Return To Forever were at the forefront of jazz/rock fusion in the seventies and like their contemporaries Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra were formed by a former Miles Davis sideman, in this case the great Chick C... more »orea. Return To Forever hit their commercial and artistic peak with a string of albums in the mid-seventies featuring the line-up of Chick Corea on keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, Al Di Meola on guitar and Lenny White on drums. In 2008 this classic line-up reunited for their first tour in 25 years and proved that their musicianship and the chemistry within the band were as strong as ever. This concert was filmed at Montreux in July 2008 with the bonus tracks being filmed in Clearwater, Florida later the same month. TRACK LISTING
Main Show - Montreux 2008
1) Introduction 2) Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy 3) Vulcan Worlds 4) Sorceress 5) Song To The Pharaoh Kings 6) Al's Solo 7) No Mystery 8) Chick's Solo 9) Romantic Warrior 10) El Bayo de Negro (Stanley's Solo) 11) Lineage (Lenny's Solo) 12) Romantic Warrior (conclusion) Bonus Tracks - Clearwater 2008
1) Lineage (Lenny's Solo) 2) Al's Solo 3) Friendship (Chick's Solo) 4) El Bayo de Negro (Stanley's Solo) 5) Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant« less
Ron Curtiss | Studio City, CA United States | 06/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Very briefly, if you are looking for brilliant instrumental music, played and recorded brilliantly, get this. Miles Davis invented jazz-rock fusion, RTF has perfected it. Nothing else even comes close, IMHO."
Essential for Fans
Jon Dough | 05/17/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"To see and hear Chick et al back together in 2008 was a real treat, and this DVD captures the moment quite well. The title "Returns" is an apt description, much better than "reunion" as the latter term conjures up images of some old geezers cashing in on former glory. Now these guys do look like old geezers, but their playing is as fresh and vital as ever. A bit more mellow and mature, but no less exciting and no less mind-blowing in some sections, particularly Al and Stanley. My only complaint with the performance is that the spotlight solos are a little over the top and detract from "The Romantic Warrior".
The DVD includes all the songs that became part of the standard repertoire on the tour and plays like a complete concert. The bonus footage is a bit disappointing because it is all presented as a video collage: several smaller windows each showing a different camera angle with some funky dividers that are quite distracting. Otherwise the DVD looks and sounds great."
My prayers have been answered!
ANTONIO MIRANDA Jr. | USA | 06/05/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I waited for years hoping to see RTF get together again. Although tickets were too pricey for me to see them performed at the Hard Rock in Orlando, this was the second best thing. Excellent sound and video. Can't wait to hear from the trio (Corea, Clarke & White)in the coming months.
Now, if only Al dimeola would do a retrospective concert playing his greatest hits from the Columbia years with guests like Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson,Jan Hammer etc.
I will contine to pray for that one!"
American Footage Stinks !
David Gaither | Santa Rosa, California | 06/02/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The band is spectacular. Al Looks a little stressed at times, but Chick and Stanley are obviously having fun.The video done in Montreux is great . I would have liked to seen them do Medieval Overture and Majestic Dance (having seen that tour in NYC),but was flat out pissed that the bozos doing the American Video felt the need to use split screen. What were they thinking ?? The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant was ruined by their need to give us "effects". The top 2 camera views were the same, only that one was black and white. Why in 2009 do we need something so historic in black and white ? I guess if you had a 60 inch mega sized flat screen it might have looked 1/2 way decent, but it was garbage compared to the work done by the guys in Montreux.It was all too similar to the psychedelic effects on videos in the late 60's and 70's. Someone else's idea of what was cool. Don't mess with history."
Return to Forever Sizzles!
Music lover | 05/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this band back in 74 or 75 and they were great back then. Well, they are even better now. Dimeola's fast licks on the old RTF songs were mesmerizing. One almost sits there in disbelief. Yet, Al can also play mellow as he gets into the acoustic guitar. Stanley Clarke is as much a master of the bass as Dimeola is on the guitar and shows it throughout the dvd with some nice long solos that were intriguing. I believe I liked the hard work he put into the stand up bass more than the electric bass, but both were excellent. Lenny White just did his job. His style seems quite a bit different to me than it was. He didn't play with a lot of flash, but then he didn't have to. Chick Corea never fails to please me on all those keyboards. I enjoy the sounds he squeezes out of them. And finally, as a unit, these guys were together. It was as if they had been together all these years and had only progressed in their musicianship. They have, of course, progressed in their musicianship. Go out and get this one! You won't regret it!"