WEATHER REPORT
DAYLIGHT AT SUNRISE
(1971-1986)
Weather Report was my first attempt to introduce myself into the world of Jazz and I was very lucky to start with their 1976 album Black Market whose eponymous title remains my favourite WR track.
At their beginnings, Weather Report really sounded like Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. Surprise when you know that Joe Zawinul (keyb) and Wayne Shorter (sax) learned a lot with the master. Until their 1973 Sweetnighter album, this filiation is quite an evidence.
Weather Report found their musical identity with their 1974 album Mysterious Traveller and much more with their 1975 Tale Spinnin'. To their fusion sound was added an african sound. That brought the band to another direction and, to me, the highest point of their carreer was Black Market. After that and especially after their excellent live album 8.30, everything became much more flat even if this african color kept featuring in the Weather Report sound. The 80s are not as good as the decade before but no one can argue that Weather Report's albums in the 80s were at least very good. Weather Report never becam an infamous Smooth Jazz band and that 's a good thing.
Here will you find every period of the band from the beginning to the end in a chronological order. No albums have been voluntarily forgotten but the golden years (1972-1978) is the best represented.
You may notice that another huge album like "I Sing The Body Electric" is under represented because 2 of its best (to me) tracks were chosen from other live albums like Live In Tokyo or Live & Unreleased.
Enjoy this compilation like I enjoy this band.
My Weather Report TOP3 :
1. Black Market (1976)
2. I Sing The Body Electric (1972)
3. Tale Spinning (1975)
My Weather Report TOP3 live albums :
1. Live & Unreleased (1973-1983/2002)
2. Live In Tokyo (1972)
3. 8.30 (1979)
wait if it's temporary unavailable
6 comments:
Quel honneur que d'être le premier à commenter sur ce baistophe de Weather Report.
Honnêtement, j'y suis allé à reculon étant donné que je ne suis pas un grand amateur de Jazz Fusion et, du gros tiers de la compilation que j'ai déjà écouté, tu as réussi - au moins partiellement - à troubler l'opinion négative que j'avais de Weather Report.
Bien joué donc et bravo pour l'artwork qui colle parfaitement.
Du bon boulot quoi, mais je suis habitué avec toi... ;-)
Je pense, mon cher jeb-e-diah, que mon post a fait un vrai flop. C'est une réelle surprise. Pourtant ce groupe est loin d'être un de ces groupe - comme tu dis - de fusion qui fait dans le feutré, ce qu'on appelle plus communément du Smooth Jazz, ou plus populairement, de la musique d'ascenseur, moi je dis "de la merde".
La musique de WR est bien plus colorée, vivante, riche et variée. En témoigne ce baistophe, chronologique, qui, certes, montre une évolution vers l'accessible, voire "grand public", mais ne berce pas vulgairement vers un jazz facile qui ne fait office que de papier-peint. Pour moi, la fusion, c'est autre chose que Uzeb, c'est ce que son nom indique : une fusion entre deux (ou plus) genres. Une musique hybride et non pas une musique bâtarde.
La tendance de WR à "simplifier" sa musique dans les années 80 n'est en fait dû qu'à l'époque. Quand on écoute les oeuvres de Joe Zawinul en solo par la suite, on se rend compte que sa philosophie était loin de celui-d'un businessman, plus celui d'un vrai musicien en quête de sensations. Si le groupe avait continué jusqu'à aujourd'hui, sûr qu'il serait revenu vers des musiques aussi intelligentes et passionnante que celles que nous a proposé WR dans les années 1974-1978. En témoigne l'un des derniers live de Zawinul : 75th, c'est un vrai album de Weather Report en soi.
Thanks for this download. I have enjoyed weather report's music over the years but the album that I was introduced to the band "Mr Gone" I have enjoyed the most. It was a real blend of different styles with great playing and good songs. Thanks for the other "Baistophes" as well. Can you re up Ry Cooder please ?
Jozz
I thnk you did a great job here. You did leave off my two favorite tracks, "Unknown Soldier" from I Sing the Body Electric and "Jungle Book" from Mysterious Traveler, but that's the nature of the beast, right? And you included so much great music I'd never heard before-- like the vocal tracks from the last part of their career. I've been listening to these nonstop for a week. Thanks!
Thank you very much. The significance of Weather Report cannot be understated. Along with the obvious Miles Davis from which the WR was spawned along with John McLoughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra they found an audience in the rock venues and paved the way for the Pat Metheny's and Jan Garbarek's of the 90's & noughties. I suspect that the success of ECM can be linked also. We now have full circle with the emergence of a a truly original european jazz and that is particularly thanks to the european engagement in America during the 60's and 70's. Thanks as I am a huge fan and have not heard some of this for a very long time. Ta
Hallo Baistophe, thank you for the music you have there. I downloaded some of your great compilations yet: SAVOY BROWN, EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND, MOUNTAIN, HUMBLE PIE for example and put them on cd's for my radio in my old škoda car!(I'm from Czech republic and so sorry for my stupid simply english)And now WEATHER REPORT. I find the discography of this jazz rock fusion band on Dotcomjunkies (Stairway To Heaven blog),so i download some 3cd compilation there. I like groups with long career, how the music of the bands changed in time. So this band interesting me too. I like IF and OUT OF FOCUS from jazz rock the best, but i didnt listen Weather Report yet:) So thank you for your compilation! My "band of my heart is HAWKWIND and you have their compilation too but the rapidshare links are dead for a long time, so please could You re-upload that links, your Hawkwind compilation looks great with some rare songs! I like Your blog for these reasons: many interesting groups from 70th of many different music styles, the good idea:the top 3 albums and worst 3 and compilations are the best thing to introduce music of unknown bands. Great job Man, have a good time and music!
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