Chick Corea Elektric Band - Light Years

Restored to its original running order with all of the original songs!

For The Elektric Band's sophomore outing, Chick Corea — the venerated 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master — entered the studio with Dave Weckl on drums, John Patitucci on bass, and two new players who would solidify the band's classic line up, guitarist Frank Gambale and saxophonist Eric Marienthal.

More heavily produced than its predecessor, Light Years contains several sequence-driven tracks, Corea's attempt at reaching out to a wider audience with a brand of music that was tighter, funkier and eminently more communicative than he had recorded on 1986's The Chick Corea Elektric Band.

The crisp, irrepressibly catchy title track is a prime example of Corea's more commercial aspirations for the album, with Patitucci laying down a fat, funky groove with some hearty slap bass lines (a distinct flavor of the time), and Marienthal's pungent alto sax strutting over the top. Not only did this groove-oriented track catch on with listeners, it also won a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards.

Originally released in the midst of the CD explosion, Corea took full advantage of the increased running time the format offered. With vinyl in decline, songs were cut from the track lists in order to fit on the original single LP vinyl release. At last this album has been restored to it's original running order, as the artist intended.

Produced by Corea, with longtime engineering partner Bernie Kirsh, the album features detailed liner notes by jazz writer Bill Milkowski, providing context and filling out the listening experience with lush technical notes.

 

Side A

1. Light Years

2. Second Sight

3. Flamingo

4. Prism

Side B

1. Time Track

2. Starlight

3. Your Eyes

Side C

1.The Dragon

2. View From The Outside

3. Smokescreen

Side D

1. Hymn Of The Heart

2. Kaleidoscope

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