Heavy Weather

Jazzy. Unnecessarily jazzy.

Funky men også lidt irriterende jazz. Måske egentlig 2,5

This feels a bit like a savant but on a midi keyboard. It's an interesting listen and that cover is something else, but I don't think it's especially strong or noteworthy beyond other skillful instrumental albums. I feel like the talent here could be used to do something better. Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, who knows

I like a lot about this, but they are walking so close to the line of just having a closet full of instruments that they just want to try. I could do without some of the synth, but the instrumentation is really good. You all know the bass is the star of the show A few cool break beats. Palladium is a good one, got me moving. I really dig Havona. The Juggler really grew on me by the third play through. A pretty good album, just missing that little bit extra it factor.

Not for me. It bit boring.

Bien

Forgettable jazz.

I don’t know why all the top reviews are calling this basic jazz when this isn’t basic at all. This is so much harder to ignore than any of the lofi hip hop stuff that’s out there.

The sound of a million call centres on hold in the 90’s. Terrible.

Who doesn't love Weather Report. The Jazz group to end all jazz groups. The bass alone is so insane that it deserves 5 stars. And they're ALL locked in! The groove doesn't stop from start to finish. I would say I'd get this on vinyl but I already own it on vinyl. SO so good.

Pretty good instrumentals, bass was so good, especially in teenage town, I kept thinking of weather report from Jojo, idk I don’t have much to say

It sounded like I was in an ad from the 70s. Nothing worthy to report.

Well I didn't enjoy this.

BAF.

One of these tracks is not like the others.

The keyboards are killing me.

Hell yeah

it's oddly refreshing to get a jazz album that's just pretty good instead of a genre-defining classic that skews the site algorithm into thinking you're the biggest jazz fan to ever exist that said this rules, it sounds like a sega game soundtrack in the best way and it is perfect background music

now this is a fun time. a little noise for the bass!

It's the whitest Jazz you'll ever hear. I'm surprised this isn't a soundtrack to a 1980s crime movie, because that's the vibe of this entire album. Give it a go, particularly if you're a bit under the weather. Favorite Track: "Birdland".

What a bass lines, OMG.

meh

I went to check what my album of the day was while I was halfway through this one because I forgot I was listening to it.

I thought Id like this more than I did but it was still great.

Thoroughly enjoyed this, but can appreciate why others would hate it. This had some of the funkiest bass lines of any jazz I've listened to!

no thank you. sounded like the soundtrack to a cartoon.

I love the jazz fusion, even if it sounds hopelessly corny now, which a lot of it does. But damn, the bass work on here courtesy of Jaco Pastorius alone makes this a must-listen. I really dig the variety of tones and moods and stuff too. ML #391.

Birdland is a good song and the instrumental work here is great, but I’m a little surprised how unimpressed I am by this. I’ve really enjoyed most of the jazz fusion I’ve heard, but this album is a little staid and, frankly, verges on corny.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/weather-report/heavy-weather/ Not the worst as far as jazz goes, but I will never care about it. Kinda cheesy (opening song sounds like showtunes), but some tunes even I can appreciate.

This was enjoyable although I did feel the whole time the song “that’s what friends are for” was going to play. This album has that late 80s jazz sound in the late 70s.

Closer to Steely Dan than Miles Davis.

Dope

Heavy Weather, Weather Report... these are Weather Channel jams. The first track is the deceptively upbeat song you hear just before the Emergency Alert System shocks you out of your afternoon nap. Second is when you're planning to leave for vacation in the morning, but you drift asleep on the couch the night before when just taking a little break from packing that you put off way too late. The Third, Teen Town, plays in the winter just before you switch over to the local news to see if your school declared a snow day for 4" overnight. Spoiler alert, they didn't, because it's lightly-packed. Fourth is Harlequin. Are you wondering whether it's going to hit 100 degrees this week, the week of the fair? Wonder no more, it's happening. Rumba Mama is a deviation, a live recording. And it POPS. Next is Palladium. Is it fall already? Despite the bright tones in this one, yes, it is, and frost is coming, so take care of your annuals. The Juggler. Back to Mar-- no, it's April again already! Is it raining? Snowing? Sunny? Yes! Because you have plans today! Last, we have Havona. Oh, shit, I forgot lemons at the grocery store?!

Some serious weirdo jazz here. Jaco's bass synth tone is so out there. Wild and undeniable talent in this group, but I still don't enjoy it as much as when Herbie or Miles plays fusion. There's something very dated about the sound on this.

Jazzed me again.

The album drags a little bit towards the end, but I enjoyed most tracks and their sonorities. Favorite track : Teen Town.

shes okay i guesssss pretty mid

4/5 weather should have won that fight

нормалек. показалось что на басу Jaco Pastorius, чекнул и оказался прав)

Nobody can convince me this isn't the soundtrack to a bad '80s procedural. I like a bit of jazz, but in the words of Mouse from The Matrix, "...not like this". Jaco Pastorius in particular is a wonderful musician, but give me his work with Joni Mitchell instead of this, please.

Holy. The rhythm section of Alphonse Mouzon (drums) and Jaco Pastorius (bass) is one of the better two-headed monsters I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. A seminal jazz fusion record.

very nice free jazz , funk

Amazing playing, and some beautiful moments. But it doesn't really capture my attention long enough

4 stars

I don't understand what makes this record special enough to be included on a list like this. It's pretty bland.

de fato, parecem músicas de programa sobre clima

3 e meio fun

Not a huge fan. I would prefer a strict jazz album, or a funk album, not this hybrid. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not. Best Song: Birdland Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2

4 - great album

I like jazz fusion, but there are much better examples of it than Heavy Weather. Like it’s fine, generally pleasing. Kind of interesting but a bit boring at times too. If you want to represent jazz fusion on the list, there are some much better albums to pick from. Some Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, or Mahavishnu Orchestra will get you a lot further than Weather Report

Talented. Still boring.

