One of the strangest cooperations of the seventies was without doubt Stomu Yamashta’s Go. Think about it, how big was the chance that a rather obscure Japanese instrumentalist (Yamastha) could get together a stellar cast of Al Di Meola (guitar), Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Klaus Schulze (synths) and Michael Shrieve (percussion), together with some lesser known musicians? Although their first release, Go, wasn’t bad at all, the follow-up Go! Live From Paris was an excellent double LP with outstanding work especially Al Di Meola (one of the best guitar solo’s ever from the seventies can be heard on this release). Quite deservedly, Go! Live From Paris today still stands as one of the highlights of fusion-symphonic music. To finalize the trilogy, Yamastha was able to hold on to most of the musicians for Go Too. How remarkable then that this LP was such a disappointment. Gone is the fusion, gone are the solos, gone are the signature licks of the musicians. Instead we are treated on second-rate funk, which was so popular at the end of the seventies, dominated by shriek female vocals and rhythms reminiscent of the disco-pop horror of those days. Every prog music lover should possess a copy of Go! Live From Paris but should avoid Go Too like the plague. *André de Waal (edited by Melody Oakley) Where to buy? |
