Head Hunters

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

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.

A vibe.

A ride to funk ville

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

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.

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

JAZZ

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.

Good stuff

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

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.

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

magnificent

4.75

Great album

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.

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

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

Reply good!

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.

star reviews suck

Oh fuck yes!

Funk and groove from the opening track. Great listen.

Classic exploratory jazz

love

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

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

Loved it. Love jazz.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

Starts catchy and gets better and better from there.

This is some wack prog jazz. Love it.

I've listened to this album at least 100 times. We played Chameleon in high school jazz band and I loved that bass riff so much. My friends hated Watermelon Man when I played it, but I think it's a banger. I like Thrust better, but this is still a masterpiece.

une légende

Amazing funk jazz fusion

Quirky and upbeat. Deep jams, good vibes.

I love this album.

Hot shit that’s good stuff. This is the jazz I want to hear. Hell yes.

Loved this

Excellent album I am familiar with

Great jazz classic, for good reason

Amazing have on cd <3

Brilliant! This album grooves like no other. "Watermelon Man" is one of the great instrumental songs of all time. I just saw Herbie live 5 days ago, and he is still amazing. Closed the show with "Chameleon", and overall was just wonderful. 5/5 One of my favorites

mmmmmmmmmmm jazzy

so good

Un disco increíble

no words are needed. amazing album. full of funky, fresh synthy jazz.

One of those records that immediately transforms you the moment you listen to it. Everything is beautiful, the instruments, the bass tone, the synthesizers and effects, the fucking drums! The level of feelin' is beyond this world. Simply amazing, immediately makes you smile

Most of the "big" albums on this list, I've already heard. This one had somehow passed me by; though I was very aware of the album, I'd never given it a full listen. Wow. I can't believe I missed out on this. I can't tell if it's funky jazz or jazzy funk, but goddamn does it ever slap!

"Head Hunters" is the twelve studio album by American pianist, keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock. Jazz-funk fusion! Yep, in the highest order, pretty much the defining moment of. Hancock was looking for a new direction from his previous three albums, something lighter. No guitars were used, instead a Hohner Clavinet and funky grooves. Hancock brought in three new musicians (Paul Jackson-bassist, Bill Summers-percussionist, Harvey Mason-drums) alongside saxophonist Bennie Maupin who were collectively known as the Headhunters. The album was a commericial breakthrough for jazz-funk reaching #13 in the US. In 2007, the Library of Congress inducted this album into the National Recording Registry for its artistic significance. "Chameleon" opens the four-track album. A synth bassline, a bass with a guitar riff, drums and a funky groove. There's elements of both jazz and funk here. Weird keys come in sounding like outer space. Halfway through, there's a bass solo then jazzy piano, a dreamy alto sax and back to the initial bassline. "Watermelon Man" is a song reworked from Hancock's hard bop days. Bill Summer's memorable open includes beer bottles, a pennywhistle, shakere and handclaps. The bassline is quite originial and now the keys sound like a guitar. A horn....jazzy. "Sly" is dedicated to Sly Stone. This song is all over the place in a good way. By the way, the pace consistently picks up throughout this song. A more jazzy open. A funky synth. Maupin's sax solo. Hancock's piano solo. The album closer "Vein Melter" is a psalm for a friend's death due to a heroin overdose. It's slower and more jazzy especially with the sax. Keyboards driving the melody with an underlying piano. This album is the perfect mesh of jazz-funk, intimate yet laid back and groovy. There's improvisation, yet structured with the rhythmic structure. It is not only one of, if not the, best fusion album I've heard but also jazz and just overall albums. An album everyone needs to listen to.

What I love about Hancock is that he saw the advent of synthesizers and instead of being a purist about jazz, he recognized its worth and made it work.

Soundscape

So great and important

Wow. 4 tracks at roughly ten minutes each. Serving up some of the smoothest, funkiest grooves I've heard in a long time. I'd heard of Herbie but don't think we have had a chance to listen yet. This was his "essential" album on Apple Music and I can see why. This one is an instant classic for me. Listened again before bed and it’s confined.

