Head Hunters

Wow!!!!

I enjoyed it! Vein melter was my fave followed by watermelon man. Very groovy!

Enjoyed this album more than I was expecting. A fusion of jazz and rock that I appreciate as a jam band fan. Long songs but enough variety to keep it interesting. Chunky basslines, thick grooves, and cool sax and trumpet solos. Best song- watermelon man 3.95*

Great musician

Absolute banger. Watermelon man is a 10/10

Great album, but for some reason one that I'm not into

I enjoyed this.

Too much funk influence, isn't really a style I prefer. Not a bad album though

I really liked the fusion of jazz and electronic. While I'm sure it was groundbreaking in 1973, it isn't much more than good background music now. If I was trapped in an elevator for 45 minutes, I'd love if this was the soundtrack, though.

No.

I'm familiar with chameleon and watermelon. I really liked sly but watermelon man is still my favorite.

I don't know if it's because I've had a string of terrible albums lately, but this was downright pleasant!

Starts well but gets a bit too jazzy for me, was still ok though

This one is an instant 5* album for me. I'm a big fusion fan and this is such a big record that I've been familiar with since childhood. Everything about is is fantastic: the strong rhythms, exploratory solos and developing arrangements that stay funky all the way through. All of the musicians on the record are superb but Harvey Mason's drums stand out for me - I would love to be able to play like him. Love it.

Nice album

Solid jazz album

Tästä mulla on harvinaisen vähän sanottavaa. Taitavaa? Juu. Meni silti toisesta korvasta sisään, toisesta ulos. Ei herätä kuulijaa (mua ainakaan).

Uskaltaa funkata. Ei niin että kuuntelisin uudelleen. 1,5.

Nice and interesting, but this style of music is not my personal favorite

Proving that Funky can be Fun, Head Hunters is one of the great Jazz albums ever. Peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 (in 1974), it had great crossover success, and is one of the top selling jazz albums of all time. Wikipedia says it was “Among the defining moments of the [then] emerging jazz fusion and jazz-funk movements…” That pretty well sums it up. I own this album, am quite familiar with it. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone interested in classic Jazz, fusion or funk It is an easy 4.5/5, in this case I’ll round up because of its significance. 5

Absolutely phenomenal thank

Man have I been lucky this week. The Police's "Reggatta De Blanc," Muddy Waters's "At Newport 1960," and now this. What is there to say about Herbie Hancock that hasn't already been said? This feels like an album that absolutely belongs on this list not simply because it's popular, but because of its influence. This album *needed* to be on this list. If you have any interest in funk, soul, jazz, or hip-hop (especially old school hip-hop), you will like this album not just because it's an absolute joy to listen to, but because it went on to influence all of those genres. It's only 4 tracks, but man is there so much funky soul, so much attitude, so much precision and confidence packed into them. The synth work in this is exceptional. He uses it as an instrument and not as a gimmick or something just to add layers. And rhythm section is absolutely in lockstep. He really assembled such an excellent group of musicians for this one. This is one I would want to own a physical copy of. This is one I'll have on repeat for a while. Standout tracks (even though there's only 4): Chameleon, Watermelon Man, Sly (though the fading heartbeat-like bass drum at the end of Vein Melter almost makes it a standout)

6/10

Ritmos electrónicos, de estilo de los 70, todo instrumental, variedad de melodías. No me ha aportado nada. Un tanto flojo, aunque las canciones tengan su propia estructura.

Opener was awesome

Ja vond deze best lekker!

Hectische shit

For someone who doesn’t listen to much jazz or funk, this is the best jazz-funk record I’ve ever heard.

Gran descubrimiento.

I liked the horns, percussion, and keyboard on this album. It was soothing to listen to while I ran.

It sounds like good background music especially at a restaurant. The only complaint is that he could have broken up each of the songs into another. I say that because they all changed style at some point.

Very funky. Loved this thought it was great, very different from pretty much anything else we've had so far. It was different but not in an experimental way. Loved the instruments, really well done. Even though the songs were long they didn't drag (take notes Bob Dylan). Loved this.

it's a funky/interesting listen. think it's best just to put it on & let it play through, rather than listen to one track at a time.

didnt make my heart go doki-doki Significant 37/116 Liked 17/116 Added 4/116 YNN

Funky times at the el royale

Could be used as a soundtrack for hundreds of movies. wonderful album that everyone should not just jazz fans

Grew up on this album, learned to play my first solos on these tracks. Important album

The album started off very nicely - chill, groovy, jazz vibes... but at some point they started using too many instruments at the same time and it got a bit overwhelming, so 5 stars for the first song and then the rest re a bit... meh

Funky background / jazz

Good jazz compositions with good solos. Interesting bringing in synths - can sound strange at first but then blends in well. Probably not my favourite style of jazz but glad to have listened to expand jazz knowledge.

