Spectrum cover

Spectrum

Released

Recorded in a couple days by an insane lineup — Miles/Mahavishnu drummer Cobham and future Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer made up the core, but they were supplemented by Deep Purple/James Gang shredder Tommy Bolin, session legend bassist Leland Sklar, and a host of others — this dizzying display of musicianship takes all that talent and harnesses it into one of the great jazz fusion records of all time. Cobham’s kit (mic’ed to the max by Beatles engineer Ken Scott) is the centerpiece, the other players following his lead into the ultraviolet range. It’s not difficult to understand why songs like “Quadrant 4” and “Stratus” blew open their listeners’ third eyes.

Jeff Treppel

Recommended by

Suggestions
Blacks and Blues cover

Blacks and Blues

Bobbi Humphrey
Vitalive! cover

Vitalive!

Vital Information, Steve Smith
Expensive Shit cover

Expensive Shit

Africa 70, Fela Kuti
Ruby Vroom cover

Ruby Vroom

Soul Coughing
Gaucho cover

Gaucho

Steely Dan
The Shakedown cover

The Shakedown

Tenderlonious, The 22archestra
Turn to Clear View cover

Turn to Clear View

Joe Armon-Jones
Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett cover

Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett

Gary Burton, Keith Jarrett
Suite for Max Brown cover

Suite for Max Brown

The New Breed, Jeff Parker
Heritage Of The Invisible II cover

Heritage Of The Invisible II

Aquiles Navarro, Tcheser Holmes
Driftglass cover

Driftglass

SEED Ensemble
Butterfly cover

Butterfly

Kimiko Kasai, Herbie Hancock