bill connors here is almost up to the Al Di Meloa level of technique but with a better sound & feel. The later mid 80s Connors albums like Step It have some super technical playing on it in the Allan Holdsworth vein. Al Di's best records were in the 70s. His newer stuff is unlistenable to me. McLaughin still puts out some great records & / or tracks every now & then though.
I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcast w/out commercials
I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcasted live w/out commercials
I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcasted live without commercial
I wonder what Bill Connors' signal chain was made up of? He had such a thick, rich and gorgeous tone. You know that old Les Paul had a lot to do with it!
I liked Bill Connors' playing and sound better than Al's. More soul and vibrato in his playing. Dimeola seems to like playing a lot of notes to show off speed. Music needs to breathe.
I remember listening to this when it came out and marveling at the tight sound combined with Bill Connors' searing guitar solo. A great early example of jazz rock fusion.
J'ai fait mes premieres armes sur cette super musique! et tout le jazz-rock! époque positive ,créative,inventive! immense hommage a ces artistes! didier d'agostino batteur compositeur et professeur de batterie.vidéos sur le génial youtube,daily motion et myspace!
I agree that this is a great video and a great band. I've been a Bill Connors fan since seeing this version of RTF at a little club in Raleigh two nights in a row (had only planned on going the first night but wild horses couldn't have kept me from going back the second night, LOL!). Following his stint w/ RTF, Connors did some really great acoustic work for ECM, the EuroJazz label. He also recorded a couple of sessions with Jan Garbarek, the Norwegian sax player, that are worth a listen.
I wouldn't know Free, I haven't been in the area in 17 years. Cool club though. I just now read that it closed its doors in 1981! How the years pass on by........There's a club called Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philly on 16th St. I'll have to visit when I go back home. Lots of jazz greats playing there......
I love this one, very rare, good sound quality......I saw Bill play with his own band featuring Brian Bromberg in 1980(?). At that time he played through a little Fender amp, maybe a Champ or Princeton, very small, small club in Bryn Mawr Pa., The Main Point, probably defunct by now. and used no picks of any kind. I wish I had his skills and fingernails......A pioneer.
I loved Cream in the '60s & RTF in the '70s. Both bands played brilliantly & with enthusiasm. I call it "juice." I also saw both of these outfits recently in reunion concerts. They played expertly & beautifully but without the "juice." There's something to be said about the passion of youth.
I loved both this sound (with Bill) AND the AL Dimeola version. I was super fortunate enough to see these guys (with Dimeola) LIVE in Vancouver back in the 70's. KILLER!! ~KKing
Apparently Connors quite because Corea was REALLY getting into Scientology, bringing in personal growth charts for the band, etc. It just got to weird for him. Great music - Hymn of the 7th is still one of my favorites.
Bill did Al a huge favour by quitting RTF? if that is true???
also i remember reading an article where Al mentioned he never did drugs at all & used to practice in the local Guitar shop with his right hand palm MUTING the strings to be quiet.!!!!!
This is great. Maybe better than the record? Certainly as good. Fantastic ensemble playing. Much as I admire Al di M, I do prefer B Connors' 'writhingly expressive' [and smoother?] sound.
As far as Im concerned, both Al Di Meola and Bill Connors are different musicians to their own entity. Al is very much a talented guitarist in the fact that hes good at arpeggios and fast riffs, while Bill Connors' strong points are legatos. The only reason Bill left was because the band was leaving the Jazz realm and leaning more towards rock. Bill loves technical aspects of music and dynamics. RTF just left that side and became mainstream jazz rock
Chic Corea plays in Melbourne Australia every two years , or so it seems, and I always go to hear him play. I try not to think about his adherence to that cookoo nutbar cult called scientology which is just too insane to be taken seriously.I mean whoah there nelly !! , that is just too bizarre.
Two different players, both of whom are very strong at what they do - you wanna ignore DiMeola's talent 'cause it makes you sound cool, that's your loss
He wasn't. He thought he could do better solo and quit. Then he wasn't received well by the public. These guys play for musicians and that's a tough crowd if you know what I mean.
As a composer, Di Meola is hard to beat and really has invented his own genre.
I think one of the main elements that really makes Chick Corea and his band "Hymn of the 7th Galaxy" so vastly superior to anything played today is the pure passion they have for what they do. You can see it on their faces, what they are playing is produced solely from the heart and soul, it's beautiful. Regardless of whether you play with analog or digital equipment nothing will ever duplicate or surpass music that was written with heart and soul.
I saw them may of last year in houston and it was just crazy!!!!! my dad saw them in 76 before i was born and even tho the show i saw may not have been the same as it was back then it was still an honor to have seen and heard the fruit of the greatest fusion band i've ever heard in my life
Is that an ARP ProSoloist on top of Chick's Rhodes? Now this is rare! I don't recall ever seeing that in his gear after this - it was always the Minimoog.
Hymm of the Seventh Galaxy is by far their best album for many reasons. For one, Bill Connors is just flat out better guitarist. His sound, his solos, you name it, why it went down that way I have no idea. for another Chich Corea's electric piano solos here are legendary. Afterwards his soloing were mainly confined to the moog which just doesn't compare. He never matched the inventiveness or the virtuosity in the later albums. Lenny White is a monster period! It's their finest work times ten!!
But what about 'Light As A Feather' and 'Friends' (exclusively on Rhodes) and his ASTOUNDING mini-moog solos (esp. on the live recordings) of slightly later periods ??
Yes some of his Light as a Feather is brilliant, but I think it's his compositions in Hymm of the Seventh Galaxy that really set it apart from the other RTF records. Also, he really masters the distortion of electric piano to a level of virtuosity that's unparalleled, (i.e. Mothership piece). No one ever did that, no Hancock,Zawinul,Jarret, Hammer, not even he would play like that again. The moog solos don't grab me like that, they don't have that raw, complex,depth of these astonishing solos.