Man, the sigh of relief I breathed when I saw this pop up. Herbie, the LEGEND, one of my favorite jazz albums (if you can really call it jazz). It's more of a fusion with funk elements, and that's what makes it so appealing to me. The first two tracks are fantastic. "Watermelon Man" is one of my favorite things ever, that flute or whatever at the core of the track is so memorable. There's a great Rapsody track called "Whoopi" that samples this song, it just made this one even more classic to me. Of course, with only four tracks, there's a lot of time on each to sink your teeth in. The second half of the album isn't as strong, but how could it be? This is a five star, there's no way around it. I'd be surprised if we get another project from Herbie on here, but if anyone's reading this, know that this is also the man who would make "Rockit," which you've probably heard at some point. He's goated. Favorite tracks: Watermelon Man, Chameleon, Sly, Vein Melter (in that order). Album art: Classic, classic, iconic. Fantastic use of color contrast, and what even is on this man's head? It's some kind of robotic head with knob eyes and a meter for a smile. I hope they found the head they were hunting for. 5/5

всё понравилось особенно трек с тревожкой

Very peculiar piece of art, tho might be too long to listen to. It is quite gradual which means the melody develops as we listen to it. Sounding's quite pleasant with jazzy fragments and a spice to it

5*

Oh yeah baby, Jazz from another dimension, quality cererbral pudding for the soul!

One of my favorite albums of all time. Used to play Chameleon and Watermelon Man in jazz band almost every year. We didnt even come close to doing it justice. I also feel like its pretty accessible for those not super well versed in jazz? I dont know how anyone couldnt love it.

Did jazz funk start here or with Miles Davis? Does it really matter. This brough the fusion to the mainstream (and at one time was the best-selling jazz album ever). This was not only jazz, but the emphasis on the groove seamlessly brought in elements of funk, soul, and had an indelible mark on hip-hop decades later. Essential listening.

This was great. Funky, exploratory and fun. This list has been a massive influence on a ton of artists.

When people think of jazz fusion, the first thing that usually pops into their heads is ‘Bitches Brew’ and this. However, where ‘Bitches Brew’ is dense and thick as molasses, ‘Head Hunters’ is funky and accessible. It’s a jazz album with the rhythms of soul, funk, and r&b coursing through its veins, giving it maximum mass appeal, and it still sounds fresh and essential today. As an entry point into the world of jazz fusion it’s a no brainer.

Redefined Funk

Instrumental funk always good

One of the coolest jazz albums of all time and a personal favorite. I should keep this in mind when people ask for recommendations on how to get into jazz. The funky style makes the album very accessible and there are some memorable, catchy hooks. I feel like Herbie Hancock and his band set out to make music that sounded like it was from the future. It still sounds like that decades after its release. When I start new writing projects, I like to assemble a playlist of a few albums that will match the tone and style of what I’m writing. Then whenever I sit down to write, I listen to those albums and it helps me slip back into the project each day. Earlier this year I wrote a wild and experimental animated feature (first time I ever wrote with animation in mind) and “Head Hunters” was on the playlist. It always helped me enter the strange, weird world I was inventing in the script.

Fun, chill, vibed out, funky, future-thinking. Awesome. Best song: Chameleon

I was 10 years old and saw the music video for Rock It... 🤯. I got Future Shock on cassette through one of those mail order clubs (Columbia?). Preteen me was obsessed. All these years, it never occurred to me that there was Herbie Hancock before Future Shock. Tonight, Herbie Hancock blew my mind for a second time in my life. This album is insane and I can't believe Herbie's been grooving and funking like this for two decades earlier than I imagined. 🤯 Oh, and judging this album by the cover, I was gonna play this was soon as I saw it. No need to even know it was Herbie Hancock. That face!

Chameleon and Watermelon Man are two of my all time favorite jazz/funk songs. The final two tracks are forgettable. But half the album is legendary, so this gets 5 stars

15 minute track and it stays fresh? *tasting sound* That's a 10.

Life-changing jazz funk—Watermelon Man is the reason I played/listen to jazz, and without jazz in high school I seriously doubt I would care about music anywhere near as much as I do now Favorite Tracks: Watermelon Man, Chameleon, Sly 4.5-5/5

Great jazz album, Herbie Hancock is a legend

Awesome

Exactly the kind of album I hoped this project would bring me - I did not anticipate enjoying spacey jazz-fusion instrumentals this much but here we are. I loved this slice of weirdness.

Classic funky jazz

1. “Chameleon” 🔥 2. “Watermelon Man” 💎 3. “Sly” 🔥 4. “Vein Melter” 😃 Overall rating: 💎🏆 Classic meter: 💮💮💮💮💮

Jazz funk. 5/5.

As smooth as you like.

This was a really good album and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I would give it five stars but the final track is a bit of a downer and wasn't my favorite. Otherwise, I enjoyed this.

Funkadelic!

