Reviews (page 5 of 15)
Great album, very enjoyable.
5/10
Now there’s an album cover! This is fun and interesting jazz, pretty easy listening. I like it!
Really nice jazz funk, playful and a little bit weird, and what an absolutely amazing album cover! This is really enjoyable and uplifting, really fun to just get lost in while I get on with my day, to add a bit of a funky sheen to it all. Very nice well done Herbie!
A trip, flirts with noodles, always pulls you back, you never quite know where it’s headed. I would always listen to it … but I’m not sure I would necessarily reach for it on the shelf. It’s a 4.5 rounded down.
Esta raro, creo que adrian le gustaria Vein melter 4/10
good for when i’m painting and want to listen to some funky jazz 6/10
Já tinha ouvido várias vezes antes. Gosto muito da estética do álbum
Very funky, very fresh, very fun
Chameleon and Watermelon Man are practically flawless. Sly is an underrated banger. Vein Melter is just fine; it's not on the same level as the other songs. I love Herbie and I agree this might objectively be a perfect jazz album, but to me nearly quarter of the album is just fine.
Been a favorite of mine for a while. Watermelon man's a jam
I really like this album, it is a fun version of a Jazz album 4/5
I'm not normally a jazz guy but I get it
Jeg kunne godt lide Chaneleon men de tre andre numre sagde mig ikke så meget
Not a vibe
Grooves be groovin
elevator music meets white lotus meets jeff davis
Enjoyable albeit very short: only four songs, but each one was long. I liked the energy a lot and it felt very contemporary despite being 50 years old. 6/10
The slow jazz was not for me
5.
Wanky jazz yawn
Not my bag.
Not bad
Very smooth
Not a genre I particularly enjoy. It went on for a really long time…
I was a bit surprised by this album. It's not particularly my style of music, but was pleasant enough. Good background music. Find this hard to judge. Did it grab me? No. Did I hate it? No.
Yep, that’s funky jazz. Meh
Groovy. I love the sound of a Rhodes piano
Not my music taste at all.
Muy buen disco que ya había escuchado por recomendación de Ale Sergi. Es como un jazz-moderno, jazz-funk, que arranca muy arriba y termina más aburrido.
Jazz baby jazz Pretty good! Not my usual genre but I enjoyed it
The first track is probably my most favourite of all jazz tracks. Watermelon man is pretty good too. Enough for 4 stars!
I’m not a jazz lover but don’t mind a bit of funk. In the spirit of the 1001 challenge I gave this album a red hot go but just couldn’t get into it. Still, 3 stars for the virtuosity of the musicians. Fave track - watermelon man.
Just a bit too jazzy for me
I even played watermelon man in middle school jazz band and was still underwhelmed. Long but unique. Loved the use of different sounds and instruments, overall not my thing
ouais
3 1/2 Stars: It's very accessible, funky jazz, but I somehow wanted to like it more. But that bass line in 'Chameleon' is badass.
Jazz meets disco? Iconic
I find this really hard to rate. I am not a jazz connoisseur and really appreciated the first track and being introduced to such an electric sound but by the third track I just felt done with it. It quickly turned into a kind of background noise rather than me settling into it. Perhaps I’m just not a jazz girl!
My timing colliding with this one might have put Herbert in a tough spot. I was in the mood for fun/joy — got elevator music in its place! Don't get me wrong, there's some rhythm and groove here that appeals, diverging a bit from jazz's improvisational and solo-first approach, but I'm not gonna just pretend to sound smart: this was a wank-fest for me. WHERE'S THE BEEF?
ok, ok... so i'm usually not into jazz or jam bands, but like... this one is SO FUNKIN FUNKY it just pulls me in and takes me on a groovy magic carpet ride. i probably wouldn't reach for it again, but it was a fun surprise.
One of the best jazz albums ever, amazing instrumentation and very funky. Watermelon Man and Chameleon are all-timers.
Really funky, heard TTC in this
This was a significant album because it brought jazz back into the mainstream temporarily in the early '70s, but it's pretty nondescript by today's standards. For my money, there are two decent tracks ("Chameleon" and "Sly") one awful one ("Watermelon Man") and one snoozer ("Vein Melter"). Giving it three stars because the two good tracks do add up to 25 minutes of music and that's worthwhile enough, but Herbie did much better work than this.
While you'd be compelled to call Head Hunters a fusional affair, it's got too little experimental attitude for that appellation, and I mean that as a good thing. It's really a very straight-up effort, so sturdy and controlled that you would think Herbie had been a funkster all along. From a technical point of view, it's got waves of inventions but few left-turns: it's music, black music, one way or another, which is how I think Hancock and the crew engineered it. At a moment in the seventies when the black arts had established a true sense of thickness and the possibilities of profundity, a record such as this probably made a whole lot of sense, i.e., it was an inevitable statement. So when you put it on today, it's not old news, it's just news, as it always was.
Herbie Hancock is the name of someone who should play blues but he sure can play jazz.
Funky jazz album with never-ending songs. Would not listen to it daily, but sounds like a nice background elevator or store music.
Jazzy and funky, as advertised. It's aaaight, but not my jam. I think this is jazz for people who can't stand what jazz usually sounds like.