Fair enough mate, and i am not going to dispute your opinion because at the end of the day it is simply a matter of personal taste.
Sadly, i (personally) think that the 'production' side of the album "7th Galaxy" does the music no justice. It is RAW and has a harder edge than (say) the later album such as "No Mystery" and "Romantic Warrior". However, the musicianship is (obviously) excellent all round. i think this is the only album on which Chick plays the Harpsichord !!
Well said, I feel the intent of all the early fusion efforts by Chick, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra was bridge that raw rock sound with extended jazz solos and vamps and it had great success. The first few records of all those bands are by far my favorites. Afterwards the music moved away from an improvisational approach to something formated for a larger audience . The
recordings though superior are not as edgy which of course is taste. It wasn't Jimi Hendrix meets Miles Davis anymore
@timages13 I WAS TOLD THATJIMI WAS GOING TO GET WITH MILES AND JOHN MCLAUGHLIN,HAD JIMI LIVED TO HAVE THE MEETING,A MUSIC BOMB WOULD HAD GONE OFF,YOU COULD ONLY IMAGINED WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED,THEY ALL WOULD HAVE HELPED JIMI TO TRANSFORM TO JAZZROCK FUSION.
@5mralbert I read the biography of Miles Davis and he talks about meeting Jimi through Betty Mabry, ( a woman who had affairs with both these musicians). Mabry was the one who got Davis to go to Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone shows, (another big influence). Unfortunately Davis is rather disparaging towards Hendrix, continually harping on the fact that Jimi couldn't read charts and basically wasn't at all sophisticated in music...surprising considering Jimi's influence on Davis.
Chicks solo on the track "After The Cosmic Rain" is totally astounding and (for it's era) he has successfully bridged the gap between the guitar and keyboard. As well as fusing together Jazz (extended be-bop lines), Rock (straight 8's feel over a static or reduced harmonic scheme - Gmaj to Fmin in this example), and Latin (turning the beat around and across-the-barline playing/comping).
The most powerful solo on the album is by Chick on "Theme To The Mothership". The 'distortion' FX @ 4:53 is a GREAT sound and adds so much dimension to the solo. My favorite moment is the double-time broken-chords @ 5:28. Then between 5:29 and 5:30 Chick miraculously produces a 'bend/slide' effect which i have never heard anyone else ever do before or since (even Chick himself !!).
Again, it's only a one-chord-thing (D13add9/G) but Chick really takes the harmony far beyond the 7th Galaxy !!
No one has ever played electric piano like that before or since. That solo will forever be a very special performance, even when I hear it now I'm blown away!
I only wish they would have made one record with Bill Conners and Chick blazing on the Fender Rhodes!!
...he doesn't need any other instrument, he played the Fender Rhodes like no one else.
And later DiMeola gave an interview after he left saying that he had wasted a huge amount of money on it (under Chick's influence) and that it was the most crazy baloney (in so many words). DiMeola is back with RTF again for a tour so I guess they get along now but I always liked this RTF with Bill way better...more raw. Bill went on to play a solo record and with Garbarek on some interesting Albums.
I see what your sayin cherry. I mean everything...EVERYTHING he plays, even the most complicated drum pattern, dude makes it look so easy!!!. Check out the Vulcan Worlds video. Lenny at times looks like he's bored during the perfomance because it comes so natural to him. amazing drummer fo sho.
I think any metal or jazz player or any virtuoso player of any rank or talent would love to be in this band. The composition is great...all the players are world class and, great for us, the recording is very decent. Thanks for the awesome post. Listened to this stuff all the time in the 70s. Connors is a great player...one of the better finger vibrato styles in any genre without a whammy bar! Gives me chills when he ends a phrase...hallmark of a worthy player.
they dont play this anymore my older bro turned me on to this when I picked up guitar and its amazing al dimieola frank gambale allan holdsworth chick and pat metheny the jazz fusion thing is on
I know its like these days its cool to be basically shit at playing your instrument and then when a band can actually play they're called ''weird''. What thew hell?? Have things gone backwards?
ok, maybe, I'll give you that...but it's boring. You can't put words to it. And the spoken language is one of the greatest things humans have going for them.
yeah, it is. Forgive me if I've grown to appreciate real music instead of post modern rhythmic tribal nonsense suited only for fantasy geeks who were never exposed to D&D at any point in their lives. And thanks for pointing out the obvious! Where would I be with out people like you reasserting what I already know to be true!? Oh yeah, living on a planet filled with useful humans with a shared goal of knowledge and understanding. Who would have thought?
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
real music is most definitely not this. this is like "paintings" where all they did was throw a bunch of paint on a canvas on the floor, step on it a few times, slap a name on it and call it artwork. It's post modern bullshit. No composition. No goal. No story. Just a bunch of noise. Random noise.
With all respect to you, you are speaking from your own ignorance. To any one with a trained musical ear there is clearly a very complex structure going on here in which the musicians are improvising. It isn't possible to sit around playing ''random noise'' and make it sound like this.
Silly argument, guys. Whether or not we like a particular style has nothing to do with its being "real music." It's ALL music...Yanni, Rush, Return to Forever, Jane's Addiction, Frank Zappa, Phil Collins, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Slayer, etc.,
Saying something is boring, pretty, ugly, "insert adjective here" is nothing but a subjective observation. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Get over yourselves. OK, I'll step off my soapbox now.