Meh 2 out of 5.

Now I finally get that one Tommy Boy joke reference. 4.

Herbie Hancock is always someone I wanted to listen to but just never did. This is an interesting album but I found the bass lines lacking on some songs. Really cool fusion of funk and jazz.

Absolute classic album. Truly deserves to be on this list

I think I just have to admit that I don’t really get most jazz. I have no idea what’s compelling about this. It seems like it’s well done?? But I’m not sure how you can tell?

Honestly didn't make much of an impact on me. It was ok background music.

Extremely groovy. Great look at the mixture of funk and mod.

not my thing

Not my cup of tea but I recognize and respect.

I listened to this for a week straight when a trusted friend first introduced me. He said I would love it, and sure enough I did. I remember playing it one afternoon at a stoplight and the gentleman next to me motioning to roll the window down, and proceeded to tell me about seeing Herbie and how it changed his life. So glad to have been introduced to it myself!

Not my jam typically, but it is at least listenable. I will say the cover is absolutely AMAZING. 3/5

can always listen to Herbie Handcock. excellent background music.

Watermelon Man and Chameleon are classics. The two other sons are fillers. Grade: 4/5

Appreciate the funk. Wouldn't be a regular listen

fucking groovy

5/5 already know and love

A good album, I liked Watermelon Man the best.

Good jazz album. Not a big jazz fan but I can hear the creative artistry in Herbies playing.

Chameleon is an amazing funk-jazz song. The rest fall into that modern jazz problem of trying to do way to much with each instrument leaving it burdensome on one’s ears.

What’s not to like?..funk, musicianship, fresh air

Track 1: I really like the bass sound this. It reminds of high school when we were supposed to play this for marching band. I like that this is kinda just a jam session too. Fairly long song that’s repetitive but it’s a good jam song. Track 2: I’ve always liked this song due to the flute sounds and intro followed by the bass that sets a really nice groove. Fun saxes in this and just another good listen. Track 3: I like the crazy sax a couple minutes in. However, everything else gets a little crazy and makes it very chaotic. This one is all over the place while listening to it. Track 4: I like the layering that happens in this song and the low woodwind that followed the bass in the beginning. The strings are also fun while a sax gives a solo. Overall: 6.8/10. Decent album but some songs are just too long but it really is a fun listen through, especially the first two.

Good album. Like the first two tracks a lot. Still mostly holds up. Was probably super innovative for its time but some of the sounds are sounding dated now/borderline cheesy.

Listened to this one a LOT when growing up. It was influential. Even covered Chameleon in a ska band I was in. Revolutionary in the use of synth.

2/5

Groove just oozes out of this one. Great album.

small album, very unexpected

No

Great album to put in the background of a party - it's lively, a bit strange, great talent, all instrumental jazz (??) Love (almost) the whole thing...

Herbie Hancock is great. So jazzy, so funky, such a long, successful career. Also have a special place in my heart for phenomenal keyboardists, probably because I understand a bit of piano after 25 yrs. Love the electric jams on this album- varied, explorative, entertaining. “Watermelon Man” is a classic and I’ve heard many versions. A four-star album!

This dude was asked: how many songs go on an album and decided 4 was enough. But he killed eachone. They each had distinct grooves that evolved throughout the song. I normally dont like 6+ minute songs because they often have bloat or boring sections but this is how it should be done. The audio quality was surprising good for 1973, this could have been recorded this year. Easy 4-4.5 stars for Head Hunters.

Sounds this album has been influential and has been sampled a ton, which is cool. But I didn't really get into this album too much. Parts were OK as background music.

I like the feel of this album, and it's obvious influence and place in history. But, at times it also just fades into the background.

You put a little funk in jazz, and I can appreciate a purely instrumental album a lot more. Doesn't hurt that it feels like I know every song because he's been so heavily sampled. An original for real.

