The Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency! (ft. John Mclaughlin) (1969) {1997 Verve Remaster}

Tony Williams' Emergency was one of the first and most influential albums in late-'60s fusion, a record that shattered the boundaries between jazz and rock. Working with guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, Williams pushed into new territory, creating dense, adventurous, unpredictable soundscapes. With Emergency, Tony Williams helped create the foundation of the style and sound of fusion. It's a seminal release, originally released on two albums and now available on one CD.

Easily the weirdest record the Tony Williams Lifetime ever released, 1971's Ego is an experimental blend of post-hard bop jazz and the spacier end of psychedelic rock. Larry Young's wafting organ parts and Ted Dunbar's rockist guitar (as opposed to the more traditional jazz bent of the guy he replaced, John McLaughin) combine to make parts of the album sound like Atom Heart Mother-era Pink Floyd, particularly on "There Comes a Time" and "Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio)." Unfortunately, both of those tracks are bogged down by Williams' own earnest and not terribly inspired verses. The best tracks are those that dispense with the lyrical claptrap - the liner notes are also a terribly dated hoot - and get down to the creation of some roiling atmospheres and powerful group improvisation…

The Tony Williams Lifetime - Turn It Over (1970) {Verve 314 539 118-2 rel 1997}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 250 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb
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© 1970, 1997 Polydor / Verve / PolyGram | 314 539 118-2
Jazz / Fusion / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Drums / Organ

The better of the two albums the Tony Williams Lifetime recorded in 1970, Turn It Over, is a far more focused and powerful album than the loose, experimental Ego, and one of the more intense pieces of early jazz-rock fusion around. In parts, it's like Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys with much better chops. It's more rock-oriented and darker-hued than their debut, 1969's Emergency!, and the temporary addition of ex-Cream member Jack Bruce on bass and vocals alongside stalwart guitarist John McLaughlin makes this something of a milestone of British progressive jazz.

A rare, unreleased verson of The Tony Williams Lifetime album, Turn It Over. Expanded, remixed, and remastered by Bill Laswell from the original Polydor master tapes. This unabridged version of the complete album includes 4 unreleased cuts, and 5 longer unedited versions from album sessions - which was intended as a double LP but only released as an editied single LP. Cover art by Russell Mills, liner notes by John Szwed. Thanks to Bill Laswell for rescuing, and finally giving a proper mastering to match William's original intentions, to this most seminal, groundbreaking recording, mixing jazz, rock, prog and metal years ahead of virtually everyone else!

The mercurial Tony Williams assembled a dream line-up of superb session men bassist Tony Newton and keyboardist Alan Pasqua but it's with the addition of guitarist Allan Holdsworth that the line-up featured a musician that not only brought this band together and it also brought in a member that was equally as innovative and extraordinary gifted as Tony…

While it would be utterly foolish to consider a two-disc set by guitarist John McLaughlin as anything other than a sample of the wildly diverse career he's enjoyed since the early '60s, it should be noted and underscored that what Legacy does with this set is to provide a solid look at not only the man's gifts but at the way he's employed them, exploited them, and let them get the best of him for the past 40-plus years.