Its jazzy. A couple good songs. Lots of background music as well. 2.5

Favorite Track: Palladium

Like instrumental Steely Dan with more synths, effects, and some prodigious drumming and bass work. I dig!

I'm playing catch up and listened to yesterday's lp immediately before this. It was Mingus's The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady. I am stunned how far jazz bass playing deteriated in the 15 years between these two albums. Mingus is at the heart of the music; whilst here the bassist, Jaco Pistorious, is a little wasp buzzing away on the edge of these bland 70's TV themes.

Wasn't sure what to expect, but it was some nice jazz. One track did have vocals, but other than that, all instrumental. Kind of nice energetic way to start the day

Fantastic album. Love the sound of mid-70's jazz

cant stand jazz fusion

Instrumental

First track and how does this measure up to Maynard Ferguson which is what I heard first. Oh my! This is good. OK, I respect this is early jazz fusion; I'm heavily biased by Miles. Great music, fantastic musicians, forgettable tunes. What is the direction? Exploratory but cohesion? Wayne is so damn good. Toss up him and Coltrane on the soprano. I like how tight Wayne is.

This album is extraordinarily beautiful, so full of different sounds and great songs. Some tracks are magnificent and others are good enough to be here. There is no time in which the album feels weak, it is such a surprising record... And, even when it is less enchanting, it feels fresh and full of variety on sounds, textures, as well as cohesion and talent. This is just greatness. Not perfection because of some less interesting songs that, nonetheless, do sound pretty joyful, but sure an album with no skips that has some amazing tracks and a lot of virtuosity.

growing up, the local airport ALWAYS played just like unoffensive modern jazz. the vanilla-er copycat of weather report. which means, for better or worse, that i cannot hear weather report without being called back to waiting for my grandparents in the concourse of a laidback midcentury brick airport. between the passenger pickup / dropoff and the terminal was a single hallway concourse. we would wait there, outside the security checkpoint, for my grandparents. the hallway ramped up with these like midcentury brick half walls separating it from a little restaurant on the right side and i don't remember what was on the left. the restaurant was always closed. side two departs from the genre of airport jazz more. it's nice, don't get me wrong. smooth jazz for any of your laidback background music needs. the musicians are clearly competent and grooving. i don't think i'd ever listen to this for the sake of listening to it tho. and to be quite honest, i'd never choose this as background music either. 3/5 literally inspired me to catch up on my backlog of californication i need something not background music so desperately. on further reflection... this is a 2/5

Slick and interesting jazz that is surprisingly divisive.

There is rarely a more iconic and better jazz fusion album than this one. Masters of their craft at the top of their game. From a hit that is Birdland to the rest of this album, it's fusion perfection. 5/5

Jazz fusion. This is a nice little background jam, or a critical listening album with some headphones if you want to dive deep into the layers and transitions throughout. Birdland is a banger, you will hear it and will fall into it hard.

I was familiar with Birdland (played it in jazz band in high school). I wanted to like this album because the musicians in this group are great, but it was kind of meh. Very dated. I like the user comment of "I think I was put on hold for 38 minutes". Definitely sounds like what they use for hold music or "Local on the 8s" on the Weather Channel...I mean, they are called "Weather Report" lol.

Definitely jazz

Modern jazz. Pass.

Thursday, 23 July, 2026 Jaco Pastorius!

I liked this more when I knew what to expect. Going in and thinking it was going to be a 70s pop or rock band (dunno why I assumed that based on the album art) and so when it was jazz I was completely thrown. Giving it a listen throughout the day I came to appreciate it more

the album art made me think this was going to be some shit head 90's grunge but man the second that sax kicked in my blood pressure just dropped. Energetic fun jazz, but helpfully broken up by some quieter tracks. Throw this on if you have some mundane task to do and it'll make your day smoother I promise.

A surprising, funky very 80s jazz. I get this wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea but it was definitely working for me

Jos ensihetkistä asti lähinnä odottaa albumin päättymistä, se on surkean albumin merkki. 1/5

Keep coming back to it. Great discovery.

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 finds Weather Report at their creative peak. The musical chemistry between Joe Zawinul, Jaco Pastorius, and Wayne Shorter is extraordinary, with each player complementing the others without ever competing for the spotlight. The result is a jazz fusion album that is as melodic as it is technically accomplished. My only real complaint is 𝗥𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗺á. It breaks the album’s momentum and, for me, never feels quite as essential as the surrounding tracks. Without it, the record would flow even more naturally. Otherwise, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 is an outstanding example of jazz fusion at its most accessible and rewarding. Few albums capture the joy of musicians listening and responding to one another quite as effortlessly as this one.

Kind of ineffectual for me, can see Mario Kart took a lot of inspiration from this area of Jazz for its soundtrack. Some v easy listening, some fun, some boring. 3.0/5.0 Best Song: Teen Town

Wayne Shorter is maybe the greatest Sax player of all time, then you chuck Jaco Pastorius in there and you're gonna have a bloody good time. Jazz Fusion at its funnest and best i think.

Just a puddle of melted cheese… but Jaco! And “Havona” is a jam.