I LOVE IT

Easy. Vibin' and boppin' here. (Made me peak at the 1001 to see whether my jazzfusionrock favourite is on there and now all is good.)

A really good jazz album, I enjoyed it the whole way through. It was a jam.

It's legendary, sure. But it's still a bit wanky

Great musicianship but not what I enjoy listening to - repetitive chords create unpleasant tension for me

Sooooo groovy!

I like it! Good for stimulating background music at dinner.

Was okay background music

I didn't find this offensive, but I listened to this twice through yesterday and when it comes to review it I can't remember a single thing about it apart from the sound bed that's is used in a sports podcast I like. I remember finding it perfectly pleasant but nothing memorable.

This is one of the first albums I heard on Ian's McIntosh system and it was amazing. I also met Herbie Hancock at Sound Warehouse and had him sign my hand LOLOL

good background while working music

Funk meter turned up!

Great album. I’ll listen to anything Herbie Hancock.

This was so funk nasty I loved it. Made me shake a tail feather.

Groovy

A real nice vibe.

Love the jazz-funk fusion, easy jazz to get into, fully instrumental that can get tiresome, interesting and innovative use of wacky sounds, talk show moments. Sly is so energetic and it has a nice overarching structure

J'aime pas le Jazz.

Not a fan of this style of Jazz-Funk/Jazz-Fusion.

Only thing stopping it being a 5 is the first minute of watermelon man

Don’t like the electric sound

Eh. It’s ok.

Funky jazz. Definitely reminds me of sci fi from that era. Definitely not my cup of tea, even as far as jazz is concerned. I can, however, appreciate the artistry and do understand why it was revolutionary at the time.

Super funky, jazzy, amazing instrumental album. Perfect for a bonfire or some trippy times.

ugh no.

Funky, classic jazz-fusion.

Extremely funky jazz. For what it is, it's basically perfect.

Repetitive but interesting.

Excellent

Helt okej groove men inte riktigt för mig, för mycket lall typ

Great beats

Everything Don Simmons wishes he had.

Travelling at funk factor 5 (except for the last track where he shifts it into parking).

ooh, that's funky. so very funky

A bit too jazzy for me.

Funky jazzy funky jazz. Really great rhythm section. Can't see me listening to this much in future but I very much enjoyed it

already listened to it, decent

Recognize this as a great album, but don't really enjoy jazz funk. So I guess it's a 5 star album I'm giving 3 to, which is another illustration of the fact that not everything needs quantifying.

had a great time listening / weird-dancing to Watermelon Man with the girls before school. It starts out so goofy and strange, they were mesmerized… but then the bass and drums kick in and all of a sudden it’s a jam. i can absolutely hear HHs influence on modern hip-hop.

Nice upbeat Jazz, really fun to listen to

It IS cool! That second track is just a bop. I can understand why this was the moment Herbie went mainstream. Undoubtedly hugely influential. Maybe I overplayed it last week, but I was kind of hoping for more substance, more tracks like the second? 40 minutes but feels over much too soon. I'm not sure why that is! 3/5, great record, good time.

FFS, why do I have to start with jazz? Luckily, not too experimental. Okay background music, last track Vein Melter specifically.

Didn't want to skip songs but also not thinking of a replay either. 3/5

nice funky background music

“It’s a mixture of Jazz and Funk. It’s called Junk” Chameleon is an absolute bop Watermelon Man is weird but I do like it The rest of the album is dope

Synes da leverte

Awesome and screechy

Favorite track: Watermelon Man

Fijn plaatje. Blijft niet echt hangen

Loved most of it, I prefer Herbie’s work with Miles Davis

Listened for a bit. Jazz not my jam.

Just don't enjoy electronic music.

It’s ok, purely background music. Not bad but not really my thing

I enjoyed the album Head Hunters. I am motivated to listen to more of Herbie Hancock’s music. What a musical genius!

Wonderful listen. Was fortunate to see Herbie not too long ago and can’t believe he is still touring.

Absolute classic.

Great - Chameleon and Watermelon Man are 2 of the greatest Jazz Funk tracks ever

i don’t think i’m a person who can sit through long instrumentals BUT i still thing it’s fun and the music is groovy

Absolutely awesome album. This band reminds me so much of my favorite group, Snarky Puppy, and it's clear to see them as an influence to fusion jazz pieces everywhere. Incredible stuff.