Album #39: Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock Genre (W): Jazz-funk, jazz fusion No singles. I have listened to this album twice before. Thoughts: I love the fact that electronic instruments were used for one of the first times. Plus, I love the funky influences within it too! Favorite songs: All of it!!
A really smooth listen that demonstrates a different take on jazz. It’s funky, it’s bold, and it holds up until the very end. The whole record sounds timeless, and the lack of guitar is an interesting creative choice.
I sometimes just don't understand why people like jazz.
0 lüürikat, aga see muusika ikka kuidagi suudab rääkida mu hingega. Herbie Hancock mulle väga istub, see plaat ka. Lood pole just kuidagi ühendatud ja raske on leida neile mingit ühist alust, aga tervikuna on teda ikka hea kuulata. 3.9/5
Weird but kinda jazzy and souly
Great jazz-funk record that I will definitely return too. The mix of synthetic and classic instrumentals is amazing to listen to to this day. Only reason that it's not a 5 is that I'm not the biggest fan of the last track, which I don't thi know builds on the sound Hancock creates throughout the rest of the album. But still, an amazing record.
Really enjoyed this one. Interesting to see how influenced subsequent music.
so boring
Favorite Track: Chameleon
The stereo effects in chameleon go to far, very hard to concentrate on the melody when it's flipping sides so frequently. It started well, I was even enjoying it, then when they keyboard kicked in, it pissed me off. Track 4 did the same. Interesting sounds but pretty vapid instrumental stuff, could likely get into it, but it would be for a short while and would lose interest long term.
3.5
3.5
Funky grooves that melt into the next movement - what more could you ask for?!
La última canción mehhhhh, había partes que sonaba muy padre pero otras que no tanto. Me gustó la combinación del jazz con lo eléctrico.
I thought the last album I had was short. This is 4 songs! 4 funky songs, that kicks off in a real nice groove. Totally something I could put on in the background while I work. Or drive around to. Real cool sound I have to say. Reminds me of things I used to listen to in my friend’s car way back when. This is the reason I do this, I never would have listened to this album otherwise. This is one I’ll come back to when I’m in the right mood.
Absolutely love this album. A fun group of musicians clearly having fun, it is awesome.
Classic jazz album
Funky. Jazzy. Brilliant. More please.
I'm sure there's a reason why I should like this but I don't
It’s not my favorite kind of jazz but it was still a pleasant listen. Watermelon Man reminded me of the White Lotus season 3 opening soundtrack.
Played Chameleon in ms jazz band so that’s permanently stuck in my brain, but I was pleasantly surprised when it basically turned into a house track halfway through. The rest of the album has ups and downs for me – the more experimental noodling isn’t my thing
Funky and jazzy AF, good shit!
Hell yeah. I first heard this record almost 25 years ago and somehow forgot about it? So glad to revisit. What a pleasure.
Feels like I’m playing Wii Sports while high
SUCH A VIBE Watermelon Man is giving tropical jungle energy Edit Mar 27 2026: 5 --> 4. I haven't played this album *as* much. Maybe if I play it more in the future I will bump it up more
So funky I like it.
One of my all time favourite Jazz Funk albums. I covered this in highschool with my band. Timeless album!
Easy 5 for me. "Chameleon" and "Watermelon Man" have bene in the playlists for a long time, and "Sly" is great too. "Vein Melter" is a little weaker for me personally but still good.
don’t love jazz but this was great
at first I found it a bit weird. then it gets enjoyable. not a big jazz fan so I cannot fully appreciate it.
delightful
ALBUM #1 🎉 01/02/26 i definitely rock with the songs, theyre my vibe but a bit too long for me to be able to actually play on a walk to school funky in a good way, Vein Melter takes numero uno for best song on the album imo
Donnerstag, 12.02.2026 ~ morgens, mittags, abends ~ Mehrfach probiert in die Stimmung für das Album zu kommen (erfolglos).
Freitag, 13.02.2026 ich weiß nicht mehr wo ich es gehört habe, glaube beim Schachspielen vormittags und auf dem Weg zur Uni am Mittwoch
Chameleon Sly
Watermelon Man Vein Melter
chameleon fucking slaps, absolutely brilliant, I love it, second song was not really memorable, third one is okay I guess, last one is okay again
Not my jam but it's made well
No doubt, these are good musicians. The sound is really original (I particularly enjoyed side 2" "Sly" and "Vein Melter"). Not my favourite style, but I enjoyed it.
This kind of album is the template for pretty much all of the Jazz fusion that came afterwards. The music that Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, and other such musicians at the time were making still has relevancy and still sounds exciting over fifty years later. There are only four songs here, but each one has its own unique flavor and style. I never get tired of listening to this one.
Groooooovy stuff but 40 minutes of funky jazz with no lyrics is a bit much for md
didn't sustain my attention well, appreciate the jazz though
Funky jazz
Gran disco. Escuchar esta joya hace que te guste cada vez más el género. No cabe duda que el jazz fusión es de los géneros con mejores músicos e nivel interpretativo y ejecución. La calidad de instrumentación de cada pista es increíble. Un viaje lleno de texturas, armonías y estilos distintos que te hacen apreciar de otra manera la música. Muy buen disco.