@smilinglemur ---I find it somewhat telling that you lead off with Yanni to support your argument. Kind of like pulling a shy and diseased toad out of an atomic swamp to defend Kentucky Fried Chicken.
exceptional to say the least..senior in highschool saw rtf @ carniege hall...i can still hear the THUNDER and INTENSITY..i am a lucky guy...do ya think lenny listined to TONY?
I was born 26 years after this so unfortunately i never got to experience this scene, but i'm really surprised how good everything sounds. I wish there was more of this music nowadays.
Yeah, It's awesome to hear Stanley on a Rick! Atop Chick's Fender Rhodes is an ARP Pro Soloist Synthesizer. A fine,touch sensitive, preset synthesizer.
They were indeed, RG2027X. I first heard this track and the eponymous RTF album back in 1984, some 11 years after it was recorded. As a teenager then, it had a huge impact on my musical outlook....I still find it mesmeric. Corea and dudes were a cut above.
Bill is still out there, and rediscovering himself. I only 'discovered' him in the late 90s when I studied with him for about a year. An incredibly disciplined man, he was the only person who could show me what jazz was. That's after 4 great years at Berklee, too. Best advice he ever gave me (IMHO): don't go wasting money on all the CDs you're "supposed" to listen to. Learn the language and do it your own way.
if anyone ever thinks that any rock is difficult to play, just play jazz fusion like this. the arrangements are just rediculous, they never seem to rest on a persistant rhythm for more than 15 seconds before a crazy fill comes in.
great vid!! Sounds just like the album (my copy's worn out).They were so young!! Pre-Alembic Stanley, Dimeola was probably still in high school, Chic and Lenny as always kick butt!!
Conners choice of notes is so "tasty" he leaves you wanting more.His tone fits the music perfectly. I would love to see these guys re-unite sometime.Awesome line-up. (I still love DiMeola though)
Bill Connors is (and was) so ahead of his time. Please do yourself a favor and listen to Return to Forever's " Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy ". You will LOVE it !!!
you know what's better that all of these bands out there? GREEN DAY!!! They get all the money with just 3 simple chords, mediocre arrangement, and nonsensical lyrics. Long live crappy music. hahaha.
Money has nothing to do with talent in the music business today, and Green Day is the perfect example. Why do you think Green Day's fans are all dumbass kids and retard adults who couldn't think for themselves if their lives were on the line...
You're right, all artists should write 3 chord music, do mindless videos, write books a 7 year old could read, make movies a simpleton could understand, dumb down our education until people are proud of their ignorance . . . oh, wait. Nevermind. You're already ahead of me.
Who said "ALL" artists should write 3 chordal stuff, etc? Everything I wrote is based on statistics. But, If what you believe in makes you happy, stick to it. (",)
Who said it? You did. (You know what's better than _all_ these bands out there?). And if everything you wrote is based on statistics, what is your source for statistical analysis of what constitutes a mediocre arrangement?
Oh and by the way, learn to read between the lines. It was meant to mock crappy music not exalt them. I'm a big fan of Jazz and Fusion music. I guess I have to explain every word I wrote for you to understand it.
Read between the lines? You mean read your mind. There was nothing overt or even implied in your post to suggest you were being sarcastic. And yes, you DO have to explain precisely what you mean in an internet post because people cannot always divine your true meaning. I guess someone just has to expain every word of that for you to understand it.
This is a great band,,and the video has very good sound quality. I like Al,but prefer Bill,he's very creative. When watching this,you have to remember that when this was recorded,there were very few fusion guitarists around,period. Lenny is a badass,and so are the rest of the guys
I never noticed that ! I have an old ad framed from 1977 (?) with Stanley playing a Kramer. It's funny seeing him play anything other than an Alembic.
Heh, that's kind of funny that Stanley would play both of those basses, cuz I've seen some videos of Les Claypool messing around with Kramers and Rickenbackers in his other bands.
To me, "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" IS Return To Forever. It is so ahead of it's time. What a great album. It's fusion at it's best. Bill Connors is the guitarist I prefer, and a nice guy, too ! This album is so full of hooks, and grooves, I can listen to it over and over again !
Such a shame these are the only clips of connors. Would love to see some of his solo stuff from Double Up and Assembler! This was still very cool. A freaking guitar legend virtually unknown by many today.
Connors has better feel than Al.
steveHoweisno1 1 day ago
bill connors here is almost up to the Al Di Meloa level of technique but with a better sound & feel. The later mid 80s Connors albums like Step It have some super technical playing on it in the Allan Holdsworth vein. Al Di's best records were in the 70s. His newer stuff is unlistenable to me. McLaughin still puts out some great records & / or tracks every now & then though.
percymouzeola77 2 months ago
Bill Conners! hahahaa...
funny mistake, knowing that Connors is a very common lastname.
gre1990 5 months ago
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I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcast w/out commercials
yurolson 8 months ago
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I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcasted live w/out commercials
yurolson 8 months ago
I saw this live on tv on a Tuesday night as a kid in Germany - not even 15 years when I saw this. Man as a teenager today they would no clue what music like this is about but that was in the air when I was young. I am so glad I was were I was when I was there…This is happening stuff -still sounds great. Saw them on this tour - trying to find out when they were in HAmburg that tour - I'll let you know. But this Musikladen was filmed in a TV studio in Bremen/ broadcasted live without commercial
yurolson 8 months ago
Awesome..great tone and feeling from Connor's guitar
tiluriso 9 months ago
I wonder what Bill Connors' signal chain was made up of? He had such a thick, rich and gorgeous tone. You know that old Les Paul had a lot to do with it!
duppykitoon 11 months ago
I liked Bill Connors' playing and sound better than Al's. More soul and vibrato in his playing. Dimeola seems to like playing a lot of notes to show off speed. Music needs to breathe.
ocean4315 11 months ago
@ocean4315 Amen. Al is a technician, Bill is an artist.