Wow we played this all the time in band. Nice to make the connection. Really matched my confused ass walking around this big af Target. Fav song Chameleon

A vibe.

A ride to funk ville

It’s funk. It’s jazz. It’s a classic for a reason. Chameleon and Watermelon Man are all time tracks but I’m not a huge fan of side B.

Ground-breaking. Accessible. Iconic. Zzzzzzzzzzz. Great bathroom or elevator music.

snoozfest

A fine thing

Funk-jazz fusion combining to make something a little worse than either on their own

Consistently overplayed jazz album but for good reason

Schöne Jazz Scheibe: Unaufgeregt und gute Hintergrundmusik. Cantaloupe Island bleibt mein Favorit.

I looked up the artistes performing this live to confirm if they were the head-nodding, smug, self-satisfied musicians I expected. I’ve heard this music before, but have never enjoyed it. I still feel the same although they weren’t quite the arrogant performers I expected. Allegedly this is accessible jazz funk fusion. I just found it dull and repetitive.

I remember seeing the video for the song ‘Rockit’ back in the 80s. I hated it and never gave Herbie another listen. This album has not changed my opinion. The last song was fine but it was too little, too late. Questionably interesting sidenote: I had a boyfriend in 2004 who, very early in our relationship, expressed interest in going to a Herbie Hancock show. We broke up very shortly after that.

Herbie Hancock is a bad-ass. Loved the funky jazzy explorations.

Yeah, this was pretty badass. The first time I heard this was in college when I was first getting into fusion. At the time, though, I didn't care for this album. Today's listen was a revelation, though, and I honestly don't know why I never tried revisiting this album before.

A pleasant ride

long but enjoyable. Sounds like music I would cook to. Songs I would listen to in the background of something The songs start weird vein melter is nice and smooth I enjoyed Vein Melter. Like the name suggests it "melts your veins". While listening I couldn't help but notice a sense of peace wash over me as I sunk into my chair experiencing pure ecstasy. I felt all my past anxieties freeze in time as I was fully enveloped in the song. Overall the album was okay it had great piano solos by Herbie Hancock but it felt monotonous and mundane. The music wasn't bad but it felt like just background music I would hear at a barber shop. However, Vein Melter as I previously mentioned was very good and I will listen to that song again. 1 out of the 4 songs made it onto one of my playlists so that is a win for Herbie Hancock. I will give the Album a generous 6/10.

Sublime and fun Jazz/Funk record. Short and sweet even though it has 15 min songs. Gotta love Herbie.

Dominik: Very groovy and imensely enjoyable. Good music to put in your ears while doing something else. Makes your day prettier!

Absolutely groovy, lots of interesting sounds, a gem of its kind. Though it's an album whose musics are a bit long for today's standards (10' on average), so it has to be adequately ingested in order to fully enjoy it.

Nicht mein Geschmack.

Okai. Völlig anders als erwartet. Ich hatte Herbie Hancock mit Rock it aus den 80ern im Kopf. Da Album steht aus meiner Sicht im kompletten Kontrast zu diesem Titel. Aber durchaus hörbar

Album 266 of 1001 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters Rating : 4 / 5 Great album. Some great funky jazz here.

I get it. I just didn’t like it.

So refreshing! The first song - Chameleon - was an absolute banger! Very experimental, fresh sound. So much going on with the instrumentation, it was such a journey to listen to.

Known before: Artist Standouts: Sly 6.5/10

Known Before: Standouts: 2.0

Very chill for all that honking.

I hadn't listened to this album in years but it was so good to hear it again. I like this early 70s stuff.

Interesting, I never really liked jazz before, but this sounded cool. Did not like the piece with the 'kids learning to play recorder's...

Wow. This was incredible. Loved all of this. So fun and delightful.

I need more substance to fully enjoy

Too funky for me. Like the first couple of songs but lost interest on the later.

Groove. Groove. Groove!

JAZZ

This is music of a true genius. I loved the barbaric Rhodes solo on Chameleon. The intro to Watermelon Man stunned me, even more so after learning it's the noise of Bill Summers blowing air into beer bottles. Great stuff.

The musicianship on this album is incredible; the drumming is so tight, the bass locks into the groove. The keyboard solo 12 mins into Chameleon is excellent.

A master composer and musician! These songs have been sampled so many times in hip hop too. I recognize them all, both the original works as Herbie Hancock was played in my home when I was a child, and the songs that have sampled them. (Look them up!)