Review - classic jazz fusion, bonkers bass. Score - 7/10 Need to listen? YES

I've got this album in my library, and I probably don't listen to it enough. This isn't a perfect album, but it's darn good. The quality trails off a bit in the middle, but at least it closes out more strongly with "Havona."

Timeless and enjoyable listen.

The soundtrack to Rainbow Road

Pretty nice, relaxing jazz. Could imagine listening to this in a French cafe. Not usually a fan of jazz but quite liked this.

The goat😭🥹🥹🥹

Kinda reminds me of music from the Sims. Funky.

Opens with a sitcom theme tune and transitions into smooth supermarket jazz. I like the corny synths, the goofy rubbery fretless bass tone, cheese dialled up to 11 production, and even the overwrought sultry sax parts but put all together and in the service of these disco ballads and pop funk jingles it just sucks. Loads of talent, but they're pissing into a quiet storm.

I've tried with this before but its insanely cheesy.

Who can play their instruments the best contest. The loser? me for having to listen.

Fusion....The encyclopedia definition of it, to be exact.

lol, this is like listening to an album length version to the intro of Hill Street Blues or Night Court or some shit. Don’t get me wrong, there are some seriously talented MFers featured here, but for all that talent, they’ve managed to come up with really articulate and precise 80’s sitcom theme music. 5/10

Oh yes absolutely!

i need vocals man, im sorry 3/5

Struggling to come up with anything to say about this. It's good jazz. Not much else to say. Favorite Song: Bird Land

Klinkt Japans, is het niet. Harde jazz fusion, als is het niet super consistent en soms wat saai. Eerste twee tracks zijn onwijs tof. Misschien de vetste album cover tot nu toe.

Enjoyable album for a summer Saturday. Fusion is one of my favorite types of jazz and it's doubtful anyone did it better than these guys. "Birdland" alone is worth the price of admission but there are others that are almost as good. I especially liked "Rumba Mama," "Teen Town," and "Palladium." Special shout out to the bass player, Jaco Pastorius, who elevates all of the songs, but you can say that about any of these jazz gods.

Very enjoyable listen all the way through. Nothing really tops the phenomenal opener Birdland here for me, which is a total earworm, but Palladium comes close, and it goes out with a bang on Havona too. Unique fusion sound that's no background music, it demands your full attention.

Interesting Jazz/Fuzion. just okay

Not much to say about this one other than it's a really good jazz fusion album. It can be a little cool jazz for me at times, but overall it's very enjoyable and there's a ton of variety to enjoy.

God this was shit.

Really loved listening to this. I cannot believe there are reviews calling this boring when there is so much interesting interplay between the musicans. So far have loved every jazz fusion record I've listened too. Favorite Track - Birdland Least Favorite Track - Rumba Mama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An interesting album, good instrumental work.

Groupe et album connus et appréciés. Cet album contient d'excellents morceaux comme 'Teen Town' et 'Birdland'. J'aime beaucoup le sax et la basse, et les impros dans cet album. Mais 'Rumba Mama' gâche un peu l'expérience et lui évite la note max. =>4/5

Not for me

Não é pra mim. Até curto jazz, até curto instrumental, mas o uso de sintetizadores estraga demais a experiência e o tempo mostrou isso. Poucas coisas ficaram tão datadas quanto isso.

Qué es esto? Un compilado de canciones de programas de concursos?

Fuck yea JAZZ!!! This was groovy, glad I got the chance to experience it. Birdman Mumba mama

Honestly, it’s a boring pile of shit. I cannot imagine what type of person can honestly say out loud that this is their favorite type of music. When I heard loud clapping on the live tracks, I thought, holy fuck, it’s a cult indoctrination ritual and they have forced all of these poor fuckets to listen to this shit and then clap as if it was enjoyable. It’s not. Now, to be fair, it’s not Steely Dan terrible. That is a level of shitty few bands can achieve. I see you too Eagles and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But this record is just a horn toot away from those depths. It is records like this one that are so discouraging that it calls into question the validity of the entire list. Yesterday’s Morrissey record started the tremors shaking the foundation of my belief that the whole list was put together by monkeys randomly as part of some study. This record is just more gasoline on the fire of those doubts. Again, this is a pile of boring shit. 0/5

Hmmmm prog jazz! I wish they’d done more like the live song with the djembe drums. That one was great! Good, but can’t see myself returning to this soon

i like it

Good jazz music.

1977. Seventh album. Released just as the jazz-rock movement began to run out of steam, according to AllMusic.

This is a fun upbeat dramatic jazz album that kind of embodies the name: heavy weather. It is fiery and breezy and encompasses a passion in it. The saxophone was beautiful, naturally, and I found myself bopping along. This is the type of jazz I would enjoy listening to live however I’m not sure if I would just have it on vinyl to listen to in the house, as I prefer more lied back jazz. That, of course, is just personal preference. Overall though I enjoyed listening to this album.

Background music

Nice to have some Jazz rather than endless Rap, but this this seemed so over produced. No desire to explore Weather Report any further.

Kan inte

Cheddar. Mild.

The least heavy thing I could imagine

Not my kind of jazz, but clearly massively talented.

Love Birdland, but the rest of the album was a bit of a mish\ mash

Funk-Jazz reminiscent of Spyro-Gyra

There's some well executed sax and bass in here, but overall it does little for me.

I have a double album of TV themes from the 70s and 80s stashed away in my collection somewhere. Did Ronco just steal this album and slap a different cover on it? Jazz rock fusion is the worst musical style ever! However, I loved the live rumba tune, so going to add a star just for that. "More manic rumba, less synthy jazz fusion" should be general lifestyle advice to make the world a better place.

