| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[2] |
| Creem | B[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [4] |
Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is the third studio album by American jazz fusion band Return to Forever. It was released in October 1973 by Polydor. Flora Purim, Joe Farrell, and Airto Moreira were replaced by drummer Lenny White and guitarist Bill Connors.
Music
Drawing on rock and funk, the album emphasized electric instruments more than Return to Forever's previous albums. Clarke contributed one song for the album while Corea wrote the rest of the material.[1] Corea relied mostly on electric piano and organ.[5]
Critical reception
Daniel Gioffre for Allmusic wrote, "it is the quality of the compositions that marks Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy as an indispensable disc of '70s fusion".[1]
Robert Christgau wrote of Return to Forever in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981):
"The futuristic, Mahavishnu-style jazz-rock gets hot enough at times to make you believe in spirit energy. But Corea's themes lack the grandeur of McLaughlin's, and what good is God without grandeur? Part of the problem is technical—when you articulate fast runs cleanly on an electric piano you sound precious almost automatically. Too often, though, I suspect that's what Corea wants. Better he should try for the cosmic joke—like when "Captain Senor Mouse" breaks into "La Cucaracha."[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Chick Corea except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" | 3:31 |
| 2. | "After the Cosmic Rain" (Stanley Clarke) | 8:25 |
| 3. | "Captain Señor Mouse" | 9:01 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Theme to the Mothership" | 8:49 |
| 5. | "Space Circus, parts 1-2" | 5:42 |
| 6. | "The Game Maker" | 6:46 |
| Total length: | 42:14 | |
Personnel
- Chick Corea – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, harpsichord, Yamaha electric organ, gongs
- Bill Connors – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Stanley Clarke – electric bass, bell tree
- Lenny White – drums, percussion, congas, bongos
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Billboard 200 | 124 [6] |
| 1974 | Billboard Jazz Albums | 7 [6] |
References
- ^ a b c Gioffre, Daniel. "Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) album review | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 1974). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1 ed.). U.S.: Rolling Stone. p. 50. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Yurochko, Bob (1993). A Short History of Jazz. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 191. ISBN 9780830415953. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
External links
- Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) album review by Daniel Gioffre, credits & releases at AllMusic
- Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) album releases & credits at Discogs
- Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
- Return to Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973, Remastered 1991) album to be listened as stream on Spotify