Modes9 5 months ago
seeing chick corea with bill soon!
00Dakka 1 year ago
crazy good, the drums are ace.
killercrabman 1 year ago
I remember listening to this when it came out and marveling at the tight sound combined with Bill Connors' searing guitar solo. A great early example of jazz rock fusion.
mqblues 1 year ago
I still like the first 2 RTF LP.s with Flora Purim and Airto.
taariqtaariq 1 year ago
Great vintage video!!
G7flat5 1 year ago
J'ai fait mes premieres armes sur cette super musique! et tout le jazz-rock! époque positive ,créative,inventive! immense hommage a ces artistes! didier d'agostino batteur compositeur et professeur de batterie.vidéos sur le génial youtube,daily motion et myspace!
dagostinoification 1 year ago
They seem to be well film cronicled.
Bumbumawangis 1 year ago
bloody Nora!!!!!
NickSayle 1 year ago
It's very interesting to watch S.Clarke playing on a Rick bass before he switched to Alembic.Great music!! Thanks jazzfuse to bring it.
juanchifromfl 1 year ago
@juanchifromfl
He played a Guild bass before that. That bumblebee sound.
Frisbieinstein 1 year ago
Great rendition of this tune. One of those songs you can groove on forever!
actionvid1 1 year ago
I agree that this is a great video and a great band. I've been a Bill Connors fan since seeing this version of RTF at a little club in Raleigh two nights in a row (had only planned on going the first night but wild horses couldn't have kept me from going back the second night, LOL!). Following his stint w/ RTF, Connors did some really great acoustic work for ECM, the EuroJazz label. He also recorded a couple of sessions with Jan Garbarek, the Norwegian sax player, that are worth a listen.
Buddha49 1 year ago
Bill Connors had great poise and a beautiful sound. He played all those difficult scale parts with such fluidity. Unique.
martinjp1958 1 year ago
nice!!
MILLSPRO123 1 year ago
I wouldn't know Free, I haven't been in the area in 17 years. Cool club though. I just now read that it closed its doors in 1981! How the years pass on by........There's a club called Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philly on 16th St. I'll have to visit when I go back home. Lots of jazz greats playing there......
jimmied01 1 year ago
Hell, yeah. Primo work. Real easy listening!
actionvid1 1 year ago
I heard connors playing back in the 70s real feel not finger gimnastics that went on affterwards in RTF
ANGELCROSS3000 1 year ago
look at stan w that rick!!!
railbum 1 year ago
I love this one, very rare, good sound quality......I saw Bill play with his own band featuring Brian Bromberg in 1980(?). At that time he played through a little Fender amp, maybe a Champ or Princeton, very small, small club in Bryn Mawr Pa., The Main Point, probably defunct by now. and used no picks of any kind. I wish I had his skills and fingernails......A pioneer.
jimmied01 1 year ago
@jimmied01 What happened to the "Main Point"...I sdaw Tony Williams , Jack DeJohnette , and David Sancious there...
freein2339 1 year ago
There's a subtitle that spells Bill Conners in the video...Good title.
gagglehagger 1 year ago
I love Stanley on that Rickenbacker! I never knew he played one!
allenlevelle 1 year ago
Cool! Stanley on Rickenbacker...
Apparently he was a fan of Chris Squire around this time...
visog 1 year ago
I loved Cream in the '60s & RTF in the '70s. Both bands played brilliantly & with enthusiasm. I call it "juice." I also saw both of these outfits recently in reunion concerts. They played expertly & beautifully but without the "juice." There's something to be said about the passion of youth.
bogeybast 1 year ago
I loved both this sound (with Bill) AND the AL Dimeola version. I was super fortunate enough to see these guys (with Dimeola) LIVE in Vancouver back in the 70's. KILLER!! ~KKing
KennediKingSongs 1 year ago
seeing these guys so young playing this gives me chills!
MrUrech 1 year ago
Apparently Connors quite because Corea was REALLY getting into Scientology, bringing in personal growth charts for the band, etc. It just got to weird for him. Great music - Hymn of the 7th is still one of my favorites.
dickey335 2 years ago
Bill Connors...hell yeah!! rare video thanks for this!!
bobiquesada 2 years ago
Bill did Al a huge favour by quitting RTF? if that is true???
also i remember reading an article where Al mentioned he never did drugs at all & used to practice in the local Guitar shop with his right hand palm MUTING the strings to be quiet.!!!!!
racecar06 2 years ago
connors is brilliant
nhg56 2 years ago 3
is THIS chick corea? i've heard the name, but never known the band
leirgauk 2 years ago
This is great. Maybe better than the record? Certainly as good. Fantastic ensemble playing. Much as I admire Al di M, I do prefer B Connors' 'writhingly expressive' [and smoother?] sound.
martinjp1958 2 years ago
As far as Im concerned, both Al Di Meola and Bill Connors are different musicians to their own entity. Al is very much a talented guitarist in the fact that hes good at arpeggios and fast riffs, while Bill Connors' strong points are legatos. The only reason Bill left was because the band was leaving the Jazz realm and leaning more towards rock. Bill loves technical aspects of music and dynamics. RTF just left that side and became mainstream jazz rock
Crockettsonny84 2 years ago 3
re; Connors split...
Scientology played a part too.
Plus the music went more and more commercial and trivial.
Connors was clearly the best guitarist for this music.
