic and chaotic listen where my enjoyment very much varies depending on my mood. Surucucu is tighter and more memorable.

I wouldn't recommended this as a first fusion experience, but it is certainly worth tuning in to if you like the magical ambience Miles Davis' fusion albums. The first half of the album is simply brilliant, the remainder is a taste to be acquired, which makes me prefer the more consistently flowing debut. Nevertheless, a solid 4 stars overall.

Split between extracts from a furious Tokyo performance showcasing Weather Report's louder, faster side (the full performance is available on the Live In Tokyo album) and studio tracks with a more laid-back fusion approach reminiscent of In a Silent Way (no surprise, since Joe Zawinul composed the title track from that album!), this is a great effort from the jazz end of the fusion spectrum. Weather Report tend to be a bit less prone to heavy riffs and hard rocks than, say, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but in the live tracks they show a more aggressive side to their character - particularly on Directions, which is an admirable blueprint for straight-ahead hard fusion of the sort that the likes of, say, Soft Machine would end up adopting in the mid-1970s.

The album's major flaw is in the discontinuity between one side in the next, and in the fact that the live tracks have been edited - I imagine most Weather Report fans would much rather have the unedited show as found on Live In Tokyo - so I wouldn't put this towards the top of my Weather Report recommendations. Still, those who are particularly fond of Weather Report - or of Miles Davis' first two fusion albums - will find enjoyment here.

Weather Report's debut was warmly received by the press as one of the best examples of early Fusion, but its release was followed by the departure of Airto Moreira, who's commitments with Miles Davis prevented him from following the band's schedule.He proposed Dom Um Romao as his replacement, but disagreements on tour resulted another major loss.Drummer Alphonse Mouzon quit from his responsibilities and was replaced by Eric Gravatt.The updated Weather Report line-up recorded another album, ''I Sing the Body Electric'' in November 71' and January 72', released on Columbia in May 72' for the US market and on CBS for Europe.

While Waether Report's debut was a bit of a semi-loose but well-constructed affair, their sophomore work sounds a bit headscratching to my ears.The first four tracks are studio cuts, recorded at Columbia Studios in New York, but while having an instant Fusion delivery, they sound too Avant-Garde for my tastes, like a mix of Avant-Fusion, Experimental Jazz with a touches of Fusion reminiscent of their debut.Too smooth at moments, with long individual solos and lacking the dominant keyboard techniques of Zawinul as captured on their debut.Still there are some impressive moments with the band in full collaboration, performing an edgy and very powerful Jazz/Fusion with great instrumental depth, but these are too few compared to the more free approach of these pieces.

The final three pieces were captured live in Shibuya Kokaido Hall in Tokyo, Japan, sometime in January 72'.All of them along with a few more are contained in the first live album of the group ''Live in Tokyo'', released also in 1972 on CBS, originally headed for the Japanese audience.These sound a bit better than the first pieces, which were rather dissapointing.They still lack even a bit of structured textures and rely heavily on Shorter's sax improvisations, but they are much into Jazz/Fusion than more experimental forms.Dynamic percussion parts, swirling electric piano by Zawinul and a frenetic rhythm section offer some good ideas of virtuosic musicianship.Some passages are too jazzy in my opinion, but most of them fall into the aesthetics of the growing Fusion sound.

''I Sing the Body Electric'' is not what I actually expect by a band with so many talent.Too loose and even too experimental at moments, it fails to grab me from the start and only the live pieces have some really interesting moments.Definitely not a winner, but a good purchase for those starving for some diverse but a bit dated Fusion sound...2.5 stars.