Good stuff

An album I’ve always wanted to love but never clicked.

All music no lyrics. It was about 45 minutes or so of jazz and funk music. It went on a little long. At no point was it bad. It was just there. I will round up.

not a big jazz fan but this was really enjoyable to listen to.

I have never delved into Herbie Hancock, but this was thoroughly enjoyable.

Was

Funky! But gets old after a while.

Each of the tracks has pretty impressive creativity - going from the funky acid bassline over a funky breakbeat on Chameleon to the hectic psychedelic saxophone solo over a perfectly metered cacophony of hand drums, breakbeat drums, and syncopated organ hits on Sly. Then you've got the off-kilter flute melodies on Watermelon and the march like feel on Vein Melter - pretty impressive on a 4 song album.

Fantastic album. Really funky and accessible Jazz.

Just wow

Notable track: Chameleon

Another in the long list of better my second time listening to it.

not my bag

Funky jazz. Solid album

Watermelon man and Chameleon

This is definitely a bit of me. Love the jazz funk fusion, and also whatever the fuck was happening on track two. Best new album of the game so far.

Absolutely not.

4/5

It was mediocre

Интересное звучание, чисто музыка, хоть песни и долгие, но этого практически не ощущается

Soulful, funky, fun. Great for a party background.

I don't really listen to music like that but it was nice music especially to enjoy in the background whether working, reading or just relaxing in bed.

So blessed to get so much jazz this week! I'm digging this funky style although I probably prefer classic type jazz and the middle of Sly was too fast and stressed me out but I do still enjoy it very much. 4

magnificent

8/10

Rollo.

4.75

Really funky instrumentals. Album only has 4 songs but 2 of them are over 10 minutes long. Some great moments but overall the last 2 songs lose me.

Great album

Really tough to listen to at work

Quite odd for the last track off Head Hunters to be called Vein Melter because this album, as a whole, should be called Face Melter. It feels quite appropriate for this to be the breakthrough for Herbie Hancock after a little over a decade of toiling under the likes of Miles Davis and putting out slivers of greatness in between (the Mwandishi albums in particular), for Head Hunters arrived at the right place at the right time. It proved that, no matter how jazz was perceived in the music world back in the 70s, it could still be on the cutting edge and the pinnacle of innovation and evolution. Fifty years later, it's still seen as such.

Not my fav kind of music but still some nice sounds

The instruments/synths chosen for Vein Melter sound so much like 2000s era videogame soundfonts. Like Twilight Princess. I'm not sure this is the comparison Herbie Hancock would want me to make but here we are

One of their good

Original fusion gem. Don't miss.

Weird and cool

2.8 - wasn’t for me, however the intro to watermelon man was 5/5

I thought this was wonderful! I don’t tend to love jazz, but this was funky, groovy, imaginative, and fun! The intro to “Watermelon Man” was so weird and engrossing. And the synth riff in the first track is such a bop. This is definitely one of the best discoveries of this project to me.

The first track reminded me of being in a Chicago jazz club which was wonderful. Didn’t enjoy the others as much.

Very chilled and relaxing - will give this another go

Parts of this were good, but overall it isn't for me as it is too jazzy.

jazz and good fucking bass with some weird effects. Catchy themes.

8:30 into Chameleon - the synth/keys that join are so nice. Watermelon Man groove is delicious. Sly is my least favourite track, but still pleasant. Vein Melter is a woozy way to end it. 4.6/5

Da funk right here. Keeping this one, it’s like Herbie’s Bitches’ Brew (kinda).

An all time classic of the genre

This started out so funky that I had high hopes but the it was jazz-y and fusion-y or whatever and I lost interest after the 886th hour. 2.5

Different, I really like it. Pretty jazzy with some african influences, loved the second track with the breath beat

Pure groove. Hancock brings some of the prevailing funk of 1973 into this record and spends most of the effort playing some electric keyboard (be it a synth or a Fender Rhodes). Everyone in the band kills, here. Know that this is an instrumental jazz album and they're definitely not playing standards but the groove is solid and the rhythm is hot (at least listen to Sly). It meanders - they explore a bit for sure. But this is a fun effort from a jazz chameleon.