Rexicano 2 years ago 3
@Rexicano
Chic Corea plays in Melbourne Australia every two years , or so it seems, and I always go to hear him play. I try not to think about his adherence to that cookoo nutbar cult called scientology which is just too insane to be taken seriously.I mean whoah there nelly !! , that is just too bizarre.
taariqtaariq 1 year ago
Bill Conners(ors) still can play guitar better than Al. Why was he relaced?
porterfish839 2 years ago
Two different players, both of whom are very strong at what they do - you wanna ignore DiMeola's talent 'cause it makes you sound cool, that's your loss
Connors wasn't replaced - he quit.
DiveJunkee 2 years ago 2
I think he left for his own career.
ExtremeBogom 2 years ago
He wasn't. He thought he could do better solo and quit. Then he wasn't received well by the public. These guys play for musicians and that's a tough crowd if you know what I mean.
As a composer, Di Meola is hard to beat and really has invented his own genre.
holajim 2 years ago
Lenny was really young in this picture. He looks like a teenager. A great clp.
drumman806 2 years ago
Hey, Stanley on a Rick?
bassscape 2 years ago
Is that a young Lenny White? It looked like him.
drumman806 2 years ago
Yes it is...I had thepleasure of personally interviewing him this past may 2009 Now on tour with Corea and Clarke as a trio -
Lenny is dynamic and a great person - drummer too!
CabanaBananaBandana 2 years ago
compare chick corea in this video with today's chick corea... hahaha...
btw, great song!
r3ck0rd 2 years ago 2
I think one of the main elements that really makes Chick Corea and his band "Hymn of the 7th Galaxy" so vastly superior to anything played today is the pure passion they have for what they do. You can see it on their faces, what they are playing is produced solely from the heart and soul, it's beautiful. Regardless of whether you play with analog or digital equipment nothing will ever duplicate or surpass music that was written with heart and soul.
GabbaGabbaHey529 2 years ago 2
I saw them may of last year in houston and it was just crazy!!!!! my dad saw them in 76 before i was born and even tho the show i saw may not have been the same as it was back then it was still an honor to have seen and heard the fruit of the greatest fusion band i've ever heard in my life
rdartis 2 years ago
superb stuff mate
scorpiosview 2 years ago
Why do all these bands from the 70's sound so much tighter than the peformances the very same people put together today?
Just listened to the 2008 recording of this and it sounds pretty average
Lachlanau 2 years ago
Oh and the jam at 1:44 onwards is possibly the best thing ever.
Lachlanau 2 years ago 3
lachlanau...thats the power and energy of being young.
SjoerdDekker 2 years ago
everything is digital now, and modern equipment was not designed to be played well, only loud.
EyMeng 2 years ago
They need to bring rhodes back. These digital pianos and rhodes semi sounding devices sound terrible
Lachlanau 2 years ago
whos the drummer?
lonestar225 2 years ago
Lenny White
wowhitedrs 2 years ago
RICKENBACKER!!!!!!!! WHAT!!!!!!
fperdomo 2 years ago 2
Yes ofcourse! Pleople think they can sound good, put they do! :D
Kisskalle111 2 years ago
mahavishnu orchestra seemed to be the best crossover band to me until I discovered these guys...wow.
MeinErsterFilm 2 years ago
- NEWS - they'll all be playing together again - September 2, 2009 -- the Hollywood Bowl, LA
Corea, Clarke and White with special guest Bill Connors
sraaficionada 2 years ago
lenny white oh my god..power on the ole skins.. effortless
scorpiosview 2 years ago
"Effortless" is definitely the word.
He plays some very fast fills, and he makes the rounds of his kit with this great light, graceful touch.
written12 2 years ago
Wonderfull music.
bromet01 2 years ago
Is that an ARP ProSoloist on top of Chick's Rhodes? Now this is rare! I don't recall ever seeing that in his gear after this - it was always the Minimoog.
mootbooxle 2 years ago
love this ..sooo much
Bill Connors is awesome...
sonicplayg 2 years ago 2
Way hakkin sweetpickle.
LukeCoulson 2 years ago
Bill Connors is quite an exceptional guitarist, love his tone and vibrato
mastershredder51 2 years ago 5
Holy crap this must be rlly old Stanley is rockin' the Rickenbacker and not an Alembic =0
5stringbassman69 3 years ago 4
I wish someone would post the HEAVY version of 'Captain Senor Mouse'. This is the most powerful, mindblowing RTF track of all.
fidomusic 3 years ago 2
where'd yo get that? you're not on about the one on hymn of the seventh are you?
jamieleesis 3 years ago
I agree with the other poster; Senor Mouse on 7th Galaxy is superb.
Al's version is terrible.
Connors was amazing.
Rexicano 2 years ago
Good stuff from my favorite fusion band. Thanks for uploading this timeless footage.
skinny6003 3 years ago
Love it!! Got to see these guys at Keystone Korner. God, I guess we were that young.
Just saw Return to Forever on tour and they flat killed. Chick still had that classic rhodes sound... love this stuff... fusion is alive!
claryscat 3 years ago
stan on a rick!!!
railbum 3 years ago 2
Hymm of the Seventh Galaxy is by far their best album for many reasons. For one, Bill Connors is just flat out better guitarist. His sound, his solos, you name it, why it went down that way I have no idea. for another Chich Corea's electric piano solos here are legendary. Afterwards his soloing were mainly confined to the moog which just doesn't compare. He never matched the inventiveness or the virtuosity in the later albums. Lenny White is a monster period! It's their finest work times ten!!
timages13 3 years ago
But what about 'Light As A Feather' and 'Friends' (exclusively on Rhodes) and his ASTOUNDING mini-moog solos (esp. on the live recordings) of slightly later periods ??
