Track Listing

1. School Days
2. Quiet Afternoon
3. Danger
4. Desert Song
5. Hot Fun
6. Life Is Just A Game
7. Dancer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21330 in Music
• Released on: 1994-04-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Funky fun...
Few mid 70's "jazz-funk-fusion" albums can be classed as "fun" but this is about as close as it gets - superbly played music that keeps its head above the murky waters of self-indulgence that too many other records from this period fall into. The stand-out title track features an insidious bass riff, superb lead guitar and a quite breathtaking two and a half minute bass break that is just about as demanding as it gets without at any point losing the importance of keeping complex playing within a tight melodic structure... simply one of the most technically brilliant and enjoyable jazz-funk recordings ever made. And, the rest of the album continues in the same vein, showcasing some deceptively laid-back music that stands the test of time precisely because of its controlled combination of complexity and melody.

This bass does talk
This is my favourite Stanley Clarke album because it has a little bit of everything he's so good at whether it's those quirky, edgy popping notes of his piccolo bass or that hard driving relentless upfront attack on the more conventional electric bass not to mention the sinuously woven tapestry of mellow sound on the upright acoustic.Along with Jack Bruce and Jaco Pastorius he's helped to push the bass guitar into new territory and as with those other two it's sometimes difficult to believe that what you're hearing is bass. Like Bruce he thrashes and plays it as a lead guitar and and like Pastorius he makes it sing sweetly and melodically. Above all, though, on this album he makes you want to dance - the title track being an irrisistible invitation to get up and boogie.

Stan's the Man
If you have never heard of Stanley Clark then you have been missing out. This guy is Funk personified, in the truest sense of the word. New comers to Funk and some critics of Stanley Clark may say that this guy is merely showing off his remarkable skills on the Bass, and that there is no "musical" creative merit/talent in his work. This is obviously far too harsh and misses the point of Stanley Clark. He is a musician’s musician. A leader in his field and this album celebrates that. Some would say he is not showing off but having “Fun”, but nobody can have a doubt that he created this music, with George Duke, John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham because they thought it was good, and I am sure a lot of assessment and hard work went into making it, and most of all, I am sure all the fans of SC would agree it is good , very good.
“School Days” is Stanley Clark’s best album I think because it shows the artist’s at his most musically diverse. The first track is hardly much of a “tune” but introduces the SC style and the album quickly moves on to a seductive and deeper involvement into his world. From brash, heavy funk rifts and highly skilled executions of technique to a more mellow and sensitive side of SC that is so engaging. One could say that it moves into the area of slow folk jazz, which gives the album such a wonderful contrast. One can see from this album that there is more to SC than just funky rift’s. The man is a true artist as well as a showman. If you want an intro into Funk you could do a lot worse than “School days”, but it would be hard to better it. If you do buy the album and find it was a mistake, you can be sure you will quickly find someone else who will be willing to buy it from you.