Return to Forever: Returns - Live at Montreux 2008

Essential for Fans
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.

Return to Forever Sizzles!
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...

Godhead
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.

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