Two personnel changes occurred. Drummer Danny Gottlieb was replaced past times Paul Wertico, together with the Group was joined past times multi-instrumentalist Pedro Aznar, who had already established himself with the band Serú Girán inward his native Argentina.
On First Circle, the Group used instruments it hadn't recorded with before, including the sitar ("Yolanda, You Learn"), trumpet ("Forward March"), together with agogo bells ("Tell It All"). The commencement song, "Forward March", with Lyle Mays on trumpet, uses dissonant, out-of-tune chords together with shifting fourth dimension signatures. On puttiing the vocal first, Metheny remarked that it "seemed similar a skillful catch at the time."
This was the commencement Group album to characteristic a vocal with written lyrics, "Más Allá," past times Aznar.
First Circle expanded the reach of the Group's music. In a podcast retrospective, Metheny remarked that the album brought the Group to a creative high that he had been seeking since its foundation. "With the record, First Circle, I finally felt similar the Group was what I hoped it mightiness live someday...there was this feeling of, 'Okay, we've done it. We tin forcefulness out larn anywhere now.'" He stated that First Circle, Still Life (Talking), together with Letter from Home, with the Group's well-nigh pop albums, were part of a trilogy connected past times their musical explorations together with accessibly melodic personalities.
In First Circle, the Pat Metheny Group settled into a lineup that lasted for quite a spell -- with Metheny, keyboardist Lyle Mays, bassist Steve Rodby, together with novel drummer Paul Wertico forming the amount quartet. The ever-restless Metheny too mixes upward the music, non quite leaving the Brazilian glide behind only coming upward with unopen to fascinating permutations e'er affixed with his personal stamp. "Forward March," the album opener, is a bizarre parody total of detuned instruments together with half-cocked trumpet from Mays; ane wonders if this was directed at a few lightheaded skirmishes of the solar daytime (Grenada? the Falklands?). "The First Circle" has Brazilian elements, only forthwith inward the service of a grander architectural context, spell nil could live simpler together with all the same to a greater extent than sophisticated than the fragile ballad "If I Could." "End of the Game" mightiness live the best runway on the record, equipped with a beautiful pop-flavored laid of tunes together with harmonies, with a stone crunch fused to the floating ambience of South America every bit personified past times the novel Argentine percussionist/vocalist Pedro Aznar. "Praise," the closer, is an out-and-out stone tune, an affirmative flip side of "Forward March" together with the in conclusion of a serial of delightful surprises.
I listened to this cassette quite a fleck dorsum inward 1985 together with thus left it for quite a while. Last yr (2003), I was amazed to honour myself humming "Yolanda, You Learn" together with ordered the CD from Amazon. Discovering this music all over in ane lawsuit to a greater extent than was a joy. To me, this is a CD of uplifting, joyous music made past times fantastic musicians offering upward unopen to incredible performances.
While I induce got listened to other Metheny releases, nil has touched me similar this one. I would loved to induce got given this v stars, only the determination to include "Forward March" was a mistake. Fortunately, modern CD players tin forcefulness out live programmed to skip tracks. My favorite tracks are "Yolanda, You Learn," "The First Circle," together with "Praise." "If I Could" is thus beautiful inward its simplicity every bit to convey you lot to goosebumps together with tears.
If you lot are a guitarist or lover of Brazilian music, this CD is a must-have. This unloose is totally accessible to all lovers of character music. Highly recommended.
With "Phase Dance" and, "Are You Going With Me?" the album's championship track, "The First Circle", became ane of the Group's well-nigh pop songs.
Track listing:
1. "Forward March" (Metheny) 2:47
2. "Yolanda, You Learn" 4:43
3. "The First Circle" 9:10
4. "If I Could" (Metheny) 6:54
5. "Tell It All" 7:55
6. "End of the Game" 7:57
7. "Más Allá (Beyond)" (Metheny/Pedro Aznar) 5:37
8. "Praise" 4:19
Personnel:
Pat Metheny – guitar, Synclavier guitar, sitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar
Lyle Mays Рpiano, synthesizers, Oberheim, agog̫ bells, organ, trumpet
Steve Rodby – bass guitar, acoustic bass, bass drum
Pedro Aznar – glockenspiel, voice, bells, acoustic guitar, percussion, whistle, guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar
Paul Wertico – drums, plain drum, cymbal
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