Best Herbie Hancock albums?

[Ralf11]

Suggestions for the best Herbie Hancock albums -- along the lines of a Maiden Voyage to the Empyrean Isles....

[AnotherSpin]

If you are ready to accept his jazz-rock deviations, Head Hunters is an excellent album. In the less experimental vein Quartet with Ron Carter, Tony Williams and young Winton Marsalis from 1982 is superb, however, I liked the sound of original LP twofer much more than later CD. The same preference for majestic V.S.O.P. Quintet - LPs sounded better than CDs.

[sphinxsix]

1 minute ago, AnotherSpin said:

Head Hunters is an excellent album

Yes, it is. One of the great fusion albums. One can even dance to it I think!

[Ralf11]

How about ones form this list (I have and like Headhunters, but have purged this wiki list of others I have)?

Takin' Off1962Blue Note

My Point of View1963Blue Note

Inventions and Dimensions1963Blue Note

 

Blow-Up (Soundtrack)1966MGM

Speak Like a Child1968Blue Note

The Prisoner1969Blue Note

Fat Albert Rotunda1969Warner Bros.

Mwandishi1970Warner Bros.

Crossings1972Warner Bros.

Thrust1974Columbia

Death Wish (Soundtrack)1974Columbia

Dedication1974Columbia

Man-Child1975Columbia

Flood (Live album)1975Columbia

Secrets1976Columbia

VSOP (Live album)1976Columbia

Herbie Hancock Trio1977Columbia

VSOP: The Quintet (Live album)1977Columbia

VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (Live album)1977Columbia

Sunlight1977Columbia

Directstep1978Columbia/Sony Japan

An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (Live album with Chick Corea)1978Columbia

The Piano1979Columbia

Feets, Don't Fail Me Now1979Columbia

VSOP: Live Under the Sky (Live album)1979Columbia

CoreaHancock (Live album with Chick Corea)1979Polydor

Monster1980Columbia

Mr. Hands1980Columbia

Herbie Hancock Trio1981Columbia

Magic Windows1981Columbia

Lite Me Up1982Columbia

Quartet (Live album)1982Columbia

Future Shock1983Columbia

Sound-System1984Columbia

Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso)1985Columbia

Round Midnight (Soundtrack)1986Columbia

Jazz Africa (Live album with Foday Musa Suso)1987Polygram

A Tribute to Miles1994Qwest/Warner Bros.

Dis Is da Drum1994Verve/Mercury

The New Standard1995Verve

1 + 1 (with Wayne Shorter)1997Verve

Gershwin's World1998Verve

Future2Future2001Transparent Music

Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (Live album with Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove)2002Verve

River: The Joni Letters2007Verve

Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Compilation)2008Verve

The Imagine Project

 

Sorry about the formatting - the list is in chronological order

 

I'm interested in the best music and the best SQ...

[sphinxsix]

My general recommendation for picking jazz albums (I'm repeating myself) - check the Penguin Guide to Jazz. It's trustworthy. Allmusic.com isn't that good IMO.

[Ralf11]

Thx, but none I don't have are listed in

http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/nm/notes/pjazz-crown.php

 

[Musicophile]

My preferred ones are:

 

Takin' off

My point of view

An evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea

 

I can listen to the funk stuff like Headhunters only in very moderate doses. 

 

To me, Jazz between 1969 and 1980 really is mainly a lost decade as I neither care for Jazz Rock nor for Free Jazz. 

[firedog]

Takin' Off1962Blue Note

My Point of View1963Blue Note

Inventions and Dimensions1963Blue Note

Speak Like a Child1968Blue Note

Thrust1974Columbia (fusion)

VSOP (Live album)1976Columbia

 

But it is hard to totally go wrong with Herbie. Almost every album has something really good. 

[AnotherSpin]

4 hours ago, Musicophile said:

My preferred ones are:

 

Takin' off

My point of view

An evening with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea

 

I can listen to the funk stuff like Headhunters only in very moderate doses. 

 

To me, Jazz between 1969 and 1980 really is mainly a lost decade as I neither care for Jazz Rock nor for Free Jazz. 

I understand what you say. Lot of experiments with fusion, rock, world music, etc. which didn't survive its time. Nevertheless, some of those resulted in excellent recordings, such as John McLaughlin's Apocalypse and Shakti albums, for example. There was a massive output of good music from ECM in 70s. Also from such more mainstream artists as McCoy Tyner, Freddy Hubbard, Herbie Mann, Bobby Hutcherson, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Clifford Jordan, sure I miss some other important figures here as well. 

[Ralf11]

Thx firedog & others - I am on the hunt for used CDs now.

 

ironic - I am listening to some live miles from 1970 right now - it is not euphonic...

[AnotherSpin]

11 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Thx firedog & others - I am on the hunt for used CDs now.

 

ironic - I am listening to some live miles from 1970 right now - it is not euphonic...

 

If you not too familiar with Miles recordings from 70s I would suggest Agharta for live and Complete On the Corner box for studio material. On the Corner sessions include marvelous He Loved Him Madly with other material from  original Get Up With It album which was never transferred to CD well until this box release.

[Ralf11]

Thx - I don't have those.  Now I'll have to check how many Miles albums I do have...

 

 

huh - only 23

[AnotherSpin]

50 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

Thx - I don't have those.  Now I'll have to check how many Miles albums I do have...

 

 

huh - only 23

 

You have 23 albums of Miles Davis, than you probably have among them some of those, which may be considered best albums Herbie Hancock played on – Nefertiti, Miles Smiles, E.S.P., In the Sky, Sorcerer, and Live at the Plugged Nickel...) BTW, Hancock plays trough On the Corner box which I mentioned before, and another complete box, Jack Johnson's sessions, though Keith Jarrett truly shines in the latter. 

[duxservit]

Speak Like a Child.