Appreciate it's good jazz but still wouldn't choose to listen to it
First time I heard this. Quite good.
So good
Can’t get through it. It’s solely musical, jazz perhaps? I gave it my best shot, it was an okay background album but I wouldn’t listen to it again
Great
Some of it was ok, but the more jazz-y stuff in some of the tracks gave me a headache
Funky
I appreciate the complexity of the music but it wasn’t the type of music I would choose to listen to.
this is something I would play at a function with vegans wearing doc martens
ok
Being familiar with (and very much liking) 'Rockit', I thought this might be the first jazz album I didn't fail. I thought wrong. So, since I had extra time on my hands, I decided to audit 'Future Shock' to see if that album lived up to the greatness that is 'Rockit' (and to wash this 'Head Hunters' crap out of my ears), and while it didn't change my life, it certainly was the better of the two albums. But that's not what's being graded here... sorry, Herbie.
The top review said this was the most accessible jazz album? If that is true then jazz will never be able to access me. I feel fortunate about that. It’s like I have the antibody for a zombie virus. Except it’s better, because I’m immune to jazz. I’d rather eat brains than listen to this again.
1973. Smooth and experimental electric jazz and funk, really chill and easy.
Maybe this is me being lazy but I saw the length and I only listened to little bits of each song. The beats are fun but it just gets annoying because I prefer lyrics, ultimately coming to the conclusion that certain jazz is not for me
Never considered Jazz as a music genre before listening to this album today. Smooth, crisp and enjoyable.
Very smooth and exciting, great album of fusion, and make justice to the name, as it mix different sounds with such harmony and groove.
Before: Of course I know of Herbie Hancock and listened to some of his music a decent amount back in the mid 70s. My brother was a big fan and had one or two of his albums which I listened at least a couple of times. During: Starts off with "Chameleon", it's funk-jazz, I love funk. This is not going to be too bad. It's 15+ minutes long though and pretty much the same thing for the first half repeated over and over. There are probably nuances that I am not getting. It works as background music just fine. After: Overall it's technically good, maybe great, and I'm sure deserves to be on this list but it's not something I really like and would never listen to other than as background music so I'm giving it a 3.
Exceptional
Clearly a very good album. Didn't enjoy it that much.
Гарний альбом, якось вдалося зловити такий вайб поїздки в метро. Єдине мені не дуже сподобалася остання композиція, на мій смак якось занадто нецікаво, особливо після попередніх.
I am only familiar with Herbie Hancock from the "Rock It" song that came out in 1983 and was on MTV all the time. Have never heard anything else by him. And I'm not really familiar with jazz stuff in general. I have been getting more and more into instrumental music over the years as well. So, I came into this with a fairly open mind - let's see what this is all about. First thing I noticed - oh, there are only 4 songs - and 2 of them are really long. Interesting. I do generally like some long, jammy songs - such as from groups like Allman Brothers (for a long time), and more recently from bands like Umphrey's McGee and STS9. Have just finished listening to it 3 times in a row... As soon as "Chameleon" came on, the bass line seemed super familiar. I did some searching and found that it has been sampled in tons of songs and specifically it was used by Beck in his song called "Cell Phone's Dead" - which is where I would have heard it. That's cool. The electric piano part in this song sounds similar to stuff from Steely Dan (who I like). Listening to Watermelon, I feel like I've heard that keyboard part before - but I couldn't find it connected to anything I was familiar with (samples or movies etc.) Must be something, since it immediately felt familiar. And then what is that sound - oh it's a guy blowing in a beer bottle - haha. Definitely hear some Steely Dan electric piano on this one too. While listening I found out that both Umphrey's McGee and STS9 have covered Herbie Hancock songs and have been influenced by him. STS9 specifically mentions the Headhunters era. Steely Dan has also been influenced by Herbie Hancock as well. It all makes sense now! Anyway, I dig it. It's good. It's a cool mix of funk, jazz, and electronics/synthesizers. I have clicked "like" on all four songs. Looking forward to these songs popping up on my automated playlists. So this get's 5 stars from me. The whole thing seems like it would be good to jam to while on a long drive just after the sun sets during twilight. Or even just something on in the background while working from home or on a long bike ride. Albums like this are why I decided to do this album a day thing - to expand my horizons and get me to listen to good stuff outside of my comfort zone. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/4 (Perfect Album) Rating: 5/5
Super cool techno-jazz sort of sound
I’m glad there are people who enjoy listening to acid jazz. But I’m not really one of them. After the first few minutes of each song I kinda started to get irritated.
Too much gimmicky stuff for me. Don’t mind instrumental at time but this didn’t do it for me.
I really enjoyed the first half of this, to the point where I was asking myself if I was going to give five stars to an album I'd never heard before. I mean that's the dream right, that's why I'm here. But unfortunately the second half was nowhere near as good. I'm not even sure if the first half was on relisten. Who knows, but it did make me feel something and for that I am thankful.
Favorite Track: Watermelon Man
I've listened before and like parts of songs it can be a bit hectic though lol!