This shit got me missing DT racer on the ps2. Yeah this was a great listen sly was my favorite song every instrument on this album felt like it served its purpose and there was no wasted space. I was a big fan of the synth. Vein melter was such an appropriate name for that song I imagine the name is a heroine reference and I can only imagine that heroine is what that song felt like. You already know what I’m gone say about the horn! Anyways Soft five hard four tip creamed -B

Fun take on jazz with untraditional band instrumentation. This makes me want to listen to more jazz adjacent stuff. Why does Jazz need to be made with the conventional strings and horns instrumentation? To me this is sort of appreciating the musical elements of jazz but changing the sound palette and some of the grooves. Had fun listening

The rhythms, the grooves, everything that was going on was right. Chameleon is a classic jam song. The consistent bass line and building makes it great for that. Watermelon man was also great. I hadn’t heard that before. Would buy on vinyl

I really liked this album. It was like a soundtrack to my day. It is very funky and jazzy and good music to walk to. I really appreciated the fusion of synthesizers and traditional instruments, the contrast was interesting but it still felt cohesive.

Brill

ani jonas

Can appreciate the talent that went into it, but just not for me.

Truly a classic and a great introduction to jazz fusion. Chameleon and Watermelon Man are so groovy. Easy 5 stars.

Reply good!

Classic album!

This was okay. Kind of not my thing and I fell asleep during part of it.

Rating: 10/10 Masterpiece. I normally dislike jazz, but this album is something really special. A mix of jazz and funk mostly, it is incredibly groovy, virtuosic, and creative, combining technical ability with fantastic songwriting. Each song feels like a progressive journey and is never for a second boring. The songs are all very long but none of them overstay their welcome, it's truly a pleasure listening to every second of this album. I did not love a part of Sway and Watermelon Man but I loved literally everything else about this album.

Groovy and chill but not quite my style.

star reviews suck

Had to stop on the third song, it just felt all over the place. Though you can tell the effort the artist went through to produce it.

I was not expecting to enjoy it so much. I really should listen to more jazz (and its sub-genres) to discover things like this.

A very memorable fusion record. Combines the nuance of jazz with the grooves of funk to great effect. All the songs were memorable and varied enough to avoid repetition. Only fault was some of the songs could've had more energy in their performance to stop the slight feeling of bloat.

Мне всегда интересен "нетанцевальный" джаз. Кайф есть, прикольно на фоне нудного занятия.

Solid Jazz Album with funky vibe. I wouldn't say that it was something I haven't heard before and it was life changing. Good background music I guess.

Great

Oh fuck yes!

Herbie Hancock is incredibly talented, and this album perfectly showcases that. This isn't the kind of music I seek out, but I really appreciate it when I listen to it.

Don't get it

Fine

Solid from start to finish!

Funk and groove from the opening track. Great listen.

Classic exploratory jazz

Interesting listen. 70s jazz, combining light notes of electronica/funk. Watermelon is instantly recognisable for its ‘whistling motif’ that repeats throughout the song. Parts of the album feel very drawn out and repetitive, bit too harsh in ears during a 3 minute repetitive jazz beat. 3.5 or so?

Jazzy instrumental that is great for a listen. Upbeat and playful.

Vet

jazzy fun

Loved the first couple of minutes, but then it just dragged on and I disliked it so much I stopped listening.

Net niet perfect wegens Vein Melter. 4/5

love

I hate the Grammys. I think they’re dumb and they generally lift up the worst that popular music has to offer. But I do remember watching in 2008 when Quincy Jones stepped up to present the Album of the Year award. And the collective look on everyone’s face in the theater read, “Who the fuck is Quincy Jones?” And then, to everyone’s surprise, who wins the award? Herbie Hancock for his paean album to Joni Mitchell. And the collective look on everyone in the theater’s face read, “Who the fuck is Herbie Hancock?” Well, everyone’s except for Quincy Jones. So even the proverbial blind squirrel finds the proverbial nut from time to time. The real irony of that Grammys was how little those musicians likely realized how influential Herbie Hancock was to their music. This is a man who redefined himself again and again without sacrificing any integrity. Listen to Takin’ Off or Maiden Voyage and you might assume Hancock was only another (albeit excellent) bebop artist. And then listen to this and realize how much conversation is being had with Sly, Parliament, or the Staples Singers. And then ask yourself what other jazz artist is noteworthy thanks to their presence on MTV like Herbie was with “Rockit.” Two of Hancock’s most recognizable tunes on this album - “Chameleon” (which I learned about when we played an extraordinarily simplified version in high school marching band) and an updated take on his own “Watermelon Man.” I prefer the original on Takin’ Off, but this really is excellent. Herbie Hancock is spectacular at every stage of his prolific career. I really enjoyed listening to this album.