I was hoping I would like this a lot more than I did. Birdland is a great tune, and I will always love it. The rest of the album didn't really do anything for me. The second track was ok, and then it went places that didn't interest me at all. Still glad to listen to Birdland and good to know I'm not missing out by not listening to anything else by Weather Report.

Its kinda hard to see why this is on the list. Maybe I'm missing context within the genre.

Kinda just melts into the background for me.

I don't mind a song or two of this style, but definitely not a whole album

I do remember the first song. And I enjoyed most of the Album.

Dober

Today’s forecast shows hot jazzy beats. 7/10

Really liked it. I pretty much always like free jazz or fusion stuff, but I find the genres pretty intimidating, just so much stuff out there that I don't know. Kind of like trying to get into soccer.

Un album divertido, buen sonido, buen ritmo, personalmente no es de lo que mas me ha gustado pero esta bien

this is pretty groovy chill

Leuke ontdekking. Ontspannende, afwisselende melodieën

Cool, anders ! Maar wel ietsje te druk om tijdens het werk te luisteren 🤯

this has a bunch of nice jazzy stuff on it. i'm inclined to like it just because my friends seem really into it but even without that, the first song alone made me curious enough to go see how these guys were classified. haven't heard anything quite like it and novelty counts for something

638/1001 2026.06.17 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Sunday morning coffee music. Jojo reference.

Highlights: Birdland, A Remark You Made, Teen Town, Palladium. 4.0

Not for me, this. It’s so *jazz hands* I expect it has its merits, be fucked if I know what they are though

Me pareció bastante interesante, aunque ninguna de las canciones realmente me logró gustar por completo. En algunas ocasiones me aburría, me aturdía, me parece muy extraordinario como fusionan todos los instrumentos al punto que parece sintetizadores, pero realmente es un instrumento y es increíble que este tipo de jazz se haya dado que sea de los años setentas

Rv

I had thought this would be better but Maynard Ferguson's Birdland is much more fun and I couldn't help but feel dissapointed.

Was interesting jazzy album.

Good vibes. Really enjoyed the instrumentals.

Loved Birdland, but didn't feel much for the rest of it

Hated this. Half the songs sounded like Mario Kart music and the rest was boring and drab.

You can’t deny the musicianship at play here, even if it’s not really my thing.

some of the drums on this had me getting STANKY. enjoyed it overall and made me want to solve crimes as a PI in the 80s?

Birdland is a great piece of music, however after that this descended into generic lounge jazz - and frankly it wasn't even a killer version of Birdland. It's a bit harsh but I think this can only get a 1 from me

I really don't understand who this kind of music is supposed to appeal to. It's definitely not me. Where's the vocals? Where's the funk? Yay you can improvise some solos, but can you make something listenable?

Not my favourite grouping of instrumental tracks but it was okay and I never really thought about moving on from it. Turned into nice working music.

I mean it was a banger starting off with Birdland soooo… (pep band nostalgia sorry lol). I really enjoyed a handful of these for late evening jamming. Others were v boring 80s hold music style tracks that made me feel like I was working at the garden store again, wanting to bash my head in. 3.5 stars. ❤️

Hold music 😭

If you like music that sounds like extended 1970's TV show theme songs, JACKPOT!

Fucking no, not in the mood for this :-(

324/1089 some nice jazz, not sure really what else to add, it speaks for itself faves: Havona, Rumba Mama 54/100

I guess it's okay? Weather Report are one of those bands I've heard of but never really heard - i know of them, and as a bassist i have to have heard Teen Town at least once before or I'd get arrested - but they've never really stuck around for me to notice. As a jazz album it's a bit too smooth for my liking, and as a rock album it never really goes anywhere, but it's inoffensive and goes down with no aftertaste, so i guess three stars? I dunno, i feel like i'm missing something but i don't want to go back and find out what

I do remember enjoying Weather Report's previous album "Black Market" a bit more. But while this album was a bit less adventurous and a fair bit more boilerplate when it comes to jazz-fusion, I found the music here to still be some of the most unique-sounding stuff in this synth-jazz funk field, and it was a very enjoyable album to get through. Weather Report just has such a unique vibe. Opener 'Birdland' was particularly catchy; there's something so uplifting about the core melody and progression of this song, and I love the way it coasts with that deeper synth lead and drone around the halfway mark; it really is those winding song structures that this band does so well. 'Palladium' was also really great, it has this almost Herbie Hancock feel to it, with the hand percussion and very present bassline, and the way the band picks up the tempo near the middle with this super complex groove was great. The cute little spiraling synth melody of 'The Juggler' was another highlight here; the song, more than any other on here, really plays into that synth-funk odyssey feel, rising and falling in a very dramatic fashion. The song reminds me of early '70s prog, if anything. And the closing 'Havona' is "driving into the sunset" music at its best. I just really love the large analog feel of the synths on this album, and how they're paired with these very sticky melodies. It's more easy-going than your average jazz album, but it never felt dull. The fusions here, I don't think Western music would fully start embracing until like the mid '80s - so that's pretty impressive in its own right.

I continue to not have enough musical knowledge to adequately judge how good jazz albums are

nutty bass

Absolutely 5 worthy, just not one of my all time favorites. Global average of a 2.99 though?? wtf that's easily the most egregious score I've come across on this website (and I've seen some odd scores)

Not my thing, but great work.

Birdland is amazing. The rest here is pretty meh.

Jazz.meh.