Un disco de funk-jazz muy bien nivelado. Para ser instrumental y de esa época tiene demasiados detalles constantes e incentivos que hacen que no se pierda la oreja y termines aburriéndote. El juego percutivo de la guitarra y la bateria en sí logran ser vitales para el desarrollo de los solos psicodélicos de un órgano que quien sabe como quedan bien. Este instrumento también le actúa en diferentes ocasiones como percusión y aporta a solo hermosas de saxofón o de algun viento expléndido que es lo que más destaco del disco. La capacidad de experimentar con silencios, sonidos paralelos en los tracks y voces se convierten en arreglos adelantados para la época, como un estilo de pink floyd pero un poco más bajado a tierra. Una escucha muy fructífera en la que magicamente no me cansé en ningón momento de escuchar jazz 9/10.

This is an amazing album. I saw Herbie live, and you already know his encore was playing Chameleon on a keytar.

A funked up jazz fusion trip out

I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Enjoyed the entire thing. Great jazz album.

Dang, this album is funky jazz hotness! As soon as the first track started playing, I stopped what I was doing & started dancing. This fits right in l with my James Brown/Funkadelic/Alice Coltrane playlist. I'm so glad this popped up in the challenge, otherwise I probably would've missed out. I'll be listening to more of his work. 5 enthusiastic stars.

feel like strolling down a road with my button down open (yes, exactly like in spiderman 3)

Sad that Rockit isn't on this album, but Herbie Hancock is a lean, mean, jazz machine who can row my boat any day. This gets 5 stars for Chameleon alone, nearly loses a star for the more bebop parts of Sly, and then gets its star back in Vein Melter.

The vibes are immaculate. Jazz and funk never sounded so good.

Liked it. Previously unknown gem.

Funky. Jazzy. Electronic. I would rate this as a 5/5, even if it is not the kind of album I will be drawn back to. It was unpredictable yet still very melodic.

Landmark recording in jazz/funk. This basically invented the idea of acid jazz, which has become one of my favorite albums. Also interesting that there are no guitars on here, as opposed to many other early fusion/electric jazz/acid jazz projects that were coming out at the time.

5.0 + The opening sequence of "Watermelon Man" that combines vocal yelps and flute, followed by that sneaky bass and, finally, snappy drums - that buildup alone makes this album a classic. The track start to finish is a masterpiece. And, no discussion of this record is complete without noting that bassline on "Chameleon."

LP

Funk and Jazz arrives to blow your head off. The tunes are slick and you can just imagine them soundtracking a life you wish you were cool enough to be living. Fucking ace. Best Tracks: Chameleon; Watermelon Man

Funky, assured with integrity. There's a great vibe going on with this album and it's 50 years old! Enough variety to make it interesting and sooooo smooth. I loved it.

Faultless album. Never gets old.

A lot funkier than I expect fusion to be. I guess that's his style. I had already known the first two tracks but the whole thing is really great. I love his tone on whatever kind of synths he's using. Kind of moog-y

Classic - funky, tasteful, complex but accessible. Anyone can love this album and you're a dork if you don't.

A classic and staple of influential Jazz. A display of impressive musicianship where each song is more dynamic than the next.

Exceptional future jazz

This album is not really what I would listen to normally but objectively it is great. It is sleek, not rough around the edges like most of the stuff from that era. I was shocked when I thought that a song was a bit long and saw that it's been 13 minutes, which passed in an instant. I find Pink Floyd songs of similar length a bit more tedious to listen to, no matter how much I love them

Brutal musicians!

Groovy. Wish this album was longer than 4 songs.

SOOOOO FUNKY

I was looking at my rankings (over 500 now!) and saw that my average ranking was 3.6. I thought ‘maybe I should be more critical and rank things lower’ and then this album came up and I was like ‘nope’. Just the best jazz-funk, ever. I’ve loved this album since I was 13yo.

a jewel

Simply one of the best jazz albums ever recorded.

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Herbie Hancock were all framers of the constitution.

Godly music. Spitfire improv over some of the gnarliest grooves ever concocted. Essential listening for every human being.

wowww that was so good

Herbie Hancock has done some pretty far out things, blending jazz & funk isn't one of 'em. 5/5.

Excellent, groovy, captivating. Really glad to discover it tonight.

Dette albumet er hva jeg tenker på når jeg tenker på Herbie Hancock. Såå slick, sååå funky.