Absolutely loved this one. Learning Chameleon and Watermelon Man in high school jazz band was a seminal moment for me as a musician. Getting to hear those tracks in their original, 10 minute format was a treat. I didn’t realize how much of Psychedelia had entered into Hancock‘s early work, I’m not sure if this is what is meant when we talk about “Acid Jazz“? That certainly seemed like the appropriate drug to be on while listening to this album.

Lots of fun, I knew watermelon man previously and enjoyed when it came up. The bounce and groove of the tunes are heaps of fun. I encourage multiple listens to get the full experience of all the parts of each song

Funky jazz groove

Love Jazz, and Herbie is a legend, tho I have never listened until now! It sounds so fresh, even tho it is 50 years old! 28/10/2023

Very fun, poppy, jazzy. Loved this

I enjoyed Chameleon & I thought hmmm generator did you give me a jazz album I'm going to like? Did you finally convince me?? Then I got to Sly. If it would have lasted one minute longer I would have turned it off it almost killed me. So alas generator, today is not the day you convert me to the jazz side.

It's easy to see why this was a commercial breakthrough for Herbie. As jazz goes, it doesn't get much more approachable or digestible than this. Deep grooves and quality playing.

wackadoodle doo

Very solid with less vamps and more attitude. I understand why these songs became jazz legends. 4 stars

Perfect for a weird afternoon.

Great album overall, first 3 tracks set the tone for the entire album! Was even better seeing it live in person

Ahead of its time. A very different style of music. Groovy.

Loved it. Love jazz.

Tering harde vibe jazz is blijkbaar niet kut???

Funky, patient, formative

A++ Jazz Funk

Grooves jazz funk soutenus toujours en dialogue avec les différents instruments. De la bonne vibe à l’infini.

Album très impressionnant, mélangeant le jazz, le big band, le funk et l'électro. Très "forward-thinking" et audacieux. J'adore la sonorité étrangement "jungle" de Watermelon Man, qui lentement se construit pour devenir une pièce jazz complexe et nuancée. À écouter avec de bons écouteurs pour en profiter pleinement!!

An ambivalent cup of tea to me. However, Watermelon Man is nice, 5 stars. Vein Melter is nice background music, 4 stars. Chameleon and Sly are partly nice before bursting out into cacophony. It reminds me of falling asleep on the sofa in front of the TV as a child to the listenable parts of these songs and then waking up feeling sick to the cacophony parts. 1 star for these 2 songs. Average 3 stars then. Maybe I need to listen more to take in all of it.

Very Listenable

First couple tracks were groovy elevator music. Last couple were torture.

Expected this to be way more classic Jazz and way less psychedelic then it turned out to be - happy on both accounts. Chameleon starts and ends with the same bass line but everything in between that is straight jazz funk chaos (in the best possible way), so good how they sit you straight back down into the intro bass line (albeit now at a way faster tempo then where you started at 14 minutes ago) to see you out the door. Watermelon Man is particularly excellent, starts off with super dissonant and spooky pan flute (big White Lotus energy), drops in a sweet guitar lick, goes full cruise mode for a while then AGAIN brings you all the way back to the intro, as if the whole middle section's purpose was to explain why the pan flute was at the party in the first place.

Really enjoyed this album. Wasn't sure what to expect, but especially track 1 was great.

I see Echo and the Bunnymen coming up, thank goodness. Look, for the first few minutes, I thought this may be ok and entertaining. Didn't take long to figure out I was wrong. No offense to the guy, but this wasn't for me. Looks like he's been around a long time so obviously he brings joy to a lot of people and for that I'll give you a 2. I'm not going to re-listen, just move on the what I'm guessing will be hell on my ears and The Mothers. 2

Head Hunters is widely regarded as a good gateway album into Jazz and I can totally see why. It wasn't my first personally (shout out Weather Report) but the recurring uses of common R&B tropes makes this almost feel like an off-kilter soul album. It has a nice groove and pace to it that a lot of other Jazz albums don't. It's a fusion monolith and it's more than earned its spot. 4

