Track Listing

1. Medieval Overture
2. Sorceress
3. Romantic Warrior
4. Majestic Dance
5. Magician
6. Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant, Pts. 1 & 2

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33827 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2000-02-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Originally released in 1976, Return To Forever's Romantic Warrior could be described as the high-water mark of jazz fusion's commercial popularity, reaching a spot on the Billboard charts and garnering the group a fanatical following of fans attracted to the band's technical prowess and bombast. Released on the heels of the breakup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Romantic Warrior still sounds like a standard-bearer for jazz fusion, full of flashy solos and complicated arrangements that seem like collages of different moods, meters, and tempos. The album is much closer to the progressive rock of Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, or King Crimson than anything from the jazz realm. Return to Forever's rhythm team of bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White, who gives the group a subtly funkier sound than most of their contemporaries. Still, it's pianist Chick Corea, using a veritable arsenal of keyboards and effects, and guitarist Al DiMeola, only 21 at the time of this recording, who define Romantic Warrior as a fusion landmark. This reissued edition comes with improved sound and a brief reminiscence by Corea in the liner notes. --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews

The Future Sound Of Chivalry
Back in 1976, albums like Romantic Warrior were the norm in jazz. Bebop and hardbop jazz had "gone underground" as fusion ran its natural course. For older jazz fans, the connection between free form innovation and electronical pyrotechnics often spelled confusion and misunderstanding. For those of us who grew up with bands like Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis and E.L.P., the album was something of a find. It allowed us to develop "ears" for listening to older jazz. For me, it didn't take long to backtrack to Herbie Hancock's Empyrean Isle album or Wayne Shorter's See No Evil after hearing this landmark release. All by way of saying that, even after close to twenty-five years, this album holds up remarkably well (when so many other fusion experiments now sound somewhat stilted and comical). There should be little doubt in readers minds that this is heady, trippy, mind-expanding stuff. Its use of electronics (especially synths) and the fire brought to the interplay of guitars, bass and drums, make it a tough listen for those who think jazz is all brush-stroke drums and soft, muted trumpets. Listening to it again, however, I heard elements of Coltrane and Monk, Mingus and Bitches' Brew-era Davis...things I hadn't the first time because I hadn't experienced them. And hearing those elements here "for the first time" as it were, deeply enhanced my listening pleasure. Make no mistake, this was, is and always will be, a jazz album. It may be a highly idiosyncratic release, definitely a product of its time, but it still sounds soaring, inventive, playful, intense, winning. A perfect remastering job rounds out the experience. All told, it achieves what every good reissue should: it allows a recontextualization of what made it important and reaffirmed what made it essential. Its intensity, wryness and bold strokes a great romp through diverse fields in search of 3-D windmills and Moog jesters. Exceptional.

Fusion Goodies!
Along with The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return To Forever were one of the few major jazz-fusion/rock bands to gain popularity, and bring jazz to a wider audience, albeit in a rock context. These fusion bands generally created a more accessible form of jazz: by filtering it through large doses of the aforementioned rock aesthetic.

While this album has received everlasting praise from critics and fans alike, I was quite disappointed with this on the first few listens. The turn-offs at the time? The slickness of it all. While I found the musicianship quite accomplished, I found it to be quite cold, dry, over-manufactured and plastic-sounding, which gave me a feeling of the music coming off as quite soulless. The synthesizer effects in many of the songs sounded flavorless and insubstantial, and the drum sonics sounded quite dry and plastic as well. As far as synthesizers go, I'll be the first to disagree with the many who say that they produce little or no emotional substance, but here, this was the first time I was ever compelled to agree with the many detractors.

Most importantly, I was disappointed in this because everything mentioned above that bothered me seemed to be the very things that go against what I assumed are/were the very principles of jazz and/or jazz-fusion; the music needs feeling, it needs soul, it needs fire, it needs purposeful, authentic expression. A highly respected friend and pal of mine -- if he reads this review, he will know exactly who he is -- doesn't enjoy this album for the exact reasons listed above, and it's safe to say that I fully understand why. Only difference between us regarding our opinion of the album? He still doesn't enjoy the album, while my opinion has changed, and I now enjoy it.

One thing I like to think that I've learned is that you shouldn't always place expectations on what should be, and what shouldn't. If you place a great deal of expectation on things, you are more than likely setting yourself up for disappointment. Sometimes it's best to leave your preconceptions and expectations behind, and be prepared for anything.

Now, shouldn't I be trying to describe the music on here? Yes! That's right!