I've heard of Weather Report but know nothing except that they are jazz. It's some funky jazz. It's pretty good but not as funky as I would like it to be, maybe a bit cheesy is some areas.

It's some funky jazz. I can't tell it apart from most funky jazz anymore, because I let my jazz muscles atrophy over the last two decades.

🐌🌈🐌🌈

Eh, the synths just give it a cheesy feel. I'm feeling generous today so we'll round up to a 3. 2.5

Die amerikanische Jazz-Fusion-Formation Weather Report – gegründet von Keyboarder Joe Zawinul und Saxophonist Wayne Shorter, zwei ehemaligen Mitstreitern von Miles Davis – veröffentlichte im März 1977 mit Heavy Weather ihr siebtes Studioalbum. Aufgenommen in den Devonshire Sound Studios im nordkalifornischen North Hollywood, erschien es auf Columbia Records und sollte das kommerziell erfolgreichste Werk der Band werden: Bis 1991 hatte es sich in den USA allein über eine Million Mal verkauft. Der entscheidende Faktor für den Durchbruch war die Ankunft von Jaco Pastorius, der als Bassist, Ko-Produzent und Komponist nicht nur dem Klang des Albums seine unverwechselbare Prägung gab, sondern die gesamte Bandarchitektur neu justierte. Musikalisch vollzieht das Album einen merklichen Kurswechsel: weg von der offenen, improvisationsreichen Struktur früherer Weather-Report-Platten, hin zu kompakten, thematisch scharf gezeichneten Kompositionen. „Birdland" – Zawinuls Hommage an den New Yorker Jazzclub – ist inzwischen zu einem der meistgecoverten Stücke der Fusionsgeschichte geworden; The Manhattan Transfer gewannen damit 1979 einen Grammy. Nicht weniger eindrücklich: Pastorius' eigenes „Teen Town", ein hypnotischer, federnder Basslauf, der die Grenzen des Instruments neu vermisst, und das lyrische „A Remark You Made", das Shorters Sopransaxophon in einem seiner ausdrucksstärksten Momente zeigt. Dass Heavy Weather von einem Teil der eingefleischten Weather-Report-Fangemeinde mit gemischten Gefühlen betrachtet wird – zu zugänglich, zu poliert –, ist verständlich, aber letztlich unerheblich. Das Album ist handwerklich makellos: Zawinuls Synthetizer-Schichten, die lebendige Reverb-Akustik der Devonshire-Studios und das neu formierte Rhythmusgespann aus Alejandro Acuña und Manolo Badrena erzeugen eine Wärme und Präzision, die in dieser Dichte selten erreicht wird. DownBeat vergab fünf Sterne; die Leserschaft wählte es zum Jazzalbum des Jahres. Heavy Weather ist der Moment, in dem Jazz Fusion aufhörte, ein Experiment zu sein, und zum vollendeten Kunstwerk wurde.

Couldn’t get any more background if they tried

Not much to say - interesting vibes but nothing that will stick for me.

I was in a jazz band for literally my entire time at high school so I heard the entire first half of the album 100+ times before listening to this. It's fine, along with the whole album. Birdland and Teen Town are classics but the album as a whole feels very directed towards high schoolers in jazz bands. Maybe I'm biased. Shoutout to my old band director, Mr. Howell. He moved to Illinois about a year ago. Hope he's doing well at his new job.

This was really good fun to listen to and it sounded like a good track for a film, but it was slightly too fun and bouncy for me to want to listen to again.

Listened to the normal album and then went straight to the extended version. These guys have blessed my ears.

My least favorite "sound" in the history of music - synths and soprano sax and flute, all drenched in reverb - driven by a group so self-satisfied that the smug drips from the speakers. And yet . . . it's in a category with Made in Japan from Deep Purple, Push Push by Herbie Mann, Space Ritual by Hawkwind, or Journey from Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. There's just something about technically accomplished (these guys are absolutely amazing, technically) wankers going completely over-the-top in their commitment to pure hokum that makes me giggle with delight. (It's almost enough to forgive the fact that this album subjected us to a decade of this terrible sound: from the bland homage of Kenny G, to the depressing FM-Synth pop de-evolution of the 80s, to every TV theme song from that entire period.)

It started off okay and the more I listened to it the more annoying it got. Like a gnat buzzing around my head or something.

This is what I imagine the soundtrack to Death In Paradise is Bassist is phenomenal and by far the highlight

Só música sem letra, ok até, mas foi ficando bem enjoativo e chato

Really good jazz album, super fun time throughout

ok, but not my cup of tea.

I'm never big on the jazz instrumentals, but I guess the one thing I find mildly interesting and different on Heavy Weather is the use of the synth.

Jazz played on rock instruments for the purpose of...what exactly it isn't clear. Yeah, these jazzbos can probably run rings around the average dumbass rock 'n' roller but there's there's nothing here that has the slightest bit of grit or edge, y'know, the qualities that make rock exciting. Ain't no thrills to be had from this hyperpolished dreck, though.

ILY JAZZ FUSION <3 MARRY ME. Weather Report has been in my scope of wanting to listen to more ever since i originally listened to their debut album years back. Cool vibes and i always love any version of Birdland (shoutout Birdland)

This is such a relaxing and great listen, some really good jazz fusion crafted from such talented musicians. The album is quite dynamic and funky, while not being too much. Birdland and Teen Town are definitely the highlights, but the rest are great too (minus whatever Rumba Mama was).

Classic album from a legendary band. Birdland is a song that will be forever ingrained in my memory from all the times I heard SCI cover it.