3.5 No lie, whenever I think of Herbie Hancock, I think of that scene from Tommy Boy where Chris Farley fills his name in on a college History final as a framer of the US Constitution. That WAS the case anyway, but coming off the heels of this, I may now have other fond memories and feelings associated - what a surprisingly enjoyable listen. I mean, surprising probably only to me, someone who has historically never been particularly predisposed to jazz, but I think this album finally helped fill in some of the pieces for me - there’s nothing but grooving fun times to be had here. Apparently that lumps me in with the majority of its listeners though - this album is historically known for pulling in rock and funk music audiences, largely in part due to the fusion of said genres across. I guess that makes me something of a jazz normie, but whatever, I’m glad I was able to find some connective tissue to get me there somewhere on this list. I don’t feel like I have a ton in particular to call out musically (or lyrically obviously), but as someone who rarely listens to instrumental music (let alone jazz), I found myself bobbing in my chair to just about everything here - you can really tell there’s some solid musicianship on display here, and more importantly, that they know how to have fun with it. The first two tracks are admittedly much stronger than the last, but you really can’t go wrong jumping in anywhere. So, while I don’t think I’m walking out of this with a newfound favorite album, I do see myself giving this another listen in the future. Don’t quite feel comfortable pulling the trigger on a 4 - yet - but let it be known my appreciation is growing. I’m definitely interested in exploring where the genre takes me from here.

jazzy! a lot of noises. most are good!

1st one to start this off, the album was not bad, would listen again

Funky. Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry funky.

Masterpiece

buh buh ba dum

Not usually a jazz guy but I thoroughly enjoyed it

Pretty chill but some songs were chaotic and somewhat distracting in my opinion.

10/10 Herbie Hancock has gotta be one of my all-time favorite musicians his interpretation of jazz is so legendary and sets itself apart from all other musicians

Have always loved this album since the first time I heard it at age 19/20. Unforgettable first two tracks. Unsure about track three, but track four is surprisingly beautiful.

The proto EDM of Chameleon makes an initial impact. There’s a jittery, nervous energy to side 1 that I found anxiety inducing. The anxiety is resolved about 2 minutes into Sly at the start of side 2. The two halves complement each other perfectly. It's also got a great album cover. Favourite track: Sly.

I know a lot of people can put stuff like this on and just groove out to it - and it is undoubtedly groovy - but I love this for working music. It's incredibly listenable but doesn't distract me and somehow keeps me focused, which just about nothing that isn't classical music can do while I'm working. So to that end, I relate Hancock to Beethoven or Vivaldi or Chopin - not bad company, really!

jazz funk is weird. when i want to listen to jazz it gets excluded. when I want to listen to funk it also gets excluded. but this album I feel actually sits comfortably in both. it's funky. it's jazzy. its wacky and zany. epic

Played Chameleon in hs jazz band

There's nothing new to be said about Head Hunters - it's a perfect, groundbreaking album. What impresses me is how easily HH and his ensemble lure you into the jazz-funk world with the build ups. Halfway through a track like 'Sly' you don't even stop and wonder how it all evolved into this funky, polyrhythmic, cacophonic beast.

An unbelievable line-up on an equally unbelievable jazz record. There’s really not a bad second on this legendary piece of work.

Didn't like. Feels like a really really long intro

weak 4 but I like it, the latter 2 songs arent as captivating as the first two I think they might even be ordered in the album in the way I would rate the individual songs

Starts catchy and gets better and better from there.

Jazzy jazz. Felt very modern for its age. 4/5

I would classify this as fartstep. Very glorpy, very bloopy. I like it. I imagine this is what frogs listen to.

I've seen the artwork for this album before but did not realize how short it was and that it's only 4 tracks. Obviously from the age of 70's funk. I can't tell if this is an actual bass or if it's played off a keyboard; it's probably a real bass but because I can't hear a difference, it makes me appreciate the really great studio mixing when it rarely occured in the early years. I know that jambands were born out of the 70's experimental blues/jazz/rock scene, but it's interesting to hear some of the early pioneers and see how vehemently underwhelming they are; not a ton of layering going on at all. The drums in the 3rd track 'Sly' are actually pretty fun, very sporadic but still in time. I am curious how people reacted to this album the day it was released, seems like a basic jazz/funk album to me, but I am not sure how much ground was paved by this point.

good funk. Nice listening while working.