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago
Yes some of his Light as a Feather is brilliant, but I think it's his compositions in Hymm of the Seventh Galaxy that really set it apart from the other RTF records. Also, he really masters the distortion of electric piano to a level of virtuosity that's unparalleled, (i.e. Mothership piece). No one ever did that, no Hancock,Zawinul,Jarret, Hammer, not even he would play like that again. The moog solos don't grab me like that, they don't have that raw, complex,depth of these astonishing solos.
timages13 3 years ago 3
Fair enough mate, and i am not going to dispute your opinion because at the end of the day it is simply a matter of personal taste.
Sadly, i (personally) think that the 'production' side of the album "7th Galaxy" does the music no justice. It is RAW and has a harder edge than (say) the later album such as "No Mystery" and "Romantic Warrior". However, the musicianship is (obviously) excellent all round. i think this is the only album on which Chick plays the Harpsichord !!
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago
Well said, I feel the intent of all the early fusion efforts by Chick, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra was bridge that raw rock sound with extended jazz solos and vamps and it had great success. The first few records of all those bands are by far my favorites. Afterwards the music moved away from an improvisational approach to something formated for a larger audience . The
recordings though superior are not as edgy which of course is taste. It wasn't Jimi Hendrix meets Miles Davis anymore
timages13 3 years ago 12
Yes you are totally correct (in my opinion). Period.
Funnily enough, i have just purchased "Birds Of Fire" and also "The Mahavishnu Songbook" on ebay last night !!
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago 3
i also love the earlier Weather Report albums for exactly the same reasons. Earlier albums of such groups tend to be much more free and experimental.
i just noticed that Chick composed/arranged every track (bar one) on "7th Galaxy" album.
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago 2
yep, 100% right on.
emotionaljoystick 3 years ago
@timages13 I WAS TOLD THATJIMI WAS GOING TO GET WITH MILES AND JOHN MCLAUGHLIN,HAD JIMI LIVED TO HAVE THE MEETING,A MUSIC BOMB WOULD HAD GONE OFF,YOU COULD ONLY IMAGINED WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED,THEY ALL WOULD HAVE HELPED JIMI TO TRANSFORM TO JAZZROCK FUSION.
5mralbert 7 months ago
@5mralbert I read the biography of Miles Davis and he talks about meeting Jimi through Betty Mabry, ( a woman who had affairs with both these musicians). Mabry was the one who got Davis to go to Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone shows, (another big influence). Unfortunately Davis is rather disparaging towards Hendrix, continually harping on the fact that Jimi couldn't read charts and basically wasn't at all sophisticated in music...surprising considering Jimi's influence on Davis.
timages 7 months ago
Chicks solo on the track "After The Cosmic Rain" is totally astounding and (for it's era) he has successfully bridged the gap between the guitar and keyboard. As well as fusing together Jazz (extended be-bop lines), Rock (straight 8's feel over a static or reduced harmonic scheme - Gmaj to Fmin in this example), and Latin (turning the beat around and across-the-barline playing/comping).
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago
The most powerful solo on the album is by Chick on "Theme To The Mothership". The 'distortion' FX @ 4:53 is a GREAT sound and adds so much dimension to the solo. My favorite moment is the double-time broken-chords @ 5:28. Then between 5:29 and 5:30 Chick miraculously produces a 'bend/slide' effect which i have never heard anyone else ever do before or since (even Chick himself !!).
Again, it's only a one-chord-thing (D13add9/G) but Chick really takes the harmony far beyond the 7th Galaxy !!
monsterjazzlicks 3 years ago
You're absolutely right!
No one has ever played electric piano like that before or since. That solo will forever be a very special performance, even when I hear it now I'm blown away!
I only wish they would have made one record with Bill Conners and Chick blazing on the Fender Rhodes!!
...he doesn't need any other instrument, he played the Fender Rhodes like no one else.
timages13 3 years ago
oh yeah that's the good stuff
sandflyfever 3 years ago
Man, Lenny is loving every minute of this.
He's a passionate drummer
philipcwelch 3 years ago
Ciò era mai la migliore fascia di fusione, barra nessun.
Manolian 3 years ago
Di Meola's Better ne ways :)
Watermelonman24 3 years ago
thats subjective and i actually enjoy bill connors playing more
grandmaos 3 years ago
Probably one of the most highly disputed subjects among RTF fans. It truly is subjective.
oRuTRa45 3 years ago 2
You're right; he told me so himself.
And later DiMeola gave an interview after he left saying that he had wasted a huge amount of money on it (under Chick's influence) and that it was the most crazy baloney (in so many words). DiMeola is back with RTF again for a tour so I guess they get along now but I always liked this RTF with Bill way better...more raw. Bill went on to play a solo record and with Garbarek on some interesting Albums.
Rexicano 3 years ago
take a good look at this Lenny White. listen to his drumming carefuly and see if you can breathe at the same time. i sure can't
cherryorchards 3 years ago
I see what your sayin cherry. I mean everything...EVERYTHING he plays, even the most complicated drum pattern, dude makes it look so easy!!!. Check out the Vulcan Worlds video. Lenny at times looks like he's bored during the perfomance because it comes so natural to him. amazing drummer fo sho.
shyvoodoo 3 years ago
Saw Bill Connor in NYC a few years ago. He still kills that jazz axe. Great post. RTF is awesome.
BucketShred21 3 years ago
Wow. Stanley playing a Rick. Who'da thunk? Awesome post.