I really like that even though the songs are long, there is constant development of thought and interesting musical moves, which make listening to a 15-minute chameleon a quick and pleasant story about your grandmother on a pleasant summer evening. and cover is soo iconic and memorable, i love it
chameleon such a classic, fantastic album. one time i was at an award show and the guy presenting the award to herbie hancock claimed some lady's dog had attacked him. but the dog hadn't attacked him, he totally humped him dude. herbie even agreed. but the presenter said "that's why i love herbie hancock, he loves to lie!" and i think about this every time i listen to him.
The tracks on this album are sprawling and funky. Probably the best instrumental album I've come across on this list so far. 3.75/5.
incredible funky jazz almost rock instrumental album
Álbum magnífico! Muito Groove e técnica. QoA Adonis New.
It was alright. Not my speed but interesting to listen to.
Herbie is The Man on the Keyboard!!!
Funky
Oooodličan album, vrhunski!!! Ovo ne može biti ispod 5/5 nikako! 5/5, 9.5/10
White lotus theme tune is sick, got on with the other songs, feel like they are way ahead of their time in a good way, just not my sort of thing but I can really appreciate it.
When Jazz ruled the world what an era for music herbie Hancock at his finest on this Chameleon is a classic , straight away your into that stank groove on the keys and from then on your transported into some serious groove sections , thought this was Mike Clark on drums turns out it’s Harvey mason , providing some serious funky displaced feels on this locking in with the bass player Love how it doesn’t fall off in terms of musical interest like some jazz does , always admired herbies ability to come up with great chapters in a song which keeps the listener engaged through a 15 minute epic like this Watermelon man reminds me of a classic meters track pure funk loved it Sly really pricked my ears up straight off the bat a great accented motif that displaces occasionally love the Jam in the middle Harvey giving it the old buddy rich fast ride peppering the song along nicely and then back to the original motif at the end a really well structured tune probably my fave of the album Vein melter great track felt like it needed sly to be the finisher though thoroughly enjoyed this one
I was going to listen to this jazz masterpiece but got sidetracked signing lomens EPs instead
Smashing album, love it for what it is, a jazz classic but sadly I have to put this as a 3, thinking of the general music listening populus
Irritatingly noodly
I’ve heard a more funky version of “Watermelon man” by HH, this is very much a Jazz album with Funk/fusion - long tracks, perfect to listen to in the car on my way home from the beach🦐
Seminal Jazz Funk
Fun but not my vibe
Feel like I should report on some sport.
Funky interesting
The songs did drone on after a while, and I would have liked to have seen more songs (shorter ones too), but it wasn’t a bad album overall.
Amazing, always love long tracks
This dude signed the constitution? That’s what Tommy boy said at least but idk? His music isn’t really for me, really weird and just kinda noise pollution to my ears. But he is playing near me in may should I go chat?
Jazz snobs take a seat
One more song would have made it 5
This was interesting. The first song was really enjoyable. The second really irritating, The third really boring. And the fourth somewhat boring but mildly interesting. Doesn't average out that well though, sorry Herbie. I like some of the more electronic instruments intermixed though, especially on Chameleon.
i want to like jazz. in my head i am a person that likes jazz. and then 80% of the time i listen to jazz it just makes me feel nothing. don’t get me wrong, i didn’t dislike this. some bits i enjoyed a lot. but overall it just didn’t move me very much.
This had some great funky bits, fairly experimental in a lot of places with sound choice which made it part interesting and part silly. But I didn't mind that. The tracks were all pretty long and sadly they were long because most of them contained some big nonsense improvements bit that I didn't really care for and drifted off during until the great riffs came back in. Maybe on more listens when I am able to concentrate better on the self indulgent parts it would make more sense. It was pretty fun though. Maybe 4 is generous but I'm feeling generous.
8/10
I’m sure this is technically some very impressive jazz but I just can’t find it in me to care
Bangers. Like the album cover too. Some indigenous sounds and calls there too, makes it psychadelic
Really liked this one, great background music!
This has probably been the most inaccessible album for me so far but it is fantastic. impeccably produced, music is funky as fuck, the mixing is gorgeous, there's SO MUCH going on, it's a phenomenal album but it's just not for me! With 4 tracks totalling 41 minutes (the shortest at a mere 6 minutes 29 seconds) it's not something I'll be adding to my playlists anytime soon but that isn't to knock the music in any way. opening with CHAMELEON - a nearly 16 minute behemoth of a track with all the bollocks to back it up - i'm sure thousands of people have written thousands of things about this opener and all I can do is add to the pile, this is an unbelievable piece of music WATERMELON MAN - revisit SLY - revisit VEIN MELTER - possibly my favourite track, after the chaos of the previous half hour, this feels like sonic aftercare i need to come back to this review - the album is obviously 5 star fantastic but I can't really think why it's not for me - i think it's the track lengths (they didn't have ADHD & the internet in the 70s)
Undoubtedly solid album with some classics on it. Does get a little samey but I can’t fault it too much
Very long instrumentals but a classic with it being Fleetwood Mac
songs were wayyy too long but i still found them enjoyable!
I remember hearing Herbie Hancock in the early 1980s. His stuff was so cool and different. This album is more jazz than what I most know him for.
