Spectrum (Billy Cobham album)

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Spectrum
Studio album by
Billy Cobham
ReleasedOctober 1, 1973
RecordedMay 14–May 16, 1973
StudioElectric Lady, New York City; mixed at Trident, London
GenreJazz fusion
Length37:23
LabelAtlantic
ProducerBilly Cobham
Billy Cobham chronology
Spectrum
(1973) 		Crosswinds
(1974)

Spectrum is the debut solo album by jazz fusion drummer Billy Cobham.

The song "Stratus" appears in the video game

Safe from Harm
".

Recording

The recording process took place at Electric Lady Studios. According to Leland Sklar it was done in just two or three days and almost every track that ended up on a record was "first or second take at the most".[1]

Ken Scott, engineer of Spectrum, recounted: "Bill Cobham's drums were treated in exactly the same way as I recorded every other drummer. I just used more mics: Neumann U67s on toms, D20s or RE20s (at Electric Lady) on the bass drums, Neumann KM54 or 56 on snare, and either STC 4038s or Beyer M160 ribbon mics for the overheads. One other thing: in order to dampen the snare, Bill just laid his wallet on the top head."

Stratocaster and Maestro Echoplex delay unit, prominently heard on "Quadrant 4". Sklar attests that he played his 1962 Fender Jazz bass through a small Univox amp with a single 12″ speaker.[5]

Not as well known at the time, Tommy Bolin plays lead guitar on four songs. Cobham had met Bolin years before, when he was a member of Zephyr. Bolin had recently joined rock band James Gang, and recorded his first album with that band just two months prior to the Spectrum sessions.[6]

"To the Women in My Life" is unusual in that Cobham himself does not play on it, though he did produce the track. It is an unaccompanied piano piece performed by Jan Hammer.

Critical reception

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
 [11]

Spectrum received positive reviews from contemporary critics. However, Robert Christgau offered a dissenting review for Creem magazine, calling Cobham "Mahavishnu's muscle-headed muscle man" and saying, "Despite a few tough minutes this is basically slick, gimmicky, one-dimensional—in a word, undemanding. All of which may make him a star."[12] Scott Yanow was more impressed by the record, writing years later in his review for AllMusic that Spectrum remains Cobham's best and an exceptional jazz fusion album with "rock-ish rhythms and jazz improvising".[7]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Billy Cobham.

  1. "Quadrant 4" – 4:20
  2. "Searching for the Right Door" – 1:19 / "Spectrum" – 5:07
  3. "Anxiety" – 1:41 / "Taurian Matador" – 3:03
  4. "Stratus" – 9:48
  5. "To the Women in My Life" – 0:51 / "Le Lis" – 3:20
  6. "Snoopy's Search" – 1:02 / "Red Baron" – 6:37

Though tracks 2, 3, 5, and 6 are designated as medleys, all of the component songs have clean breaks between them. Most recent CD issues list 10 tracks. [13]

Personnel

Additional personnel on "Quadrant 4", "Taurian Matador", "Stratus", and "Red Baron"
Additional personnel on "Spectrum" and "Le Lis"

Chart performance

Year Chart Position
1974 Billboard 200 26[14]
1973 Billboard Jazz Albums 1[14]

References

  1. YouTube
  2. ^ Scott, Ken, Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust, p. 207-208
  3. ^ Connor, Art (2001-02-07). "Jan Hammer Interview". Retrieved 2020-04-26. Oh no, the best stuff, all that you hear was all playing live in the studio.
  4. YouTube
  5. YouTube
  6. ^ "Interview: Billy Cobham (solo,Mahavishnu Orchestra,Miles Davis)". Hit-channel.com. January 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  7. ^
    AllMusic
  8. ISBN 089919026X
    . Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  9. ISBN 0-394-72643-X
    .
  10. ^ Campbell, Hermann M. (1 April 2012). "Review: Billy Cobham - Spectrum | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  11. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0
    .
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "Billy Cobham - Spectrum". Discogs.com. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Spectrum - Billy Cobham | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2013.

External links

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