Purists would say that there is no place in jazz for new-fangled gizmos like synthesisers before taking a toot on one of their funny cigarettes. Meanwhile Herbie Hancock is merrily flicking the vees at those snobs and coaxing other-worldly squelches and bloops from his keyboards and building them into a fifteen minute jazz funk track that still sounds like it’s being broadcast from the far distant future and a far funkier planet. Even the cover looks futuristic! This is a great album that manages to be both experimental and accessible for jazz newbies, bringing in musicians like Paul Jackson on bass and Harvey Mason on drums to funk things up. The synth parts sound amazing and it’s hard to believe that this is from 1973 when Kraftwerk were still building their instruments from tin foil and sticky tape. Mind you, the Head Hunters were not averse to improvising, with a reworking of Watermelon Man featuring Bill Summers blowing into a beer bottle to get a flute sound. Watermelon-tastic!