Fun instrumental album with a lot of character

1/10. First track, already not my thing. Don’t wanna waste time, and I’d rather get through the sludge as fast as I can until I get to something that’s actually mind blowing.

This flows along amiably offering little to break out from being a background sound.

Jazz like. Elements that I liked, many that I did not.

Killer funk jazz

The forecast was a decent 6 minute track followed by 32 mins of fairly boring jazz fusion. If this was the weather, I’d stay inside. Also, the dumb hat on the lightning mountain reminds me of that I Think You Should Leave Sketch with the guy in the dumb hat and the dice. 2 stars

Not a huge fan of jazz fusion but I've heard Jaco Pastorius on other albums so I knew this would be worth the listen. Of course the bass is other-worldly but it's not like he carried the band on this one. Plenty to like and worth another listen or two.

Super cool fusion of jazz with synths. It was over before I was finished with it! Absolutely earns its run time and then some. Awesome album cover too. Listen to that bass on "Birdland"—wild stuff from Jaco Pastorius. I'm not a big jazz guy, but this was so worth the listen!

Excellent and upbeat techo jazz album that holds up. Highly energized music.

Im a big bass guy and I've hit all the popular bass guys at this point, at least i thought so. Ive heard the name jaco for years but never listened to him much. But here it all come together. And I know this isnt soley about him but I gotta get this outta the way first. Dude can play like none other. Wow. He bookends this record with some incredible performances. And in a record with other incredible performances. The guy on keys kills it from end to end. The percussion is less noticeable for me but still anyone who is flying through this odd timed stuff is pretty sick in my book. Its just musicians musicians showing off. Its so cool. Im not a huge jazz guy so I dont know all that much but this is approachable for a novice like me. I think thats a pretty cool thing to be open and welcoming in a genere that might be a bit snobby looking from the outside. Every song has some amazing section that could be one of the greatest things ive ever heard. I will say if I have one complaint its that there are some slower and sleepier sections im less stoked on but its fine when it slaps me in the face with some musical idea that I love in a song im not 100% in on. Very cool record with so much going for it. I have almost nothing but good things to say. Worth getting into and with it being a supergroup I have lots of detours to take to hear more of these guys.

An interesting jazz fusion record. Not something I'd listen to on the regular, but good for what it is. Highlights: "Birdland"

Enjoyable Jazz album. Would probably rate 3.5 and lean towards 4. Would listen to again.

Huh, jazz!

Little tip for you. What I do, I stick to classic jazz when I DJ, yeah And then, just when they're least expecting it, drop some Weather Report in. Ow! Blows their minds. Might want to try that yourself.

Whilst I enjoyed large parts of it, everything about this album was just a little too bizarre and experimental for me. The jazz elements are fantastic at times and there's no denying that the musicianship is very very good, but the fusion across genres feels a little random at times. It's an interesting listen for sure but not totally my bag.

Can appreciate the skill set and visualise many movie scenes to the album but wouldn’t listen to it again.

Sounds like the soundtrack to a cool 80's movie. Of various genres. But not something I'd listen to for just the music

RIP Jaco and Wayne, some of the best

Instrumental Jazz Explorations

Sounds goofy (in a good way)

First track sounded like the intro to a TV show hosted by Troy McClure from The Simpsons, although I did like the guitar tone. Second track sounded like something i'd imagine is playing in the background to a romantic evening on holiday. Not really my cup of tea throughout. Appreciate the musicianship and there was some great drumming/percussion later on in the album. Just not really my bag

Up there with Steely Dan as artists to avoid!!

Amazing lineup. 5/5, and I’m not even kidding.

I think I got placed on hold for 38 minutes

Yeah. Ok. I’m not huge on instrumentals but for 1977, there were some decent funky jazzy fusions.

2/5 Prefer songs with lyrics but it sounded good! Favorite Song: Rumba Mama

Funny ass album cover lmao

Album cover is so dumb to me I can't deal lmao but regardless of this I thought it was just alright

oh yeah baybeeee

I enjoyed this a lot! Like a lot a lot ! Sure take a 5 idc

🍸

Excellence and great performers

A great album, an ambitious fusion of disparate elements worthy of such epic sleeve art. The elephant on the room of this record is, of course, Jaco's once-in-a-generation-(if-that) smooth grooves on the fretless bass. it's funky as FUCK. Teen Town, Paladium, Havona... turn up the bass on your speakers and ride the jazz-fusion slip-n-slide. Jaco's legendarily dextrous fingers could get snakes tapping their toes, and in the politest way his mastery of the instrument is a sheer freak of nature, some funkadelic force majeure. The rest of the album is still pretty good, even if it struggles to keep up: the retro-sounding synthesizers sometimes clash with the more traditionally jazzy sounds, but the warm retro feeling and unabashedness of it feels like a refreshingly cool breeze. Fav tracks: Birdland, Teentown, Palladium

Enjoyable, but realized I’d be annoyed if it were hold music. Liked Birdland and Juggler best.

Ah I don’t fear this type of jazz, very late 70s/late eighties movie soundtrack stuff

I know little about jazz, and next to nothing about jazz fusion, so I'm not real sure how to evaluate this. I thought it was pleasant but busy. Rumba Mamá seems out of place, and some of the other world music percussion touches like the steel drum also don't feel right to me. But what do I know? Birdland is good: I can see why it became a standard.

Are these demos? Is that the cover? Why do you want ‘heavy’ in the title? If I’ve heard of multiple members without having any interest in the group, why aren’t they better? I didn’t dislike every minute of this but those are my questions. WikiTIL: They wrote Birdland.

