The ‘70s was a ripe era for music, especially for fusion jazz and rock.  Weather Report thrived with a Rock star-like existence, as did John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra.  As Jazz grew in the public esteem, several highly respected Jazz artists formed to create these super-groups of rock/jazz fusion.  One of those was the very popular Return to Forever.

Return to Forever was the stage for Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, and Lenny White.  However, RTF had been home to an impressive array of Jazz greats that included Airto, his wife, Flora Purim, Billy Connors, Earl Klugh, and others.  But it was the classic lineup that is endearing to fans.

The ‘70s, being the free-wheeling period of time that it was, allowed for the experimentalism of Return to Forever to thrive.  Fans maintained contact with the band by way of the separate members’ solo works, many of which sold well.  I had an affinity for Clarke’s command of the electric bass but you would have had no problem finding the others’ solo material in my collection.  Return to Forever not only personified the time that they existed in but also was an uncontested artistic combination of expert instrumentalists with sonic creations in their minds.

Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke have reunited to assemble this 2CD collection of RTF gems from this incarnation’s four albums.  In it you will find selected classic tracks from each of the four in groupings.  The entirety of Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973) is here as is most of Romantic Warrior (1976).  All of the tracks have been re-mastered and sound superb and rich with clarity.

Truthfully, there isn’t a bad song in the catalogue.  I would not have wanted the weight of trying to assemble a definitive ‘best of’ representative of the years and albums of the multiple incarnations of Return to Forever outside of a Boxed set.  However, this 2-disc Anthology is a sweet one, and for what is included here, it is as good an RTF collection as you could enjoy without buying all if the albums.