Pretty funky, definitely sounds like it’s from the 70s. Would be nice listening music for concentrating at work.
this was fun good work music and nice to learn about herbies influence!
Very chill.
Absolute funk jam band album. This one rocks and would sound amazing on stereo surround sound. Going to save this one for later and hopefully add to my Vinyl collection. 8/10
I was surprised it was only 4 songs long! Instrumental, but still interesting. I liked it!
Was excited for this one, didn't disappoint
As someone who appreciates jazz more than I used to, I did enjoy this but I also found it a bit rambling and repetitive. There are some highlights no doubt. Watermelon Man is a fun song, but even at its shorter 6+ minute duration, there isn't as much variation as there could have been on this track. Smack dab between a 3 & 4 for me on this one, but moving down to a 3 because it wasn't as fun as I thought it might be and there's nothing here that I would come back to numerous times in the future.
Very fun jazz album, a good time front to back
Really funky jazz thing going on here - enjoying it, but putting me to sleep a bit at work. Hopefully remember to come back to this one.
I would’ve given this a much higher rating if the instruments were different- not a huge fan of the keyboard. Watermelon man sounded ape like to me at times, but the other tracks on here made me smile. What this album does a great job at is the fusion- jazz and funk couldn’t be combined better.
Started off well and then lulled a bit in the middle. My favourite song was 'vein melter', I think if the vibe had been more like that throughout I would've loved it. Not to say this wasn't good to listen to but that's the only song I will definitely come back to.
I have few exceptions to my rule that music should have vocals, namely the classical greats and Joe Satriani on guitar 🎸🎸🎸, and I don't think this quite made the cut. Don't get me wrong this is some coooolll stuff, I think the best way I can describe some of it is (I have this strange feeling) that this is what the rainforest would sound like if every species made the sound of an instrument and not squawk, hiss, roar etc. The songs were very much organically harmonious and just feel clean and bright to me but at the end of the day I really need some groovy lyrics in accompaniment.
It was ok - I see the vision and did like it at the start but I don’t know why but it made me incredibly stressed
This album completely completely blew me away in the best possible ways. I knew Herbie Hancock before but I hadn't listed to an album fully. The fusion of funk and jazz spoke to me and the fact that the songs were all very long and instrumental made this even better! I felt like I flowed with the music in a way where it moved in the way I wanted and imagined it. Hankcock's passion felt tangible and raw. The whole experience felt intimate but equally explosive and I feel just completely energised. My only take back was there was aspects of 'Watermelon man' which felt Dr Octagonecologystesque - with the Mickey Mouse voice in 'Trip to the gynecologist' in particular. However I feel this wouldn't matter or occur to me if i hadn't heard that album first.
the tracks are so long but i think it adds to the instrumentalism. When that song says 'play that funky music white boy', this is what it means. 3.5 rounded to a 4
Har försökt med Herbie tidigare och i synnerhet den här skivan. Det är hjälpligt svängigt stundtals. Förstås samplat till förbannelse inom hiphop och det kan man förstå varför, här finns utmärkta små små tårtbitar. Men det klickar inte för mig. Det blir för duktigt, för akademiskt, musik som en matematisk formel. För lite blod som nestor Persson skulle sagt. Syntjazzen är inte för mig, svag tvåa
Ja, det svänger ju. Det man möjligen kan ha emot det är att låtarna inte direkt utvecklas. De håller ungefär samma tempo, groove och temperament från början till slut i mellan sju och 15 minuter.
Känns som ett ganska typiskt sound för 70-tala jazz i gränslandet mellan fusion och funk. Låter helt okej men knappast någon aha-upplevelse.
Skönt groove. Det är inte riktigt jazz och det är inte riktigt funk. Det blir varken eller utan bara ett småtrevlig sväng som puttrar på utan att det lyfter. Bäst sväng i Chameleon, bäst tut i Sly. Svag trea.
Jazz, no me convence especialmente,
The first track was really solid, the later ones kind of lost me. On the first and I think second track there is a rising tone that my brain reacted to, it reminded me of my alarm clock.
itt bråkete, og vanskelig å skille de lange sangene fra hverandre. Men det var ikke så verst, kan muligens høre på nytt med riktig humør.
Takes me right back to highschool. Wonder if I still have the sheet music for watermelon man floating around.
Mi favorita fue sly, y aunque no es algo que escucharía, esta un poco bueno.
Its funny reading the other review first because the only part of this album i didnt like was Vein Melter which was the only of the 4 songs that did not make the highlight reel. (Vein Melter was probably also very good, but it didn't really get me)
I first listened to this album driving around the suburbs of Glendale, and I scarfed down an entire Sonic Double Smasher in the parking lot of a Fry's in the time it took me to listen to Watermelon Man. The second time, I was driving around at night. As is usually the experience with jazz, clicking with the music is all about falling into the right groove with it. That second listen is where it really started to fall into place for me. I had an incredible amount of respect for the composition right off the bat, but I grew to connect with the individual songs over time (except Sly, that one immediately hooked me). The strange production on Watermelon Man in particular is a standout, and while I'm not always in the mood for it, nothing hits quite like it when I am. Just some truly incredible and funky jazz here, and a strong showcase for a genre which I am still relatively unfamiliar with. Highlights: Chameleon, Watermelon Man, Sly
Okay
Pretty good for a genre I don't have any special affinity for. Chameleon is very listenable and Watermelon Man has an off kilter quirk I really enjoyed.
