Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Weather Report
Label: Columbia Records
Released: 1978
Duration: 37:15
Rating: 3.5/5
“Mr. Gone”, the eighth album from jazz fusion legends Weather Report, is easily their most controversial record. It went down in history less for its musical content than for the fact that it suddenly got the band kicked out of favor with some critics who had been extremely friendly to them before. The prestigious jazz magazine Down Beat gave it just one star (out of five), grumbling mostly about the over-the-top commercialization and overproduced sound. Worth noting: that same magazine had named no fewer than five of their previous records albums of the year. The band members even organized a special press conference to defend individual tracks. Despite the mudslinging from certain critics, the album did relatively well, and the concert tour was an even bigger success, with the classic Weather Report lineup of Zawinul/Shorter/Pastorius/Erskine showing itself to audiences for the first time.
Contrary to Down Beat’s vehement review, “Mr. Gone” is far from bad, but next to the monumental “Heavy Weather”, the record that marked the peak of their creative output, it was certainly a big letdown at release, so the radically negative reactions from critics at the time are justified to a certain extent. The complaints about the overproduced sound also hold up to some degree. The immortal keyboard papa Joe Zawinul threw himself, almost like a kid, into the then-innovative technology of electronically modified synthesizers on “Mr. Gone”. Caught up in his enthusiasm for his newly discovered electronic toys, he went a bit too far, and the synths end up noticeably dominant in the production compared to the other instruments for most of the compositions. Because of this, some tracks on the album sound sterile, if not downright synthetic, and are stripped of the untamed rhythmic energy the band had made its name on in the past. The one who lost out the most is Zawinul’s inseparable partner Wayne Shorter, whose saxophone often comes across as rather shy. The other criticism, aimed at the excessive commercialization, isn’t pulled out of thin air either. Plenty of the arrangements and harmonies on the album are closer in nature to the increasingly popular smooth jazz of the time than to fusion. And most of the improvisations aren’t exactly among the best their inspiration and abilities had to offer.
Even though the album marks an unexpected step backward, not everything went downhill. “Mr. Gone” is where their classic and most beloved lineup took shape: with drum master Peter Erskine joining, they managed to solve their never-ending problem of a permanent drummer for several years. Two other drum giants, Tony Williams and Steve Gadd, also played on the album, but only as occasional guests. Besides his unique technical chops, Erskine brought an exceptional rhythmic fluidity, which clicked between him and the bass wizard Jaco Pastorius, whom many simply call the greatest bassist of all time. Personally, I’d fully agree with that label: before or since, there has never been a bigger badass on bass guitar, one with more innovation, combinatorial thinking, wit, expressiveness and unbridled energy than the “Hendrix of the bass” could unleash with his playing. And it was Jaco who saved the album, both in composition and in performance, bringing a nice dose of solidity and balance that makes that embarrassing Down Beat star count lose all credibility.
The moment we walk through the individual tracks, we find plenty of positive and exciting moments. The opening classic “The Pursuit of the Women With the Feathered Heat”, which is also the only true Weather Report classic on the album, picks up stylistically right where “Heavy Weather” left off. I wouldn’t be far off calling it a more experimental version of their biggest hit “Birdland”, with strong rhythmic elements of Latin music. A mysterious synth intro is joined by Caribbean percussion and rousing backing vocals from Messrs. Pastorius, Manolo Badrena and Jon Lucien. Pastorius’ cheeky improvisations sound better than any electric guitar and bring an unusual level of playfulness to the piece. The cheer-along atmosphere of this superb composition is perfect for watching soccer matches, and you can even dance to it, to a degree.
“Young and Fine” also follows the “Heavy Weather” direction in many ways, combining the kindliness of melodic arrangements with the usual rhythmic experimentation. The latter is mostly thanks to Pastorius’ juicy rhythmic flourishes and Shorter’s razor-sharp saxophone passages, which stroll through the piece with youthful impetuosity. “Punk Jazz” is a pure Pastorius classic, where we can marvel at a bass legend the likes of which we’ll never see again in one of his most energetic solo moments. His improvisational artworks are accompanied by excellent saxophone passages and the occasional mighty wave of synthesizers, which add subtlety to the rowdy show put on by the biggest rocker among jazz bassists. The short, enigmatic “Pinocchio” is also a rather interesting creation, with Erskine shining in particular through some strikingly wild transitions alongside a raging saxophone, while the closing “And Then” is practically one of a kind in their history, since its outro features a short vocal turn from Maurice White. Alongside subtle keyboard passages, his contribution makes for a very romantic and fitting end to the album.
The less likable moments come from some not-so-successful experimental attempts with what was then cutting-edge technology, like “River People”, dominated by Zawinul’s synthetic synthesizers with electronic passages and monotonous rhythmic patterns. Shorter’s woodwind arrangements here are closer to the usual sterile smooth jazz than to fusion. The only thing worth praising is the wonderfully witty, neighing bass line. “The Elders” is a pretty mellow, not to say almost sleepy piece that, apart from rather modest improvisations on saxophone, percussion and electric piano, offers nothing particularly thrilling. A perfect example of compositional and production atrophy is the title track, which, apart from a few good improvisations, mainly the ominous bass line and short interesting bits on sax and keys, sounds like it was made in some airtight prison cell. It’s far from a bad piece, but it’s below their usual standards. These shortcomings are of course not enough for an all-out frontal attack on an album that’s very solid in every other respect and deserves more respect than it gets.
All in all, “Mr. Gone” is nowhere near the dramatic drop in quality some critics wanted to describe it as when it came out, boasting a string of seriously likable compositions that any jazz fusion fanatic will still enjoy today. “Mr. Gone” could certainly have been a much better record if it hadn’t been marked by Zawinul’s excessive experimenting with modified synthesizers and the obvious flirting with smooth jazz, which never really agreed with the sonic visions of this legendary band. Despite the noticeable dip in quality, which was by no means a reason to panic, they were still the hottest name in jazz fusion at the end of the 70s. With their classic lineup finally in place, they were determined to conquer concert halls around the world. “Mr. Gone” did signal the start of their gradual decline, but it also foreshadowed plenty of exciting compositional adventures before the party was over.
Lineup
Joe Zawinul – modified Rhodes 88 electric piano, two ARP 2600 synthesizers, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, Prophet 5 synthesizer, Mu-Tron Bi-Phase and Mu-Tron wah effects, kalimba, tumbeki drums, bells, melodica, acoustic piano, vocals
Wayne Shorter – tenor and soprano saxophone, vocals (track 1)
Jaco Pastorius – bass guitar, drums (tracks 1 and 2), vocals (1, 2 and 5), timpani (2)
Peter Erskine – drums (1 and 7), hi-hat (3)
Manolo Badrena – percussion, vocals (1)
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Tony Williams – drums (5 and 6)
Steve Gadd – drums (3 and 8)
Jon Lucien – vocals (1)
Deniece Williams – vocals (8)
Maurice White – vocals (8)
Production
Joe Zawinul and Jaco Pastorius
Tracklist
1. The Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat
2. River People
3. Young and Fine
4. The Elders
5. Mr. Gone
6. Punk Jazz
7. Pinocchio
8. And Then
