Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock (1973) (1LP Vinyl) - Near Mint (NM)

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Sleeve Condition: VG+ (crease)

Condition Notes:

Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock.

Few records reshaped the sound of jazz as decisively as Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters," a 1973 CBS release that fused the harmonic sophistication of jazz with the deep groove of funk. Across four tracks, Hancock and his assembled band build a world that is both cerebral and irresistibly physical, music you can study and dance to in equal measure.

Side A opens with "Chameleon," the album's centerpiece and one of the most recognizable grooves in modern music, before easing into a reimagined "Watermelon Man," a piece Hancock revisits here with fresh percussive color. Side B carries the momentum forward with "Sly" and closes on the slow, smoldering "Vein Melter," a track that lets the ensemble stretch out and breathe.

At the heart of the sound is Hancock himself, layering the Arp Odyssey and Arp Soloist synthesizers over Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D 6 clavinet, and even pipes. Around him, The Herbie Hancock Group operates as a tight, telepathic unit. Bennie Maupin brings an extraordinary breadth of reeds and woodwinds, moving between soprano and tenor saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, and alto flute, while the rhythm section of Paul Jackson on electric bass and marimbula and Harvey Mason on Yamaha drums locks everything into place.

Much of the album's distinctive texture comes from Bill Summers, whose vast percussion arsenal includes congas, shekere, balafon, agogô, cabasa, surdo, gankoqui bells, tambourine, log drum, the Hindewho whistle, and even a beer bottle. That palette gives "Head Hunters" its earthy, hand made quality, grounding the electric instruments in something ancient and communal.

The record was produced by David Rubinson and Herbie Hancock, and recorded across two San Francisco studios: Wally Heider Studios, with engineering by Fred Catero and Jeremy Zatkin, and Different Fur Trading Co., recorded by Dane Butcher and John Vieira. A product of Catero Sound Co., the album carries Victor Moscoso's cover design and photography by Waldo Bascom, with music published through Hancock Music Co. under B.M.I.

This copy is the Pitman pressing variation, identifiable by the arrangement and typesetting on the labels and by the runout groove etchings, a detail collectors will appreciate when tracing this ℗ 1973 CBS, Inc. release. Few albums reward the turntable quite like this one; drop the needle and let the groove take over.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Chameleon
A2. Watermelon Man
B1. Sly
B2. Vein Melter

Credits:
Victor Moscoso - Design [Cover]
Fred Catero - Engineer [Recording, Wally Heider]
Jeremy Zatkin - Engineer [Recording, Wally Heider]
The Herbie Hancock Group - Ensemble
Adam's Dad Management Co. - Management [Artist]
Bill Summers - Performer [The Herbie Hancock Group], Congas, Shekere, Balafon, Agogô, Cabasa, Whistle [Hindewho], Tambourine, Slit Drum [Log Drum], Surdo, Bells [Gankoqui], Percussion [Beer Bottle]
Harvey Mason - Performer [The Herbie Hancock Group], Drums [Yamaha]
Paul Jackson (2) - Performer [The Herbie Hancock Group], Marimbula, Electric Bass
Bennie Maupin - Performer [The Herbie Hancock Group], Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Saxello, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute
Herbie Hancock - Performer [The Herbie Hancock Group], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Arp Soloist], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet [Hohner D 6], Pipe [Pipes]
Waldo Bascom - Photography By
David Rubinson - Producer
Herbie Hancock - Producer
Dane Butcher - Recorded By [Different Fur]
John Vieira - Recorded By [Different Fur]

Notes:
Recorded at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco.
and at Different Fur Trading Co., San Francisco.

A product of Catero Sound Co., San Francisco.
Artist Management: Adamsdad Management Co., San Francisco.

Hancock Music Co./B.M.I.

℗ 1973 CBS, Inc.

This version is the Pitman pressing variation and can be identified by the arrangement of and the typesetting on the labels and by the runout groove etchings.

Artist: Herbie Hancock

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Columbia

Catalog Number: KC 32731

Release Year: 1973

Country: United States