Here's to a greater extent than proof that Weather Report truly became a to a greater extent than potent, life-affirming musical strength after the departures of its best-known sidemen. Things laid out on an oddly commercial authorities annotation amongst a popular vocal "Can It Be Done," sung past times Carl Anderson, that truly lays out Weather Report's credo, searching for sounds never heard before. Then Joe Zawinul as well as society acquire downwardly to describe of piece of occupation concern amongst the funky "D-Flat Waltz," marked past times Omar Hakim's flamboyantly complex drumming. Zawinul's synthesizer textures choke thicker as well as to a greater extent than flexible amongst the assist of newly-introduced digital instruments, as well as the funk chemical component inwards full general becomes to a greater extent than pronounced than on whatever tape since Tale Spinnin'. Victor Bailey (bass), who spins his wheels on the championship track, as well as Jose Rossy (percussion) rest on board (though Rossy left soon thereafter) as well as Wayne Shorter's tenor sax has a rawer, tougher border than it has inwards awhile. Though non quite equally triumphant equally Procession, a triumph nonetheless.
Domino Theory was the 2nd album for the Hakim-Bailey-Rossy musical rhythm section, as well as Josef Zawinul spoke enthusiastically nearly it inwards the March 1984 number of Keyboard magazine.
“It’s coming out inwards February,” Zawinul told Greg Armbruster. “We had so much fun making it that it was 1 of the easiest albums we’ve e'er done. There are 3 alive performances on it, as well as those were done after nosotros had played 84 concerts. Then nosotros went into the studio as well as recorded 4 to a greater extent than songs amongst this feeling from the alive performances. On this album, we’re too dealing amongst a question; the initiative off vocal is appropriately called ‘Can it Be Done?’, which is sung past times Carl Anderson. We don’t stimulate got whatever answers, but nosotros stimulate got questions. The adjacent song, ‘D Flat Waltz,’ is xi minutes long. After I wrote it, I analyzed it, as well as it’s to a greater extent than or less a Johann Strauss variety of form. There are unlike movements as well as there’s some other tune every viii bars, as well as yet, altogether, it plant well. The final vocal on Side H5N1 is ‘The Peasant.’
“Side B opens amongst ‘Predator,’ a Wayne Shorter composition, followed past times ‘Blue Sound, Note Three,’ which my boy Erich named. The tertiary vocal is called ‘Swamp Cabbage,’ past times Wayne. I piece of occupation an accordion-type good on that tune. The final vocal is the championship cut, ‘Domino Theory,’ amongst the drum machine. The album has a strong feeling throughout, a surely musical reference that creates the whole feeling. For instance, business office of the intro to the really initiative off vocal is constitute inwards the intro to ‘Blue Sound, Note Three,’ on Side B. I did surely background lines on Wayne’s vocal which are continued on ‘Domino Theory.’ You tin psyche to the album from start to terminate as well as experience a completeness.”
In a 1984 interview for Modern Drummer magazine, Robin Tolleson asked Omar Hakim nearly his co-producer credit. “Well, producer is such a vague word, but for me it did stimulate got a meaning. I was mixing the record. I stimulate got a groovy involvement inwards studio stuff. All my friends know I’m a fanatic nearly that stuff… Joe knew I was a fanatic, so he brought me inwards as well as he trusted me a lot. I was really involved. It was truly hands-on for all of us. I mixed, as well as made some suggestions nearly effects, as well as made some organisation suggestions occassionally. I learned so much from Joe as well as Wayne–just their sense of placing sounds inwards the music. What Joe would attain is say, ‘You got it.’ He would move out the studio as well as so I would mix it the agency I heard it. I would attain a mix, Joe would come upwardly dorsum as well as say, ‘Okay, come across you lot later. Go acquire something to eat,’ as well as so he would attain something. After that, nosotros would piece of occupation on it together. Then nosotros would plan things into the NECAM [a Neve calculator scheme that could tape surely mix settings], as well as attain to a greater extent than things together. Then nosotros would attain panning, as well as gear upwardly echoes as well as delays. Like I said, I’m crazy nearly that stuff, so nosotros had a lot of fun.”
The August 1984 number of Down Beat described Zawinul’s keyboard arsenal at the fourth dimension of Domino Theory. Zawinul’s phase setup included 7 keyboards: an Oberheim 8 Voice, an ARP Quadra, an E-Mu Emulator, a Rhodes Chroma, a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, a Korg Vocoder amongst auxiliary keyboard, as well as a Prophet T-8. The T-8 was Zawinul’s newest instrument, an eight-voice synthesizer amongst a touch-sensitive keyboard. “I stimulate got equally much command equally you lot tin have,” Zawinul said of the T-8. “It’s velocity- as well as touch-sensitive so when you lot affect down, you lot tin acquire your ain vibrato; you lot tin preprogram your vibrato as well as speed.” In addition, Zawinul used a Linn LM-1 drum machine, a Sequential Circuits Polysequencer, as well as diverse harmonizers as well as digital delay units.
Zawinul’s keyboard technician Jim Swanson, explained to Down Beat some of the modifications he had made to the Prophet 5. “There’s no other Prophet inwards the Blue Planet similar that,” he said. “The agency it’s hooked upwardly right away amongst the MIDI is polyphonically. So when I throw [a] switch, it shuts off the good of voices 1 through four, takes its ain command voltage-out, as well as feeds it dorsum to its command voltage-in so that vocalism 1 is making no dissonance but sending its command voltage as well as driving vocalism five. So that every novel authorities annotation you lot play, similar on the Korg [Vocoder] upwardly here, volition trigger a authorities annotation on the Prophet as well as jump it around so you lot acquire that flute-on-top-of-strings effect.” The article went on to depict the equipment inwards Zawinul’s habitation recording studio: “In his habitation recording studio he has an Amek 2016B 24-track mixing desk, an Ampex MM-1200 24-track tape recorder, as well as for mix-down an Otari MX5050 two-track machine. He listens to his music through Yamaha as well as Tannoy speakers. And despite his wealth of electronics, inwards the middle of it all, sits a Yamaha acoustic grand piano.”
Track listing
All tracks composed past times Joe Zawinul, except where indicated.
"Can It Be Done" (Wilson Tee) – 4:02
"D Flat Waltz" – 11:10
"The Peasant" – 8:16
"Predator" (Wayne Shorter) – 5:21
"Blue Sound - Note 3" – 6:52
"Swamp Cabbage" (Wayne Shorter) – 5:22
"Domino Theory" – 6:09
Personnel
Josef Zawinul - keyboards as well as synthesizers
Wayne Shorter - saxophones
Omar Hakim - drums
Victor Bailey - bass
José Rossy - percussion
Carl Anderson - vocals on "Can It Be Done"
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