Herbie Hancock

Several decades into a well-respected and eclectic career as a jazz pianist with Miles Davis (among others) and funk practitioner with the Headhunters, Herbie Hancock broke into the mainstream with this 1983 album, thanks to its addictive, scratch-heavy lead single "Rockit." Over 20 years later, the song still sounds fresh, and the LPs other tracks are equally freaked out.

Future Shock sounds like the elaborate rhythm tracks for an album that was never finished.
Working with Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn, better known as Material, Hancock has
taken his lead from the contemporary urban-funk scene and produced a sterile, joyless
album full of mechanical rhythms and digitally manipulated instruments and voices. The
bottom fizzles and blurts, but nothing happens on top. Call me a reactionary, but... More >

As a guy who likes his funk obvious, I think those who esteem "Rockit" as highly as Head Hunters are too kind to Head Hunters. Small thanks to Herbie, lots to Material and Grand Mixer D.St., it's the best novelty instrumental in years and the best pop of Hancock's life. Elsewhere various bright ideas, such as Pete Cosey, are obscured by the usual aura of set-piece dink--jumpy enough and often fun, but fusoid nevertheless. (Grade - B+)