UnklRudi 3 years ago
I think any metal or jazz player or any virtuoso player of any rank or talent would love to be in this band. The composition is great...all the players are world class and, great for us, the recording is very decent. Thanks for the awesome post. Listened to this stuff all the time in the 70s. Connors is a great player...one of the better finger vibrato styles in any genre without a whammy bar! Gives me chills when he ends a phrase...hallmark of a worthy player.
joemysteryguitar 3 years ago 2
they dont play this anymore my older bro turned me on to this when I picked up guitar and its amazing al dimieola frank gambale allan holdsworth chick and pat metheny the jazz fusion thing is on
lvanhalen 3 years ago
Ive been listening to this .. prog rock or jazz fusion .. wichever, since the late 70s,
and Im still waiting for this type of music
to be realized again, for how much somebodys
ability to play an instrument, can be appreciated.
Ive actually heard this song on the radio 1977.. in Saskatchewan before I bought the record.
reginaron 3 years ago
I know its like these days its cool to be basically shit at playing your instrument and then when a band can actually play they're called ''weird''. What thew hell?? Have things gone backwards?
simonandtheghost 3 years ago
ok, maybe, I'll give you that...but it's boring. You can't put words to it. And the spoken language is one of the greatest things humans have going for them.
afiltercalledman 3 years ago
Its boring to you
simonandtheghost 3 years ago
yeah, it is. Forgive me if I've grown to appreciate real music instead of post modern rhythmic tribal nonsense suited only for fantasy geeks who were never exposed to D&D at any point in their lives. And thanks for pointing out the obvious! Where would I be with out people like you reasserting what I already know to be true!? Oh yeah, living on a planet filled with useful humans with a shared goal of knowledge and understanding. Who would have thought?
afiltercalledman 3 years ago
And what is ''real music'' to you then? please share your infinite musical knowledge with me oh won't you?
See i can be a smart ass for absolutely no reason too.
simonandtheghost 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
real music is most definitely not this. this is like "paintings" where all they did was throw a bunch of paint on a canvas on the floor, step on it a few times, slap a name on it and call it artwork. It's post modern bullshit. No composition. No goal. No story. Just a bunch of noise. Random noise.
afiltercalledman 3 years ago
With all respect to you, you are speaking from your own ignorance. To any one with a trained musical ear there is clearly a very complex structure going on here in which the musicians are improvising. It isn't possible to sit around playing ''random noise'' and make it sound like this.
So what music do you like?
simonandtheghost 3 years ago 2
Silly argument, guys. Whether or not we like a particular style has nothing to do with its being "real music." It's ALL music...Yanni, Rush, Return to Forever, Jane's Addiction, Frank Zappa, Phil Collins, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Slayer, etc.,
Saying something is boring, pretty, ugly, "insert adjective here" is nothing but a subjective observation. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Get over yourselves. OK, I'll step off my soapbox now.
smilinglemur 3 years ago 16
true...
afiltercalledman 3 years ago 2
@smilinglemur ---I find it somewhat telling that you lead off with Yanni to support your argument. Kind of like pulling a shy and diseased toad out of an atomic swamp to defend Kentucky Fried Chicken.
markboccaccio 1 year ago
reminds me of like a pre-Behold..the Arctopus or something.
jmrocker 3 years ago
exceptional to say the least..senior in highschool saw rtf @ carniege hall...i can still hear the THUNDER and INTENSITY..i am a lucky guy...do ya think lenny listined to TONY?
melange56 3 years ago
I was born 26 years after this so unfortunately i never got to experience this scene, but i'm really surprised how good everything sounds. I wish there was more of this music nowadays.
JuIsTheLaw 4 years ago 2
you're eight years old?
kidkitna 3 years ago 2
Holy shit, i shouldn't have quit maths in school. I meant 16 years so i'm 18 in september. Sorry bout that, i bow my head in shame.
JuIsTheLaw 3 years ago
ZAUVEK NAJBOLJI
nadaskicmisa 4 years ago
Best fusion band ever...
Manolian 4 years ago 5
there is a vid of bill connors doing spain with return to forever . does anyone have it.
would be great to hear and see bill with RTF.
a rare group.
IShootPpl4funNmoney 4 years ago
Hey man, you made me return to 1976 o something.....I have all those notes in my head!!! Thank you for post!!!
macccarioca 4 years ago 2
man, this is so good. i wish there were more of it out here.
Hgclaw 4 years ago
Yeah, I never knew SC played a Rickenbacker back then. Learn something new from YT all the time...
yeshead 4 years ago
There was hardly a prog-type bassist who didn't back then.
poncelled 4 years ago
return to forever rules^^
JustusFriedolin 4 years ago
Magnific Bill Connors. impresionant guitarist!
Shibuie 4 years ago
Yeah, I always liked Bill better than Al with that group. He just had a juicier more powerful sound.
befjazz 4 years ago
i like bill connors best i just cant believe it
gtrst100 4 years ago
holy crap that's sweet. definitely up there with Behold...the Arctopus and Canvas Solaris, imho.
jmrocker 4 years ago
Sensacional!!!!!!!!! ah!!! bons tempos!!!!
2309sergio 4 years ago
i think stanley hadn't a contract with alembic at that time (i don't know if he has a contract right now, i think he does)
HammondB200 4 years ago
hey clarks playing a rick what?I thought his main axe was alembic
dreadtodred 4 years ago
stanley on a ricky, cool. what's on chick's rhodes?
