Search - Billy Cobham :: Total Eclipse

Cobham-Musician And Composer At His Cleverist

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 09/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Considering that 1974's 'Total Eclipse' is Mr.Cobham's third studio recording (and was already in pretty heady company in his catalog even when it came out) this is a likely candidate for Cobham's best album and trust me I have heard most of them.Why?Because with the exception of the closing "Last Frontier" (a drum solo) this album is basically devoid of alot of flashy bombastic drumming on Cobham's part.Just great use of sustained intensity on the wonderful "Solarization" suite.

The title concepts for most of these tunes refer to various astronomical phenomenon.And in the case of the ultra funky "Lunarputians" just an excuse to use aliens as an excuse to groove (a concept later used with vocals by a guy named George Clinton).Some elements of this album are very heavily jazzy such as "Sea Of Tranquillity" and the title track emphasizes one of the most important parts of this albums appeal-the tunes here are some of the all time best compositions

Cohbam has created.

It wasn't exactly a bad thing either that Billy had the help of 'The Billy Cohbam Players' as they are credited.These players include John Abercrombie,the Brecker's, and the magnificant Alex Blake on bass.And I say that funnily in tribute to some community radio DJ's in my neck of the woods playing acoustic jazz who love to list EACH band member followed by the instrument they play.They probably would never play an album like this on their shows but if I had a radio show I sure would play this....okay MASTERPIECE and proudly list the musicians and what they play because without Billy AND the mutual collaberation of these great artists this album would'nt be exactly what it was.Integrity at it's finest!

"

The Moon And The Tower!

Mr. Midnight | Tijeras, NM | 11/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The "Tower" is the tarot card which depicts an interruption of the normal course of things. The "Moon" tarot card signifies action overcoming lethargy. Billy Cobham successfully disrupts the sluggish rhythm of typical R&B/Jazz and slips into the beyond with an energy unheard of during this period. This album was (and still is) WAY ahead of its time!"

GREAT FUSION MUSIC FROM THE 70'S

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 04/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"LATELY, I HAVE BEEN REACQUIARING, REPLACING, AND REDISCOVERING A LOT OF THE GREAT OLD JAZZ FUSION ALBUMS FROM THE 70'S WHICH I ORIGINALLY HAD ON VINYL WHEN THEY CAME OUT(BILLY COBHAM, MAHAVISHNU, WEATHER REPORT, RETURN TO FOREVER, TONY WILLIAMS, GEORGE DUKE, LARRY CORYELL, ETC.), I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW GREAT A LOT OF THIS MUSIC WAS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS MOSTLY "DISMISSED" TODAY AS BEING "DATED", "TRENDY", "COMMERCIAL", OR "NOT REAL JAZZ". THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM BY BILLY COBHAM, WITH SOME GREAT BACKUP BY THE BRECKER BROTHERS ON HORNS, AND JOHN ABERCROMBIE ON GUITAR. I WOULDN'T AGREE THAT IT IS BILLY'S BEST ABLUM, BUT IT IS VERY GOOD."