Jeremy Pether
Staff Writer
As time goes on, most music is largely forgotten, with only a small selection of popular songs and albums continuing to have a spot as culture evolves. But just because it’s remembered, doesn’t mean it stands the test of time. Is that the case with Herbie Hancock’s 1973 album, “Head Hunters”? As “Head Hunters” approaches its 44th anniversary, it’s a good time to look back and consider its impact. Exerting a notable influence on jazz, funk, soul, and even hip-hop, it has left its mark on the music world. In 2013, Rolling Stone ranked it 498 on their Top 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 2007 it was placed in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, a collection of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important”.
For this album, only one member from Hancock’s previous group returned, as Hancock was looking to take his sound in a new direction. He ditched guitars entirely for the clavinet, and assembled a more R&B focused group. On Hancock’s sleeve notes of the 1997 reissue, he wrote "I began to feel that I had been spending so much time exploring the upper atmosphere of music and the more ethereal kind of far-out spacey stuff. Now there was this need to take some more of the earth and to feel a little more tethered; a connection to the earth....I was beginning to feel that we were playing this heavy kind of music, and I was tired of everything being heavy. I wanted to play something lighter." The album has a calm but groovy sound that appeals to a larger audience than some of his earlier records, and it’s considered to have paved the way for the jazz-fusion movement.
The album consists of four tracks. “Chameleon”, “Watermelon Man”, “Sly”, and “Vein Melter”. It’s a small number of tracks, but they’re all lengthy, ranging from six and a half minutes on “Watermelon Man” to nearly 16 minutes for “Chameleon”. All the tracks are original for this album except for “Watermelon Man”, which was on his first album, “Takin’ Off”, but was reworked for the album. “Chameleon” opens the album, with a strong bassline leading it off on a funky beat. It’s an engaging, well executed song that at a 15-minute run time stays surprisingly fresh. The track starts with the bassline and then plays around with what meshes well with it. It stays interesting and flows well. “Watermelon Man” is probably the most memorable track, for the opening alone. The intro is comprised of the sound of blowing into a beer bottle to simulate the hindewhu, a style of singing / whistling in Pygmy music. It then breaks into a simple but rhythmic groove that hooks you in. “Sly” is up next, starting with a relaxed intro then hitting breakneck pace in a crazy, chaotic song. Finally, “Vein Melter” (despite it’s title) has a much slower, more relaxed pace, while still having a great sound.
“Head Hunters” turns 44 on Oct. 13 of this year, and it’s very much an incredible album. It’s influences can be seen in many genres, and it deserves the classic status it holds. “Head Hunters” is far from overhyped, and has left a solid mark on the music world, including spearheading the jazz fusion movement. It’s at least a solid 90 out of 100, with my only gripe being songs get dangerously close to dragging on. It’s available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, or you can stream it from Spotify.