Ok
I did not like this album but it’s only because I am not a fan of instrumental and that’s the whole album. I’m sure it would be great for people who like instrumental but this is just not for me at all. No disrespect to herbie Hancock but this is just not the kind of music I like.
erg groovy en chill als achtergrond muziek
Great fusion album. Great vibes, but can feel a bit too much and nauseous here and there (high paced 3min sax solos)
This was great, it sent me digging into Jazz music.
bra svängigt om jag får säga det själv.
Groovy
Great Album, was purely instrumental and surprised me. Gives me buddy cop movie OST vibes. All of the songs hit that vibe, except "Vein Melter" but it's still a good song on its own.
This is groovy as hell! However the sound is a bit conservative. There’s plenty of space here for everyone to stretch out and then there’s the bizarre synth overdubs! There’s some cool heads here and some clever arrangements but some of the grooves could probably have been tightened up a bit within the arrangements. But it is nice to hear the space when the band just groove for a while! This was a cool enough listen that I wanna check out his other albums from this era.
Herbie and the masters made an incredible fusion album with an emphasis on funk. 40 minutes of bliss and enjoyment. 5/5
This was fun to listen to!! A little relentless, but I enjoyed it!
Perfection.
Glad I listened to this.
Hell yeah.
I managed it all and was reminded of Morecambe and Wise with Andre Previn "He's playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order" Jazz really isnt my thing.
Is this my thing? Not really. However, I must have put hundreds of hours into The Sims games back in the day and this reminds me of it. I'm almost transported back to sitting in the converted garage, hiding away from family, hours at a time alone and at peace, designing homes and then living out better lives than mine until deleting the pool ladders and drowning them. Ahh. This is what I call 'not a listening album': it's an accompaniment to something else. I could listen to this happily in the background while doing something chill to wind down - reading, writing, drawing, slowly organising things. Yeah. As jazz goes, it's pretty good.
jazzy, funky, liked the flute 4
Best -watermelon man Worst - sly
Really nice to listen to while working. Good beats, no lyrics. Nice vibes
i don’t like jazz sorry herbie
Timeless in the purest way possible.
Background music. Boring. Unoriginal. I would rather listen to babies crying.
Wow. I've oh my favourite albums ever. Milestone of its genre. I love it.
Havent heard this one but im excited This was fucking beautiful
One of the most accessible jazz records. The bluesy jazz cats got Kenny Burrell’s Midnight Blue, modal world guys got Miles’ Kind of Blue, the regular cats got Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas and the funky jazz dudes got this album.
Newer heard of Herbie Hancock, but his shit slaps. Nice background music, to have conversations while driving, to read, etc.. Like the backdrop to the movie of ypur life.
ganz gross
Enjoyed and downloaded the first song on the album but, in its entirety, it was a bit too chaotic, for a lack of a better term, for me to listen to the entire album straight through. But this being the first album of the very long series has me excited :)
Not for me. The lack of lyrics made me kind of distracted.
I’m not really a big “sounds” person. I think I could appreciate this if I listened another time through but alas I only had one listen. Time to move on
Always liked his 80’s stuff. This was interesting earlier stuff
Pues un jazz experimental y canciones muy largas que no son para todos los gustos, pero si quieres oír algo diferente y estás abierto a cualquier ritmo puede que te guste
Good music to listen to while youre doing something else, otherwise its boring 5.9/10
Loved it! Haven't felt that instantly-hooked feeling for music in a long time. Easily 4/5
My first full 'real jazz' album. Good music to listen to while working. Very funky bass line.
Groovy, good vibes. Sat nodding my head constantly. Liked the difference/ experimentation on the first track. Watermelon man feels a bit too conventional. Sly was more like it, enjoyed the crazy aspects. It still feels a little less rock/ electronic than I was expecting from descriptions. Like I'm enjoying it, but not sure how often I'd return when compared to other albums of this genre/ period
I’ve listened to more Jazz albums than any one man should ever listen to since I started this long journey, now approaching an entire year on the site. I have heard many different types and sub genres of Jazz during this time. There have been some types of Jazz that I outright despise, some that were just ok, but most of them have rarely been worth listening to again after the day ends. This, and I don’t know why, is for sure one of the best ones that I have heard so far. I don’t know what causes me to like some Jazz and hate others, but now I want to do a deep dive into all the different forms. This album is giving me a deep appreciation for the craft that I otherwise didn’t have yet. It’s an album I’m thankful the site has given me. This barely registers as Jazz, it feels like Funky Electronica with a smooth Jazzy finish hidden underneath. I don’t know exactly what you would call this, but I’d call it pretty damn good. Favorite song on the album is the opener, “Chameleon”. It’s the fastest song on the album and some of the rapid tone changes towards the middle of the song are just incredibly ear wormy. Song lives up to its name, it’s constantly changing, but not in the way other free form Jazz albums have that have previously not done much for me. Again, I don’t really know what it is about this one specifically, but I’m not complaining. As far as Jazz goes, this was outstanding. I would gladly listen to more of this. Plus, I have no idea what’s going on with the album art, but I dig it. It’s pretty cool. Funky.
