Album Reviews

With a career spanning more than six decades, Herbie Hancock is one of the most treasured names in jazz. From his early days with Blue Note, to his last release (2010’s The Imagine Project), there are more than a few of his impressive 46 albums that people consider to be favourites. My personal favourite however, is the fusion classic, 1973’s Headhunters.

Jazz fusion as a genre has two main styles that fuse with jazz, the first being rock and the second being funk. Headhunters wastes no time in showing you what style it's blending. If the lack of a guitar on the record wasn’t any sort of giveaway, one of the funkiest basslines of all time kicking off the album will smack you in the face with an answer.

Listening to the opening track “Chameleon” on any release will get you feeling funky, but the Analogue Productions 2 LP 45rpm release will get you groovin’! The song kicks off with the classic bassline being played on an ARP Odyssey synth, and everything else builds from there. Throughout the song, Hancock delivers inspired and groovy solos that sound as fresh today as I'm sure they did then. Clocking in at 15 minutes and 41 seconds, it may seem a bit long for a single side on a 45rpm record, but I experienced no inner groove distortion whatsoever and found the fidelity to be outstanding. The highlight of this track for me is the drums. Harvey Mason’s kit sounds incredibly alive and crisp, to the point where I often forget I'm listening to a record.

From “Chameleon” we are treated to the classic Hancock composition, “Watermelon Man”. This song was originally released on Hancock’s 1962 debut, Takin’ Off, and by the release of Headhunters had already become a staple. After opening with the unusual sound of percussionist Bill Summers blowing into beer bottles, the cut transitions into some of the greatest mid tempo jazz-funk you can find. I find Bennie Maupin’s sax playing to be the highlight of the song, with his interjections being smooth and tasteful.

After switching to the second record, and throwing on the tribute to funk legend Sly Stone, “Sly”, the record keeps its momentum in fantastic fashion. “Sly” starts off sounding ominous, and makes you think something is about to happen, and at the two minute mark, whatever you thought was going to happen, happens. The tempo explodes, and throughout the controlled chaos of the track Hancock and Maupin do an excellent job of trading solos, while Paul Jackson’s bass groove keeps the song grounded.

After the bombasity of “Sly” we move on to the fourth and final track on the record: “Vein Melter”. Instead of melting your veins by going incredibly fast, the song ops to melt with its balladry and beauty. It’s a perfect closer for the album, and gives the listener the needed variety to keep us intrigued. Hancock’s sound on this particular song is very different from the others. He draws back the complexity and delivers lyrical passages that are eerie yet charming at the same time.

Analogue Productions does an incredible job on this release, keeping you enveloped in the music while breaking down the barrier between your stereo and musicians. I’d previously had a run of the mill reissue of this album that I thought was good and did the job, but because of how much I love this album I opted to spend some more bucks on the AP release, not expecting a huge difference. Boy was I wrong. There is so much more clarity to every instrument, and instead of the funk taking a backseat, it punches you in the face and demands your attention. Both of my discs arrived flat and without any pressing defects or jacket damage on the mighty journey from Salina to Edmonton.

I would urge any record collector to buy this release. Whether you like jazz and have yet to get into fusion, or if you have known this album for years and want it to sound new again, this press will get the job done. If you’re debating between the 33 or the 45 edition like I was, without a doubt get the 45. The extra $20 boosts the fidelity magnificently, as well as upgrades the package to a gatefold with bonus artwork on the inside. The fantastic music mixed with the AP treatment is a match made in heaven, and Analogue Productions proves once again why they are the best audiophile label out there.

(Simon Guile is a newly employed worker at Record Collector’s Paradise in Edmonton Alberta. Currently, he’s trying to get as many shifts in as he can before he goes on a trip to the big apple.)