Musicians Chick Corea (keyboards), Al DiMeola (guitars), Lenny White (drums) and Stanley Clarke (basses) create some highly enjoyable, utterly infectious music, which is also quite fun to listen to as well. The music still has a certain slickness to it, but this one-time aggravating aspect has dissolved into an indescribable charm, albeit a quirky one.

"Medieval Overture" starts off with some twinkling synthesizer taps, which combine with other synth textures to create an ethereal, spiraling, and seemingly labyrinthine atmosphere. It propels forth an ambience: at once encircling, while penetrating the mind; in both peripheral and primal areas. Lenny White in particular shows off his flamboyant drumming, and you get the sense that Lenny was quite a flamboyant character when listening to this. The title of this song resembles that of a classic progressive rock track, and while many mention that this offering shares much in common with bands like Yes, ELP and King Crimson -- and in some ways, it does -- it doesn't necessarily sound too much like either of those bands to me, nor does it sound much like prog-rock in general.

"Sorceress" is a funkified jam written by drummer Lenny White. It doesn't mix things up too much in the rhythm for the duration of the track, which is sometimes frustrating. This bothered me on the first few listens, but, now, I've come to appreciate the extended grooves. The jazzy piano chords, and their elegant-sounding arpeggios, the multi-dimensional basslines, and the drumming; particularly in the way the cymbals are used here. Utterly romantic and sensual.

The title track shares a kinship with the previous track; in the sense that the rhythm stays pretty much the same throughout. Mid-tempo and relatively relaxed, the seemingly straightforward rhythm kept by Lenny White on the drums is something of a container for the other musicians to exhibit their respective strengths: Al DiMeola gives us some lightning-fast, yet polished and seemingly effortless soloing, Chick Corea gives us elaborate, yet restrained and atmospheric sprinkles of piano, and Clarke, as usual delivers some impressive basslines.

"Majestic Dance" is the closest thing to a typical hard rock song on this album - excepting the quirky, virtuosic instrumental passages played in unison. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise, since it was written by guitarist Al DiMeola. Features melodic, yet fiery solos, and virtuosic flights between guitars, bass and keys that are very precise and impressive.

"The Magician" is my favorite track on here. This track features elements that resemble prog-rock more closely than any other track on the album. Written by Stanley Clarke, the dynamics and motifs are quite mercurial and chameleonic; even including Renaissance and Baroque elements (which resemble Gentle Giant a bit.) A quirky mixture of impressive virtuosic flights (the bass playing on here impresses me the most), utter bombast, and whimsy: there's even the sound of an alarm clock going off to close out the song, which is credited under one of Lenny White's instrumental contributions.

"Duel of The Jester and The Tyrant" may run in a close second to the previous track in resembling the attributes of classic *prog* rock. The first part features chord phrasing which impressed me highly, and the virtuosic basslines from Clarke are what I soak up the most here. The second half is probably my favorite part of the track: features a main descending line which exhibits galactic, skyscraping bombast which perfectly evokes the image of an arena battle, so to speak. The synthesizer lines in particular, take this image even further, to evoke that of a video game.

Give this one a shot if you have any interest in fusion. Skilled musicianship combines with accessibility, infectiousness and quirkiness. Sounds like a great combination to me.

Changed my musical life! Still my favorite of all time!
While riding in a van one day in the later '70s, a bandmate stuck in an 8-track tape and said,"Hey nate, listen to this guitar player". After about 10 minutes, I was finally able to close my frozen jaw and wipe the drool from my shirt, and asked him if I could borrow it. He didn't get it back until I bought the album.
It wasn't just the guitarist - the bassist blew me away! And all those synthesizer sounds that complimented everything perfectly. I didn't even LIKE synthesizers! It wasn't just the musicianship and cool sounds either. Even today when I plug in the remastered CD, I still feel like I'm sitting in front of an old console stereo. You know, the wooden box that had funky colored fabric speaker grille cloth on each side of the front, and had a flip top center that exposed the record player, 8 track player and radio tuner. Those things sounded SSSOOOO warm.
That clear, warm production drew me in as much as anything, and that feeling didn't get lost on the remastered CD. I've been a musician for 30 years and have listened to much music, but nothing has grabbed me like that day in the van. Romantic Warrior was the reason I bought so many Stanley Clarke albums and took me on a musical journey that I'm much the richer for.
In a time when disco ruled, what a dramatic departure to discover a collection of Baroque tunes played at breakneck speed on rock n' roll instruments full of funk and experimentation. A huge chunk of great music from the last 30 years exists because of this album. And most people don't even know that RTF ever existed.
This ain't just a cool album, it changed my musical life!