The Tony Williams Lifetime • Ego

 

Review
by Stewart Mason  
Easily the weirdest record the Tony Williams Lifetime ever released, 1971's Ego is an experimental blend of post-hard bop jazz and the spacier end of psychedelic rock. Larry Young's wafting organ parts and Ted Dunbar's rockist guitar (as opposed to the more traditional jazz bent of the guy he replaced, John McLaughin) combine to make parts of the album sound like Atom Heart Mother-era Pink Floyd, particularly on "There Comes a Time" and "Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio)." Unfortunately, both of those tracks are bogged down by Williams' own earnest and not terribly inspired verses. The best tracks are those that dispense with the lyrical claptrap -- the liner notes are also a terribly dated hoot -- and get down to the creation of some roiling atmospheres and powerful group improvisation. In that regard, things really pick up at the end, with the ghostly "Mom and Dad" and the cacophonous closer "Urchins of Shermese," on which Williams splits the narcoleptic mood of the introduction with some of his most fractured and arrhythmic fills ever, while simultaneously maintaining a groove that's typically snaky and propulsive. Drum geeks will particularly adore the two brief solo pieces, "Clap City" and "Some Hip Drum Shit," which are both technically impressive and short enough not to get dull. Solid jazz-rock, from the days before fusion got painfully dull.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ego-mw0000048154

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Revisión
por Stewart Mason  
Fácilmente el disco más extraño que Tony Williams Lifetime haya lanzado, Ego de 1971 es una mezcla experimental de jazz bop post-duro y el extremo más espacial del rock psicodélico. Las partes de órgano flotantes de Larry Young y la guitarra rockera de Ted Dunbar (a diferencia de la inclinación jazzística más tradicional del tipo al que reemplazó, John McLaughin) se combinan para hacer que partes del álbum suenen como Pink Floyd de la era Atom Heart Mother, particularmente en "There Comes a Time" y " Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio)."Desafortunadamente, ambas pistas están empantanadas por los versos serios y no terriblemente inspirados de Williams. Las mejores pistas son aquellas que prescinden de la trampa lírica (las notas del trazador de líneas también son un grito terriblemente anticuado ) y se reducen a la creación de algunas atmósferas turbulentas y una poderosa improvisación grupal. En ese sentido, las cosas realmente mejoran al final, con el fantasmal "Mamá y papá" y el cacofónico cierre "Erizos de Shermese", en el que Williams divide el estado de ánimo narcoléptico de la introducción con algunos de sus rellenos más fracturados y arrítmicos de la historia, al tiempo que mantiene un ritmo que es típicamente serpenteante y propulsivo. Los geeks de la batería adorarán especialmente las dos breves piezas en solitario, "Clap City" y "Some Hip Drum Shit", que son técnicamente impresionantes y lo suficientemente cortas como para no aburrirse. Sólido jazz-rock, de los días previos a que la fusión se volviera dolorosamente aburrida.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ego-mw0000048154

Tracks:
1 - Clap City - 0:54
2 - There Comes A Time - 5:58
3 - Piskow's Filigree - 3:52
4 - Circa - 6:28
5 - Two Worlds - 4:30
6 - Some Hip Drum Shit - 1:31
7 - Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio) - 7:27
8 - Mom And Dad - 5:22
9 - The Urchins Of Shermêse - 6:16


Credits:
    Artwork [Cover Painting] – Michael Gross (10)
    Bass, Cello – Ron Carter (tracks: 2 to 5, 7 to 9)
    Drums, Percussion – Don Alias, Warren Smith
    Drums, Vocals – Tony Williams*
    Executive-Producer – Richard Seidel
    Guitar – Ted Dunbar (tracks: 2 to 5, 7 to 9)
    Mastered By – Kevin Reeves
    Music By, Lyrics By – Anthony "Tony" Williams*
    Organ – Khalid Yasin Aka Larry Young* (tracks: 2 to 5, 7 to 9)
    Photography By – Bob Pike
    Producer [Original Recordings] – Tony Williams*, Jack Lewis
    Supervised By [Reissue] – Bryan Koniarz, Jerry Rappaport
    Vocals – Jack Bruce (tracks: 5)

Notes:
Recorded February and March 1971 at RCA Studio B, New York City;
Tracks 4 and 7 on February 22 and / or March 2; Track 2 on February 23;
Track 6 on February 23 and / or 25; Tracks 8 and 9 on February 25;
Tracks 1, 3, and 5 on proximate days.

Label:    Polydor – 2425 070
Country:    Germany
Released:    1971
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Soul-Jazz, Fusion
https://www.discogs.com/release/422514-The-Tony-Williams-Lifetime-Ego

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