Rumba Mama was quite the turn

When I started my record collection, my uncle mentioned all the Weather Report LPs he had, what a badass band they were and a lot of hype that made me think these guys must have been pretty impressive. This pops up today and I do my first ever official digging, and I start to see the lineup. Holy shit. So first there's Joe Zawinul who I've never really heard of, and Wayne motherfucking Shorter as original founding members. Then we just casually mention Jaco Pastorious, legendary bassist, and by now I'm hearing Alex Acuña and Manolo Bandrena and placing them on pedestals just because of the company they keep. I'm sure I've read Acuña on some liner notes somewhere. I was so let down when I hit play. It starts off with Birdland, which the wiki claims has turned into a jazz standard, but as a jazz lover it's not something I remember hearing. I figure it's possible I haven't heard it because I'm not a fan of the '80s jazz sound, and this effort is instantly exactly that. But you know, after a couple of listens, the individual talents mesh in such a way that if I absolutely had to hear '80sish rock jazz smoothness, this is what I'd put on. Throughout the record, I highly appreciate Pastorius' quick bubbly bass fingers speaking to Zawinul's quick and interesting keys. There's just something really dated that hinders my enjoyment a bit. The only track I ended up adding to my own library was the live percussive Rumba Mamá, which feels eclectic and strong with an arrangement that feels timeless. I'd buy this record at a discount price. And after this, I'd probably buy a Weather Report record heading into it completely blind. 3.4/5

All that jazz! Nice but not mine.

It was nice I just like albums with lyrics.

Electronic fusion jazz. Favorite track: birdland other picks: teen town, a remark you made

Only like live jazz

No pude con esto. Maybe cuando sea mayor

Mmmmm no

Great fusion album. Birdland is the standout of course

75

Think if I listened more my score would increase but was a fun first-time listen

this was quite good although i was asleep for about half of it so idk how much weight this rating holds

This album changed the way we listen to Jazz. Birdland is a legendary song.

poucas coisas me trazem mais paz de espírito do que jaco pastorius tocando baixo e wayne shorter quebrando tudo no sax esse é marco essencial do jazz fusion, num tem nem mto o que dizer sobre

fortíssimo mesmo, hein jazz fusion eh bão demais, não tem jeito. os instrumento tudo lindo demais como pode isso

Meh. After going through this list I understand the different types of jazz, unfortunately all of them are just not for me.

A lot of energy and really enjoyed it. Not always in the mood for driving Jazz but fun album

Good stuff

p376. 1977. 1 star. Soulless 70's synth based jazz for hipster bars. Don't like 70s synths. Don't like jazz. Don't like hipster bars. Nope.

Really cool at first, but then got boring. 3

Strong start and settled down as thr album progressed. Still cool!

They are probably good musicians, it’s just that I can’t listen to any of these songs without wanting to push the «next» button. On every single track. Fusion jazz? Count me out

Very talented but not really my speed. Felt like I was in an elevator. A relatively funky one, but still

some bits were ace, some bits were less ace

Meh another instrumental album which is ok nothing soecial sinply just good musicians playing good music. But not lifechanging

141. 🙃

It's hard to imagine the songs on Heavy Weather being created, rather than just existing and then being conjured by capable enough musicians. Colorful, and packed with a surprising amount of dimensionality for a record released in the eye of the lifeless production storm languidly ravaging the late 70s, Wayne Shorter and Jaco and that other guy really make magic here. The songs and the instruments on board get in, do their dance, and then get the fuck out of the way. Putting my finger on why this release makes me so happy is a tall order. I find something new to love every time I listen. I can only glaze that which I do not understand for so long.

I didn't hate this but it ended up feeling forgettable. Feels a little unfair because I had a Rippingtons phase, but really just no desire to go back to this

Great jazz

..

From the opening electronic noises, I didn't know what this was going to be. I sure didn't expect it to be a crazy jazz fusion odyssey. Opening track “Birdland” is great. It sounds a bit like a 70s TV theme-tune that gets distracted and ends up somewhere completely different to where it started. Jazz harmony, funk rhythm, electronic textures, and world-music colour, all woven into something that's somehow coherent and seriously great craic. “Teen Town” is apparently famous for Jaco Pastorius’ bass, and I can hear why. His bass playing is melodic, rubbery, and weirdly human-sounding, almost like the bass is the lead vocal of the song. The slow-tempo pieces that make up a lot of the rest of the record lose me quite a bit. “Rumba Mama” comes out of nowhere, with hand percussion and Afro-Cuban style vocals in a live setting. It's like a tune from a random other band accidentally made its way onto the track listing. It is a nice breather in the middle of all the smooth jazz pieces though. Overall it's an interesting album that can’t seem to settle on a genre. At times it's smooth, polished jazz-fusion, at times it's electronic futurism, at times it's funk and soul, and on a few tracks it's all of those mashed together.

imnot listening to this

Tonight! On NBC, Lil' Regis bites off more than he can chew in "Trouble at the Dentist." Right after that it's South Sudan's favourite family man taking it one day at time in "Juba-Lations." After that it's back-to-back premieres featuring "Curb the Serb" and King Triscuit's sitcom debut with "Please Let it End Eventually." It's the situation comedy power hour right here on America's family uhh paragon of uhh you get the idea. News at 11. Yes, the fedora album is sitcom-theme core followed by a bunch of songs that I'm almost certain went quadruple platinum in Japan. The saxophone is too gentle, the jazz is too lame, and the hat does indeed look as though it has safari flaps. 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: It's illegal for you to ask me that.