Aivan megatiukka! Erittäin pitkäaikainen suosikki. On jazzahtavaa ja on funkahtavaa mutta yksi on varma: pääkallonmetsästäjät on pahuksen kova levy! : D Tätä ei vieläkään oo meikän vinyylihyllyssä, mutta kuuntelussa tää on jatkuvasti. Täydet bongot! 5/5

Melancias homens

Never heard this before and it’s a fantastic mix of background Muzak, jazz, pop and electric. Will definitely go into rotation. Great for having on in the background whilst you work or socialise. Solid 8.5/10

Chameleon, Watermelon Man - 5/5

Groovy jazz with a funky tribal underbeat throughout, one of my favs before this project and still a fav

Herbie made a masterpiece that everyone can enjoy!

Very solid album. Good length, 4 great great songs that totally keep on going even after minutes into the song. Nice jazz, nice funk energy too. A must listen, and you still want more at the end. 4.5/5

An epic fuse of jazz and soul and funk. This is an outstanding example of the musical period that served my needs during the disco age - JAZZ FUSION. In addition, such a recording served as an impetus for "going back" in Hancock's catalogue to gain a much greater appreciation of straight-ahead jazz. "Chameleon" is the classic tune from this great period piece!

THIS is what seventies music should sound like. Focused and flowing. Amazing tunes, amazing band, and funky as all get-out. A perfect length for an album too. Prefer side one, but I like the fact the two ‘sides’ feel different.

five stars

Fantastic as always.

Fantastic

Definitely varied and interesting. I dig the dub influence across it.

What a brilliant album. Jazzy, funky. Loved it. It's only 4 songs, so I'm saving the whole thing, but my favourite was Watermelon Man and Chameleon

One of a couple perfect jazz/funk records. Could loop it endlessly without issue.

Like Bitches Brew, this is an album that changed jazz forever.

I was going to say my one criticism is that Herbie is having a little too much fun with the synth fx, but that’s also partly why this album is so good. Chameleon has one of my all-time favourite bass riffs, Watermelon Man is barely recognizable from the original but glad there are both versions, & the last 2 tracks are great complements to each other: the fiery sax & percussion of “Sly” is a world apart from the ethereal piano in “Vein Melter”. October 9, 2022

Best song: Chameleon Classic jazz with some awesome, funky instrumentals.

Every time I play this it's even better than I remember

iconic jazz

Jazzy, funky sweet goodness. Absolutely phenomenal. Chameleon and Watermelon Men just smoke.

Absolutely xlassix

Funky

I love Herbie Hancock. Amazing groove, amazing artwork. 5 stars!

Funky

Хорошо приятно

Funky smooth and cool

Jazz fusion that rips all the way through. The cymbals on Sly got me bricked. The drum work on this album is so good. The Sax and keys were slapping.

Chameleon, watermelon man, awesome. Great album

Awesome fucking album

I LOVE “Chameleon.” I used to listen to this one all the time on road trips. It doubles — for me — as toe-tapping easy-listening for reading as well as perfect music for dancing. “Watermelon Man” is funky and features West African percussion instruments — I wonder if this was one of the first times these instruments reached the American mainstream. “Sly” — undoubtedly a tribute to Sly Stone and “Vein Melter” are also great tunes with lives of their own.

You can always trust Herbie Hancock for finding a new groove, and dig gold out of it. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 873 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 69 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 31 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 28

This album is absolutely iconic from the very first bass note. I would consider this the best marriage of jazz and funk ever put together. Headhunters would serve as a template for a lot of great improvised music to come after it, especially for jazz artists like Medeski, Martin, and Wood. It's so smooth and yet infinitely groovy and danceable. A song like Watermelon Man shouldn't work as well as it does, but that's the level of skill that Hancock brings to this album, and he makes it look easy. There's lots of points in Herbie Hancock's career that you could point to as the pinnacle. The man played on some of Miles Davis's best albums for christ's sake, but for me this is the absolute best. It's a towering dance album that exists somewhere in the tension between the analogue and digital realms. It's not one to be missed 5/5

yes. love jazz-funk. the intro sound in watermelon man O.o so fun. so good.

tri massa, típico sonzao instrumental pro cara estudar enquanto curte

Muchos estilos en 40 minutos...Funky (Los mejores bajos que se pueden escuchar estan acá) - Jungle Jazz - Disco ( una idea de disco eléctronico, antes de que todo explotara) Mejor canción: Watermelon Man

heyyyyyyyyy, watermelon man!!!!!’ this album is great.

super LP

Pretty much flawless jazz funk. First half is definitely superior, but this entire thing is a staggering work in terms of quality

5/5. Undeniable all-time classic :)

This album was on constant rotation for me back in high school. It is great to dust you off and hear from you again, old friend; you are just as fantastic now as you were back then.

