Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Return To Forever
Label: Polydor Records
Released: 1974
Runtime: 41:27
Rating: 5/5
“Where Have I Known You Before” is the fourth album from the perfectionist workshop of jazz rock fusion legends Return To Forever, who, led by keyboard grandmaster Chick Corea, turned out a good number of studio gems in the seventies, all of them packed with electrified forms of jazz. This record earned its place in the annals of the most important jazz releases of the second half of the twentieth century above all because it was where the world first met the then barely nineteen-year-old guitar wunderkind Al Di Meola. Al stepped in to replace Bill Connors, who, thanks to an unquenchable love for the acoustic guitar and a so-so attitude toward its electric cousin, decided to hop off the RTF train and focus on a solo career. The classic RTF lineup was born, with bass innovator Stanley Clarke and drum wizard Lenny White joining Corea and the young Di Meola.
Their fusion style didn’t change much overall from the excellent previous album “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” (1973), but the sound got more focused and cleaner in most places, thanks to some new technology as well as new instrumental approaches. The more refined production techniques deserve a mention too. This is where Chick Corea first started using the mini moog and ARP synthesizers, shaping a completely distinctive instrumental and sonic approach of his own. Clarke, too, developed a playing style that was recognizable from miles away and, on this album, finally grew into one of the most influential jazz bassists of all time. Di Meola’s playing, on the other hand, wasn’t yet as adventurous, nor did it reach the “supersonic” speeds of his later career, but he already got plenty of room to show off his incredible talent in solos, along with that特 softness in the way he delicately picks the strings. As a tight-knit unit, RTF became much more cohesive on “Where Have I Known You Before”, and that made them even more convincing at building individual motifs and improvising solos.
As a whole, the album delivers a top-class display of incredible instrumental flow, superb interplay and dynamic rhythmic energy, with amazing chemistry between the band members humming along the whole way. The main compositions are linked by three shorter Chick piano improvisations that share the title “Where Have I Known You”. All three do a fine job of slipping in melodic subtlety and calming down the improvisations that so often get heated to the boiling point inside the main pieces, and they also showcase the master’s solo talent.
The opener “Vulcan Worlds” is full of melodic motifs, mostly built on a combination of exquisite keyboard finesse and wickedly witty guitar passages. Clarke’s distinctive way of laying down bass lines, together with White’s astonishing drum dynamics, holds up highly complex rhythm sections that fail to tame Di Meola’s kinetic guitar outbursts. Every instrumentalist except White gets an extensive solo spot, and even today they leave the most spoiled music connoisseurs breathless. “The Shadow of Lo” is a highly complex creation with plenty of changing motifs. A romantic piano intro is followed by the gradual build-up of a dramatic melody, with Corea’s ethereal moog work and Di Meola’s subtle guitar ornaments playing the key roles. At White’s drumming prompt, the piece then picks up the pace, and you can already admire Al’s fast-fingered string kneading while he keeps the melody delicate. Eventually they come together to shape an extremely witty motif, within which the guitar maestro deftly slips in a fiery guitar solo.
“Beyond the Seventh Galaxy” is a symbolic continuation of the classic from the previous album, “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy”, with Corea taking over as the main tempo-setter with some seriously juicy synthesizer parts, while Di Meola once again doesn’t hold back on his assault of devilish guitar phrases and solos. “Earth Juice Jam” is a thrilling collective jam that still delights every lover of rhythmic dynamics and drama today. While his bandmates play around with witty rhythmic ornaments, Di Meola weaves a subtle guitar solo that carries the piece into almost epic territory. The closing jazz fusion epic “Song to Pharaoh Kings”, at over 14 minutes, holds the central spot on the album and ranks among the best creations in the history of Chick’s band. A grand, sweeping keyboard intro, where Chick demonstrates a convincing command of synthesizer innovations, is followed by the build-up of an oriental motif, which the whole band joins. Every member of the group plays a long solo over the course of the piece. Between the individual solo improvisations, there isn’t a moment without unpredictable rhythmic twists and changes of motif. This royal composition is one of the finest showcases of the incredible chemistry and playing style of this unforgettable musical collective.
“Where Have I Known You Before” is an evergreen jazz rock fusion classic, the record that first introduced the music world to the astonishing guitar talent of young Al Di Meola. The album is the embodiment of Return To Forever’s trademark strengths in building atmospheric, high-caliber jazz rock fusion on the back of the extraordinary technical chops of the individual players and superb cohesion in the tight construction of improvisations and melodic motifs. The incarnation of RTF that made this monumental album easily proved to be their best and longest-lasting. They would keep building on their remarkable chemistry over the next two albums, while Di Meola, especially after launching his solo career, would become one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Lineup
Chick Corea – electric piano, acoustic piano, Yamaha organ, synthesizer, percussion
Al Di Meola – electric guitar, acoustic twelve-string guitar
Stanley Clarke – electric bass guitar, Yamaha organ, bells
Lenny White – drums, percussion, congas & bongos
Production
Chick Corea
Track list
1. Vulcan Worlds
2. Where Have I Loved You Before?
3. Shadow of Lo
4. Where Have I Danced With You Before
5. Beyond the Seventh Galaxy
6. Earth Juice
7. Where Have I Known You Before?
8. Song to the Pharaoh Kings
