[Future Shock] -- In July 1983, the latest single from Herbie Hancock – a veteran jazz musician, bandleader, and composer – exploded on the radio and into MTV rotation. "Rockit" was a jazz fusion piece driven by deejay scratching. This blog post clued me to the fact that the record being scratched is “Change Le Beat” by Fab Five Freddy, featuring B-Side. A collaboration of Hancock, Bill Laswell, and GrandMixer DXT, "Rockit" won a Grammy Award (Best R&B Instrumental Performance), and Herbie and company performed the song live at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards. The music video for "Rockit" also won big, raking in five MTV Video Music Awards in 1984.
Excuse me while I take a quick detour in the Flashback to confess that, even in 2023, I find the mechanisms, mannequins, and rewind cuts of the music video kind of creepy. I have to agree with this comment posted to the YouTube video: "Shoutout to the people who had to physically build this set and then go to sleep at night." I have less of a problem with the Grammy Awards performance because many of the mannequins on stage were actually dancers.
Anyway, "Rockit" was the lead-off single for Hancock's 35th album, released 40 years ago this week on August 1, 1983. Whoa, this album *and* "Rockit" are 40 years old! And while "Rockit" is pretty much the highlight of this album, that doesn't mean it's the only high point. There are plenty of 1980s gems on this six-track album; the remastered CD includes a seventh track, "Rockit (Mega Mix)." For starteres, I love the percussion and syncopation that carry the funky synth lines of "TFS," which I guess is an initialism for "The Future Shock." "Autodrive" is a masterclass in bridging jazz, funk, and electronics. And "Rough" is ... I can't quite describe what I love about "Rough." I mean, the percussion is definitely catchy, the guitar has an interesting tuning, and Lamar Wright's vocals slide through the whole production effortlessly. You just have to listen to it.
Future Shock was certified Platinum in the US, but it doesn't seem to have charted in the States. Future Shock did chart across the pond, peaking at #27 and #79 in the UK and Australia. And although "Rockit" received critical and commercial love, the album as a whole got mixed reactions, particularly from critics.
Not that critics are necessarily the experts on what you should enjoy, right?
Flashback: Future Shock (August 1, 1983)
That's this week's offering. There should be another one next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
No comments:
Post a Comment