Full of epic and silly music. It's fun, it's funky, and I LIKE IT.

Some smooth funky jazz

An album I already own, and for good reason - rock hard fusion played by some of the best in the biz. Not sure anyone who isn't already on the jazz train will be converted, although this bad boy does a decent job of reaching across the aisle to the funksters

Admittedly, I don't listen to a ton of jazz. But this is one of my favorite jazz albums, one of just a few I actually own. Trippy, funky, sick grooves, front to back. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Watermelon Man, Chameleon, Vein Melter, Sly

Enjoyed

C'est pour des albums comme ça que je suis ce site Prefs: Chameleon, Watermelon Man, Sly Moins pref: Vein Melter

Irresistible jazz with an electronic edge. Groundbreaking and essential.

God I love music

Jazz Funk Perfection

Its one of the coolest albums ever and needed to be twice as long

Stone cold classic. Loved this album since my teens.

Perfect album

Нетленка Хэрби Хэнкока

Absolute gem.

So fresh. So funky. This album hugger really hits the spot for me

A classic of the genre. This is such a fun and groundbreaking record and I love it

Watermelon man is a classic. Funk-Jazz fusion at its finest.

Gott grúv. Hressandi stöff

Jazz fusion at its finest, perhaps one of the greatest jazz albums period. Chameleon and the rerecording of Watermelon Man are particular highlights

Jazzy and funky. Got really into some of his other stuff after listening to this.

I actually own this on CD and listened the shit out of it back in the day Classic

One of these albums that everyone knows and that is so clearly 5 star that there is not much to say.

One of the key jazz fusion albums of the early '70s. Love the funky and groovy sound, though I slightly prefer Hancock's older work with albums like Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage.

Jazzy and awesome

Good vibes. 9/10

absolute mastapiece

Classic banger

Awesome, this music is exactly what I like. Favorite track is Chameleon.

great oldie music almost brackground music

Have listened to this album countless times - own it on vinyl. Jazz classic. Maybe the most Herbie Hancock of Herbie Hancock albums? Chameleon and Watermelon Man obviously carry the album, but side 2 is still groovy.

muy bueno, me sirvió de soundtrack para limpiar la cocina y también para leer

Great Album. Something new for the '70s. Hancock still a leader for new music.

I listen to this album all the time, not even going to lie—might even be my fave Hancock release. Not just a classic, but let’s face it, a stoner classic—gets one’s head right, as it were. I prefer it to a lot of his more experimental 80s fare, pioneering though that may have been.

One of my favorite jazz albums. I still remember hearing watermelon man for the first time in my history of jazz class. Great stuff.

9/17 Jazz Funk masterpiece.

One of my favorite records, and still probably only the third best Herbie Hancock album imo. I have a poster of this art hanging over my keyboard rig. This actually made me thinking about getting a tattoo of that weird yellow mask thing over Herbie's face

Epicly funky from the first second. This is a goddam masterpiece. Love the jazz fusion, love the balance of experimentation and improvisation against catchiness and hooks.

Incredible Psychadlic Groovy as fuck jazz album masterpiece 9.5/10

Okay, hell yes. Chameleon alone makes this fantastic.

great

Funky and fun

Jazz funk fusion? Yes please!

Funky, fun. Maybe today as a good day, because i usually don't like this "jazzy" suggestions, but i really enjoyed this one!

Pretty fun listen

(´ ˘ `ㅅ) bwom bwom bwom bwom (ㅅ´ ˘ `) |chameleon 15:44| would love to be high and laying on the floor with warm lighting while listening to this this would also be good for bass practice bc i am learning bass and have been trying to find funky songs to play to so that i can learn how to improv with my bf ! also feels like something a group of friends would make together when they are just so in the flow and understanding of each other - i can imagine a circle of musicians improving this and just being in the background admiring the beauty of music and how music is truly a language i feel like a creature and it totally makes sense since i'm currently listening to chameleon i feel like i understand creatures now beautiful album cover btw synth appreciation oop you thought it was over nuh uh |watermelon man 06:30| i remember my bf playing this in the car i think YUP pieces like these make me miss playing in ensembles it just gets better what 〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠.⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜 add to my walking playlist, would be so nice in audubon park i miss jazz in the park when we would meet with friends and sit in the grass and talk about random things and also supporting our other friends that were playing in the bands - that was a good time makes me really pay attention to timing/cues |sly 10:21| prob my fav so far :P this would be so cool to hear live in a jazz club we just teleported omg weeeeee INSANE how they can stay together and make this sound so good esp bass i would be so lost if i were them lol this should have been my essay-typing song in college coconut mall for the funky def my fav i cannot imagine how tired that drummer's foot is unless they're using a double pedal it is beyond me how the human mind created something like this it's just so good and creative and unique okay we got teleported back welcome back |vein melter 09:09| okay funky diva omg vein melter and it like a heartbeat get it bc heart and vein get it get it love the smoothness of the sax so far a lovely, calm ending to such an album this is so nice - feels like i have energy but i still choose to slow dance and it makes me appreciate taking my time without having to feel completely slow - idk if that makes sense??? would actually want to learn this on bass out of all of the songs on this album i enjoy the simplicity of the support esp percussion and bass bc it still sounds rich, so easy to sway to okay this is a song to dance ALONE to like swaying by yourself and letting your body just flow in the way it feels to - it's liquidating and freeing |overall| super impressive and makes me appreciate jazz even more in such few songs, but that is where the 1 star got taken - i am greedy i want more