9.3/10

Nice bass. 3/5.

Un grupo puramente instrumental, de buena música, la mayoría de sus canciones en este album parecen como si fueran parte de series de los 80.

Some of it sounded a little bit like Kate Bush. Not bad but by the last track it sounded samey to me.

Awesome drum solo in Harlequin, Jaco is also amazing, and I did not know Wayne Shorter was in this band, that's really cool. I also probably didn't know who Wayne Shorter was the first time I checked this band out.

es un album de los que no me gusta porque es simplemente instrumental pero musicalmente e s muy rico

1. The Juggler 2. A Remark You Made 3. Birdland

Pleasant

This is so slick, it felt like it slipped in one ear and out of the other.

5/10

Bien.

I enjoyed listening to this one I remember Birdland

I am not familiar with this group at all, but jazz fusion is right up my alley so perhaps I might dig this... I wasn't aware that "Birdland" was a contemporary jazz standard before today. A pretty fun and delightfully weird opening track. The rest didn't nearly stack up to the opener, with maybe the exception of the final track. I guess this is what you get with most jazz fusion, as it can kind of jump all over the place in terms of mood and tempo. The structure and style are still fun for the most part. Makes me wish there was some Casiopea or Masayoshi Takanaka representation on this list.

(5) 1977 yes yes yes! I love me some weather report. This is the first album I heard of them. I found it in the music library at Pacific university, next to miles Davis’s Bitches Brew and Dave Brubeck’s” take five”. I fell in love with all three! I passed Western Civ. that semester because of this love affair. I often preferred “heavy weather” over the three probably because of Jaco Pastorius, and that groove got me through the Battle of Thermopylae.

Album of two halves for me. The first half makes me think of American New York TV in the late 70s which I can't shake. Second half was more interesting for me.

I think the well known tracks might have suffered from their success in their ubiquitousness really loved the live rumba track but it was so short. 3 for me too

The synth jazz is a little tooooo smooth. Low 3

Nice mix of easy listening and Virtuosic jazz. Drums are so crisp.

Weather Report cannot contain themselves showing off a range of approaches across this record, the unifying thread being an eccentric and overbold approach to Jazz with “out there” synths, theme tune bass lines and some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard.

This Weather Report album is probably the most mixed bag record we’ve had so far for me. Some of it borders ECM style which I love, Jaco is excellent throughout, as is the drumming but i really hate some of the compositions (especially the shmaltzier smoother ones) and some of Shorter’s sax work here irritates me unfortunately Levelling out at a solid 3

slick

Amazing musicians playing dull music.

Great listen, but pure jazz fusion isn't my go-to

3.5

Some of the funkier tracks I liked some great bass lines though out. Jazz fusion is always hit or miss for me. (7.45) ★★★½

My uncle's favourite band. Cool and laid back jazz fusion! Low 4 stars

Not my jam. 2.5 stars.

Just in terms of album art, this is one of the deadest certs for the list. So cool. And it helps that the music is pretty cool n awesome n essential as well as well as the band being on totally top form. Birdland is sort of a proud and loud national anthem for Jazz and A Remark You Made is so dizzyingly smooth and sensuous it’s totally spellbinding. Teen Town is a perfect sleuthing soundtrack that I could happily listen to for 10 hours never mind two minutes and even with the Sabu style 5th track the rest of the album is Joe Camel smooth. Definite 5 stars for the site.

Album No. 0209 on my list. Never heard of Weather Report or their album “Heavy Weather”. I didn’t know what to expect l, but this was actually a surprisingly good Jazz record. I have very little knowledge of the genre, but I immediately realized that this must instantly have been considered a very good record at the time it came out. And I get why this is on the 1001 album list, why it is considered to be a very influential Jazz album. This is funky, this is groovy, this is very playful Jazz. Interesting listen, even though I have to note that the first half is much better than the second one and things get somewhat less catchy, less playful, less remarkable as the album progresses. I’ll add “Birdland”, “Harlequin”, and “Rumba Mama” to my playlist. I’d give four stars to the first and two stars to the second half, so on average, I’ll rate “Heavy Weather”: 3/5 stars.

Yummy plain oatmeal for breakfast, tapioca mash for lunch and a 3 oz broiled chicken breast for dinner.

8 / 10

This was always going to be quite a subjective one, because I grew up listening to this record - both of my parents (especially my dad) were huge fans of Weather Report. I tried to approach this as objectively as possible, but yeah, it still totally slams. Just LISTEN to those basslines, courtesy of the late, great Jaco Pastorius. Incredible. Favourite tracks: Birdland, A Remark You Made (which was played at my dad's funeral and is just SO evocative), Teen Town, Palladium.

Much wank. So cheese

It’s not groundbreaking. But I’m ashamed to say how much I liked this.

Sounds like a movie soundtrack from the 80s

Not bad, I think I preferred Herbie Hancock, but this made me feel like I was playing Gran Turismo

sympa en effet

Esse álbum podia ser facilmente a soundtrack de Bustin Out / The Urbz. Deu uma nostalgia. Até as músicas tensas. Deu vontade de jogar de novo kkkk. Mais um álbum de soundtrack, ouvir de fundo num bar, num rolê, pra trabalhar. Álbum bom, mas não consigo dar 4.

nice funk

kahoot ?

Nothing notable.

Good

A nice to listen to jazz fusion album. Can sound basic and background-y to modern ears, but still a nice listen. 4*

That was painful. 80s sitcom music. 2/5.

Jaco Jaco Jaco!!!