Great for background while working music. Love chameleon and watermelon man. Was not familiar with this album previously.
Наконец-то я послушал альбом, который мне советовал чел из Чикаго, когда я приезжал в Варшаву то ли на GY!BE, то ли на Sunn O))), то ли еще зачем-то. Лучшая песня - Watermelon Man.
Not one for me, it became wall paper music after a while, probably better suited to a Starsky and Hutch episode
Best Song: Watermelon Man Wow, this is REALLY not my thing at all. Is Herbie talented? Of course. Would I ever listen to this again in a million years - nope! 1/5.
Shit definitely got funky. Do like the long form jazz and something nice to turn on in the background. Not something i’m bumping in the car. Very musically advanced and would listen to again. 7/10
Cool background music, pretty boring to just listen by itself
Jazz, no lyrics at all, tracks are 10 mins long, it’s good but not for me
The back end might be brilliant but it annoyed me enough in the first track I peaced out early
Primo jazz fusion record from the 70s. Hot piano lyxx for days.
Tommy!
Yazz
have not heard before 4 songs but 41 minutes? damn a good time! would never had heard this without this site. really enjoyed
I have no business being a human being coexisting with other human beings who have done this kind of thing in life
Man, the bass line in chameleon immediately drew me in. What a vibe. The long form instrumental nature of this and the absolute mojo across these songs brought a smile to my face and makes me yearn for more. Sounds way more modern than it actually is, further listens are warranted.
It reminds me a bit of robots the movie. It’s only 4 songs, but the first song is 13 minutes long hahah. I like it whilst playing along w acnh, but I’m not keen on the high instrument, it’s a bit grating. The musicality of this album is great, it’s not my personal taste, but I can recognise how cool & clever it is. Vein melter is my favourite track.
Not my fav, I don’t think I’d go back. At first I liked the sound as I do listen to funk like this occasionally but the chamelon was too long for my liking. 2/5
bau noo noo nute nute nute bau noo noo nute nute nute
7/10 good album good sounds. Listened to it while I was was playing and I quite enjoyed it. Not enough to add any songs to my library or to look into getting it on vinyl but good album
More „classic jazz tunes“ than I expected. Somehow I considered Mr Hancock to be more of an early electro pioneer, what will follow, I guess. The Jams are, well, long. There are some pretty nice and grooving moments, but Most of the time it just flows by.
Fuck the purists. This is a good album. Its got jazz, its got electronica, what more do you need?
For a song called vein melter it was really boring lmao I dont listen to fusion or jazz that much but it was a nice listen
Nice jazz. Short album. Long tracks.
Watermelon Man and Vein Melter fucks!
Day 144 One of the things I’ve realised doing this list is that I have no clue about music, I don’t really understand why I like certain albums and why I don’t like others, I just do. I’ve previously had some jazz albums and hated them yet this I found really enjoyable, will definitely be looking further into Herbie Hancocks back catalogue 8/10 Highlights Chameleon Watermelon Man
Не мой вкус явно, больше нравятся песни с текстом. Но как саундтрек к игре подойдет отлично
Really like this slow funk/jazz mix. Very ambient music, you can complete a task while listening to this or have a good conversation. Personally for me the instruments in the second song sound likes remind children so I’m not a fan but the rest is great.
As my wife said…”alright Herbie.” Funky, playful, expansive.
Instrumental 70s soundtrack stuff
That was some funky jazz. Chameleon is incredible. Watermelon Man is great, even with the weirdness at the beginning. The second half is more jazz than funk, and a little less interesting to me. It's still the best jazz I've come across so far.
Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: All of them (there's only 4 tracks)! Good jazz-funk-rock is good. Seriously though: Great grooves and a sweet album cover. What else is there to ask for?
Overall not my vibe but I did enjoy that the songs were each 10-15 mins long and had their own winding arc. Very funky
i get too bored without lyrics but it was nice for background music
Good
My words could not do Stevie Wonder's astonishing skill in every area of music-making justice. This album is for all the keyboard enthusiasts. Hohner Clavinet rules!
Used to play chameleon in marching band lol
Enjoyed the jazz instruments but not so much the techno/weird sounds
Immediate flashback to UCSB seeing this live. Classic. Groovy. Fun and deep.
When to listen: Intense jazz experience
This one was interesting definitely not my style. I was going to give it a 1 star at first but after another listen I changed that opinion clearly
Very nice ambient music, it maintains interesting.
Lightning in a bottle
fun and funky jazz that I would actually enjoy dancing too
Jazz funky, made me look up jazz standards, notable that his most famous album is his 12th, following 3 very experimental albums and a desire to return to earth with something lighter Will replay
The album is a total vibe, however I’m only one song in and it feels like it’s dragging. The second song feels so refreshing after listening to the first song, most likely the best song out of the four. The album is interesting for the time, but not really interesting in today’s standards. The third song is also really good, but it also has the problem of being 10 minutes long. The fourth and last song has a few interesting moments, but is overall boring.