I don’t really understand jazz, especially fusion, but I know I like it. Herbie Hancock creates something special every time he touches a keyboard, and I do understand that. Funky and soulful, this is an excellent choice for this project. 4 stars

the groove is strong with this one. Killer rhythm section and the sounds he gets out of his keyboards are out of this world. Great album

Chameleon and Watermelon Man are the definition of "cool". Jazz is a pretty uncharted territory for me, so this Herbie Hancock album was a pleasant surprise. The B-side is a little less memorable and a little less accessible for me. All in all I must say, I will be back. 3.5/5 - strong

This slaps. A little too weird for me to just absolutely fall in love with it, but I get it's a classic. I prefer Empyrean Isles....but I'm a Bop guy

Undoubtedly the smoothest, funkiest and most approachable jazz fusion record in existence – there’s no question why it sold a gazillion copies, many to people who would have normally never thought of buying a record like this. I wish it had a little more drama, a little more tension (like Miles Davis’ fusion records do) but it’s still fantastic to listen to. Best track: “Chameleon”

This was nice. I enjoyed it. I knew Watermelon Man from Mid 90s I'll give it 4 stars.

8/10

Actual music, good! Even though it’s fusion.

Hard to get funkier than this!

liedjes zijn erg verschillend van elkaar, ik vind het leuk dat ze allemaal zo lang zijn. je hebt gelijk in 4 nummers veel soorten jazz

When I listened to it this morning, I thought to myself that despite several really great moments I just prefer Herbie playing funk infused jazz rather than jazz infused funk but I’ve flipped my shit. I might like it more than a four eventually.

groovy and loved the technological elements and the bass lines 8.9/10

lindo pero medio denso a veces. 3.5 pero queda como 4/5.

album #90 just so unbelievably groovy. there's actually not much to say other than that. it's so effortlessly cool. ꩜ average track rating: 3.7/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): watermelon man, sly ꩜ least favourite track(s): chameleon ꩜ album rating: ★★★★☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 999 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 43 (+1 Head Hunters) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 19 (+1 Head Hunters) ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 71

Classic funky album, over time sounds all the same but one of the best.

Perfect vibes music.

I enjoy a lot of these jazz albums, but I love very few of them. This is good, but it's doesn't give me enough to get 5 stars.

Capital F funky. Loved listening to this and would happy listen to move in the future. The fusion of instruments and genres was great.

delicious beats

groovy

Very familiar with Chameleon and Watermelon Man, although I haven’t listened to them in 20 years. Felt somewhat different than I remember so I was a bit unsure at the start, but in its entirety this album grew on me and I listened through a couple times. 3.75/5

so groovy! absolute banger Would I listen again: yes please Deserves to be on this list: yes 4.4

4-

Wicked Jazz record. Like this one a lot.

4 stars

Sooooo incredibly funky. Amazing synth work and amazing horns/saxophone. Also, this album cover is so so cool. I really loved the opening track, “Chameleon”, with its sort of wah-wah bass I guess and I loved how the drumming changed halfway through. The motif of “Watermelon Man” is iconic. But honestly, each of these songs are so smooth and groovy and funky and have such an energy.

Fantastic jazz,funk. Really impressive

Clever, innovative, and fun to listen to. “Chameleon” could go for another 15 minutes and still work.