HammondB200 4 years ago
Yeah, It's awesome to hear Stanley on a Rick! Atop Chick's Fender Rhodes is an ARP Pro Soloist Synthesizer. A fine,touch sensitive, preset synthesizer.
quartersines 4 years ago
Hell yeah Hymn of the 7th Galaxy; One of RTF best records other than Romantic Warrior
Gugulus 4 years ago
very heavy, very deep music. these guys were from another place, man
rg2027x 4 years ago
They were indeed, RG2027X. I first heard this track and the eponymous RTF album back in 1984, some 11 years after it was recorded. As a teenager then, it had a huge impact on my musical outlook....I still find it mesmeric. Corea and dudes were a cut above.
spw1 4 years ago
Bill is still out there, and rediscovering himself. I only 'discovered' him in the late 90s when I studied with him for about a year. An incredibly disciplined man, he was the only person who could show me what jazz was. That's after 4 great years at Berklee, too. Best advice he ever gave me (IMHO): don't go wasting money on all the CDs you're "supposed" to listen to. Learn the language and do it your own way.
hotmetalslugs 4 years ago
vistalites
zappahead538 4 years ago
omg stanley is playin a ric
scottbos68 4 years ago
if anyone ever thinks that any rock is difficult to play, just play jazz fusion like this. the arrangements are just rediculous, they never seem to rest on a persistant rhythm for more than 15 seconds before a crazy fill comes in.
grandmaos 4 years ago
Brilliant band.
But Lenny White on drums is especially "out there".
Dazzling, yet almost effortless.
notrombones 4 years ago
great vid!! Sounds just like the album (my copy's worn out).They were so young!! Pre-Alembic Stanley, Dimeola was probably still in high school, Chic and Lenny as always kick butt!!
skeeterjugs 4 years ago
Conners choice of notes is so "tasty" he leaves you wanting more.His tone fits the music perfectly. I would love to see these guys re-unite sometime.Awesome line-up. (I still love DiMeola though)
61LPSG 4 years ago
Have I found a new guitar idol? You bet I have. All hail Bill Connors!
vac 4 years ago
Bill Connors is (and was) so ahead of his time. Please do yourself a favor and listen to Return to Forever's " Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy ". You will LOVE it !!!
michaelofpetaluma 4 years ago
if u think hes good check out the guitar playing in mahavishnu orchestra.
grandmaos 4 years ago
you know what's better that all of these bands out there? GREEN DAY!!! They get all the money with just 3 simple chords, mediocre arrangement, and nonsensical lyrics. Long live crappy music. hahaha.
junyna17 4 years ago
Money has nothing to do with talent in the music business today, and Green Day is the perfect example. Why do you think Green Day's fans are all dumbass kids and retard adults who couldn't think for themselves if their lives were on the line...
lengthwise11 4 years ago
if u say so...... (",)
junyna17 4 years ago
You're right, all artists should write 3 chord music, do mindless videos, write books a 7 year old could read, make movies a simpleton could understand, dumb down our education until people are proud of their ignorance . . . oh, wait. Nevermind. You're already ahead of me.
sloiselle1 4 years ago
Who said "ALL" artists should write 3 chordal stuff, etc? Everything I wrote is based on statistics. But, If what you believe in makes you happy, stick to it. (",)
junyna17 4 years ago
Who said it? You did. (You know what's better than _all_ these bands out there?). And if everything you wrote is based on statistics, what is your source for statistical analysis of what constitutes a mediocre arrangement?
sloiselle1 4 years ago
Oh and by the way, learn to read between the lines. It was meant to mock crappy music not exalt them. I'm a big fan of Jazz and Fusion music. I guess I have to explain every word I wrote for you to understand it.
junyna17 4 years ago
Read between the lines? You mean read your mind. There was nothing overt or even implied in your post to suggest you were being sarcastic. And yes, you DO have to explain precisely what you mean in an internet post because people cannot always divine your true meaning. I guess someone just has to expain every word of that for you to understand it.
sloiselle1 4 years ago
jajaja c'mon, even I got what he was saying
menteencoma 4 years ago
what a great band, I can't believe that this stuff is still to b topped.
alivonal 4 years ago
This is a great band,,and the video has very good sound quality. I like Al,but prefer Bill,he's very creative. When watching this,you have to remember that when this was recorded,there were very few fusion guitarists around,period. Lenny is a badass,and so are the rest of the guys
jimmied01 4 years ago
Stanley playing a Rickenbacker? Interesting. ;P
I personally prefer Tony Williams drumming for this band though.
GalacticWolf 4 years ago
I never noticed that ! I have an old ad framed from 1977 (?) with Stanley playing a Kramer. It's funny seeing him play anything other than an Alembic.
michaelofpetaluma 4 years ago
Heh, that's kind of funny that Stanley would play both of those basses, cuz I've seen some videos of Les Claypool messing around with Kramers and Rickenbackers in his other bands.
You can tell Les is a huge Clarke fan. :P
GalacticWolf 4 years ago
To me, "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" IS Return To Forever. It is so ahead of it's time. What a great album. It's fusion at it's best. Bill Connors is the guitarist I prefer, and a nice guy, too ! This album is so full of hooks, and grooves, I can listen to it over and over again !
michaelofpetaluma 4 years ago
word
jkrendelclark 4 years ago
I agree with infinityandthensome about DiMeola, but Conners is crazy good, and has the sweetest tone of any fusion player.
61LPSG 4 years ago
Such a shame these are the only clips of connors. Would love to see some of his solo stuff from Double Up and Assembler! This was still very cool. A freaking guitar legend virtually unknown by many today.
sonicbrewz 4 years ago
"Would love to see some of his solo stuff from Double Up and Assembler!"
Yeah..I just got done asking the same thing.
poncelled 4 years ago
awesome... fusion leaders.
orlandofriend 4 years ago
lovely
bbsuzi23 4 years ago
great album. you don't often see this lineup of the band. it is a little heavier than al dimeola's lineup.
buumoj2 5 years ago
i personally prefer di meola over connors, but i can't deny that connors is a dang good guitar player.
infinityandthensome 4 years ago
MORE. GIVE ME MORE.
axolotl84 5 years ago