I went into Head Hunters fully expecting to feel confused and under qualified, since this was my first real time listening to Herbie Hancock and neither jazz or fusion is my usual thing, but this album totally caught me off guard. Chameleon starts with a groove that immediately pulls you in, but after a while it begins to lose its appeal, like Herbie dared you to stop nodding your head. Probably my least favorite in the album, but still a vibe. Watermelon Man was an instant favorite, funky, weird, playful, and just straight-up fun. It takes you out of the repetitive circle that is Chameleon and gives you something new. Sly feels like the band just locked in and said “yeah, let’s see where this goes,” and somehow it works, even when it’s a little all over the place. Vein Melter then comes in sounding like the lights just got dimmed and everyone stopped talking, and it’s lowkey feels like you’re floating in space. Overall, for someone who doesn’t normally reach for jazz or fusion, Head Hunters surprised me by being way more groovy and enjoyable than I ever expected. Definitely a solid 7/10. Would get funked again
das war ein Meilenstein, auch wenn er mir aus heutiger Sicht recht öde vorkommt - 4 Sterne
not my style of music, didn't like any song.
Familiar and Meh for me
I'll happily listen to a complete jazz album, and I enjoy funk, and I appreciate crossovers. This fusion was just...fine? No doubts about musicianship. Some of the instrumentation on the tracks sounded silly or was downright irritating.
This album is a 5/5 on the strength of Chameleon alone. One of the best jazz/funk pieces of all time. The rest of the album can’t quite match it but is still very good.
fire
quite interesting nice beats most songs didn't even really feel all that long since 3/4 were 10-15 mins ling
No thank you
this album reminded me of the seen in ratatouille where remy try’s the grapes and cheese together and there was different colors and different shapes representing the taste of both the grapes and cheese. i really enjoyed the album and will probably listen to it again.
I love it. Extra funky groovy wiley stylin
Jazz so funky most people don’t even realize it’s jazz. It grooves and that bass! The first fushion record I truly loved.
You either like this stuff or you don’t. It all sounds like one running song to me, to the point that Spotify kept playing Herbie Hancock and I didn’t realize we had moved on to some other album. It’s background music that doesn’t even register as background music.
This album makes me feel a lot of ways and I’m not so certain I like it. I admire the artistry behind the sound but if this is abstract art, this makes me uncomfy. At some points I felt this would be good listening music but also if there was ever a lull in conversation it would be hard to ignore.
dawg why is one song 13 minutes
i remember thinking halfway through the second song "this sounds kinda wack. is it jazz ?" it is, in fact, jazz.
I have great respect for Herbie but it really seems the band were just working their way up themselves.
chameleon: good bass and would be repetitive enough to use for studying but has way too many jumpscares so im not able to actually use it, and why is it 16 minutes long?? i dont really like it but heard way worse so its a 5.8/10 watermelon man: had high hopes cuz i like the title but um. seriously what the fuck is this. 1st part is so dissonant for what, i actually kinda like the 2nd half but still bad. why the dissonance back at the end i dont like this. big skip. maybe like a 2/10 just for the middle part. absolutely not. sly: um. no. better than watermelon man but atp i think its pretty fucking clear i do not like jazz. what is this. bass is good, sax bad because wtf, drums not too bad but i do not understand the concept. why 10 minutes long. what do we need 10 minutes for. 1 is too long already. why fake end the song at the middle. what the fuck is going on. 3.5/10 vein melter: like the rhythm. drums kinda melt into the bass, its funky, sax actually kinda fits into the picture. still dont really get the concept but its aight, background music typa thing. 6.7/10 overall avg: 4.5/10
Creativity will arise while listening to this album.
Honestly pretty good -- a few of the freeform parts were a bit annoying to my senses, but I feel like there could be value in that if I experience it in the right context.
Thought this was like a car or something. Honestly skipped a few songs. Though it could’ve been my mood.
Super short album with funky jazz songs. I wish there was singing but it’s just instruments. Maybe would be a good listen if I was high on mushrooms but definitely not a sober listen.
Futuristic jazz
Genuinely just sounds like background music, idk why I just haven't enjoyed much of the jazz I've listened to
GREAT album, there’s a few i could stand to go without, obv watermelon man is a banger. Shoutout Mid 90s. Great cover art, fun instrumentals. Good for traveling in a market in a former country, fishing in the summer, acid trip hike with homies, and splatter painting.
Love this one watermelon man always iconic. I kinda just dislike hella long songs if they don’t keep me super interested throughout and sometimes I found myself distracted tbh. 4 songs for 41 min is wild but it’s iconic and I love the jazzyness
The songs are soooo long. No way. But I did already have one song off of here saved already. But dang.
FIREEEEEEEE herbieeee come get ur baddie chain lowkeyyyy 😛 would host a jazz party just to play his music 10/10
instant vibe
Definitely inspired tons of guys I do like. Similar to bob dylan that way, where I don’t love them but I love what they began. The best damn hold music you ever heard.
Fun jazz!
Funky
Only acceptable Jazz for now.
So funkay! Puerno soundtrack
These are the type of songs you hear in the background of a mistery movie while the investigator is trying to put all the pieces together to solve the case.
Mesmerising, funky, obviously influential, sounded familiar yet strange