Very warm and deeply present. A perfect album for a morning coffee and optimistic day. Strong grooves. To fully embrace it one has be fully present in the moment.

this is a fantastic album

Interesting psychedelic jazz, heavy on the impressionism. I liked the scenes Hancock painted with the album. I feel like this is the kind of music people smarter than me listen to. "Watermelon Man" was my favorite track.

Review - I've tried this album a bunch of times and never got on with it, but this time it worked. Maybe it's listening to it during a heatwave just works. A great jazz fusion album. I don't have enough knowledge of fusion so whenever I hear a fusion album I like, the only reference point I have is "ooh this sounds like video game boss music". Which this does at times. In a good way. Score - 8/10 Need to listen? YES

favs: chameleon

130424 9:48 4

Good. Jazz/funk isn't really my thing, but this was a fun listen, despite zoning out at times.

Wonderful amazing beautiful album. So groovy from beginning to end.

Første sang er så banger. 15 minuters fest.

What is this and why do I love it. Really catchy, plays nicely in the background but is also worth being concentrated on. Probably my favorite jazz album ever now. The bass work was out of this world. Anyone saying this is boring has no attention span. du du du du da da, da da da da di di/5

The kind of weird that I like.

Chamelion is amazing.

Finally getting some exposure to this record. Head Hunters' reputation precedes it, and while I was initially expecting my mind to be blown open by this one, I kept myself realistic and realized that jazz fusion just isn't a genre I tend to get a lot of huge enrichment out of. That being said, this is still pretty great. There's a refreshing energy to the improvisation and hearing everyone play off each other.

I've listen to this one before, originally discovering it off of Mid 90's with Watermelon man. This is lowky the most generationally appealing peace of funk ever written, from the beginning it is. The bass lines groovy throughout, almost every instrument has its own solo, herbie prioritises the uniqueness of each instrument

Funky, cool, accessible jazz. I dig it. Experimental enough without ruining the groove. I love the weird little flute loops on Watermelon Man. Drumming is impeccable all around. Sly careens wildly between tempos and styles. Very cool album.

Pleasant surprise. Funky/enjoyable.

I knew I was going to love this album from the first 6 notes of the opening track. What a ridiculously great bass line. The beat that kicks in next had me sold. I love funk tunes where the instruments introduce themselves additively. Over the almost sixteen minutes of “Chameleon” things build up to moments where you can't distinguish between the layers, and then break down again to that single bass line. Several times. What a great song. “Watermelon Man” keeps the quality up. It's incredible the tribal sounds that Bill Summers conjures up with just his voice and a beer bottle. And then, yet another amazing bass line kicks in, followed by a build-up of fantastically funky sounds. It's a song that keeps surprising you as it progresses, and I can't get enough of it. Side one by itself is perfect. I could listen to it on repeat forever and not get bored. Side two can't keep up with those impossible standards though. Not that it's not good. “Sly” is impressive, but too frenzied to properly enjoy. It ends up feeling like a panic attack in song form. “Vein Melter” takes the frenetic energy levels down to a crawl with a cinematic piece of jazz fusion that sounds like it could score a noir detective movie from the 50s. My knowledge of Herbie Hancock before today was pretty much just the song “Rockit”, which I love, but it's very different territory. So this complex exploration of variations on a theme, where jazz meets funk, was a real surprise. 4.5 stars

It was interesting listening to sly and hearing what is surely the inspiration behind Steven Wilson's Raven that Refused to Sing

There's a reason he's the name for a signature. Classic. Banger. Nah but this is kinda the same realm as 2112, and to a lesser extent Maggot Brain, as an album that has one incredible opener and the rest is good but not to the same standard. Big fan of the way Chameleon changes throughout and morphs, plus the way it ebbs and flows. When you think it's done it comes back in just a cool way.

Oh man this is good

DAMN. I'm surprised this came out in 1973. I'm surprised the first person to ever listen to this didn't just start spitting and invent jazz rap on the spot. That beat on Chameleon is tailor-made for a rapper. I wanna hear Lupe Fiasco rhyme over the entirety of Chameleon like he did for his song Mural. I don't think anything else on the record quite reaches that same level of excitement, that head-bobbing fun that the first track does, but I still think Sly kicks ass, I think Watermelon Man is great even if I can't quite wrap my head around its flute loops...is that a guy just yelping in there? Is someone just shouting between the notes? Hancock is also routinely outshined by his drummer all over Head Hunters, but not because Herbie himself is faltering, but that drummer...ohhhh my god. I am listening to Sly right now as I type this. This dude knows how to rock. I'm very surprised this is the only Herbie Hancock album on the list. I mean, you have nine Bowie albums on here. Six Elvis Costello albums. Four Morrissey solo albums. You couldn't make some room for Sextant? No love for Mr. Hands? The album, not the horse fucker.

Oh this is nice. Starting off with a wonderful 15-minute number in Chameleon, it's a beautifully played set of jazzy, funky tracks. I personally kinda wish it had ended with Sly instead of the lower-energy, more thoughtful Vein Melter, but this was still a very enjoyable jazz album.

Miles went electric. It was only a matter of time for Herbie to do the same. Brilliant experimental jazz funk fusion.

Great funky jazz. All the tracks have a great groove to them and the rhythm section is tight. The whole band has incredible skill. The production on this album is very well done. I will say, based on the title, I had all kinds of ideas of what “Vein Melter” will sound like. Is it wild, aggressive, experimental free jazz? Or disgustingly funky enough to melt your veins? The actual song is good, but I was promised melted veins, and my blood is still flowing the same way it was before. 4/5

Listening session: june 4th, while studying Listened to before: no Thoughts: this was a weird music choice for studying but when I listened to it again, I really appreciated the creativity and grooviness Favourite track: Chameleon

Incredible. Herbie is the man. Watermelon Man and Chameleon are staples of my college music experience.

chameleon; liek a 9.75 or 10/10 wow i still dont know what that instrument was, it was probably a synth idek watermelon man was also very good the beer bottle sound wow thats crazy anyway i do think less than chameleon though like 9/10 sly 9.5/10 vein melter: 8.75/10 overrall: strong 9 4.5/5

Clean, balanced, straight, makes no mistakes. Niiiceee

A really solid jazz fusion album, enjoyable all the way through. Couldn’t listen to it daily but I’m really glad I heard it, 4 stars

Chameleon - 4 Watermelon man - 4 Sly - 3 Vein melter - 3

People who know know Herbie Hancock......and more people should know Herbie Hancock. Rarely has there been a better use of 4 songs.

Ok so this is one of the most unique albums I've listened, beautiful jazz combined with electro elements, vibing into funk. Is just so relaxing, like I rinsed my brain of the rot of the day.

Master

I liked this more than I thought I would. Funky and cool.

Influential as hell, and while it doesn’t always work for me (Watermelon Man intro gets a bit grating) this is so innovative and modern sounding for something from 1973. If I could rate this a 4.5, I would.

I love and hate this album. It was a groundbreaker in pulling jazz back into R&B and funk and music that regular people like and it is a flawless groove. Also I like the audacity of synthesizers here (that should be their venery term.) The bad part is, it put a full stop on a lot of musicians. They can never get past this and we are flooded with sub-HH funk forever

Funky and groovy in all the right places, and you can definitely hear echoes of its influence decades later. His version of “Watermelon Man” is good but not my favorite, and the last track falls off the pace somewhat. Also — and this is petty and immaterial — I have never liked this album cover. What is that thing?

I'm not normally a jazz guy but adding some funk to the mix definitely makes one of the more esoteric popular genres accessible to me. Still not quite my cup of tea, but undeniably groovy

Funky, enchanting, relaxing, beautiful.

Groove so strong I can’t believe I’m still standing- Chameleon was the highlight for me.

I love the bass lines but some of the repetitive whistling parts pissed me off

Classic album by Herbie Hancock. Definitely requires focused listening with good speakers or headphones for the best listening experience. Gets absolutely murdered in the car.

To be honest I really enjoyed a lot listening to this album

Herbie is the foundation of a weirdly large portion of what I listen to lately - The Budos Band, The Olympians, Manhattan Street Band, etc. I have a 12hr long Spotify playlist called “Brass Knuckles” (there are a lot of Spotify playlists called Brass Knuckles) that makes great background music for a bbq. I acknowledge that my usual rules wouldn’t reward a “godfather of good background music” album with many stars, but this feels different. This feels like a record that made jazz accessible to a lot of people who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten into it. Zappa is great, but he’s pretty far out there; Herbie has a kind of quiet cool that I appreciate. Fun fact: Herbie was born in April 1940, I was born in April 1986. This year (2026) I turned 40 and he turned 86. Neat

So, Jazz isn't my thing. But this is probably as good as it gets. It doesn't overstay it's welcome at all. Really good album.

41 minutes of Jazz in 4 tracks. Long, sure, but the funk adds a lot. Saved the short track ..

funky! experimental! excellent!

This is an album that's in my rotation. It's a classic.

3.5 - Jazz is nice.

I feel like I'm finally starting to understand jazz

Great funky jazz