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Herbie Hancock - Secrets


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I got turned on to the classic Headhunters period of Herbie's career in the mid-90s when I was at Michigan State University. Herbie always has such a killer Rhodes tone on those recordings. I bought everything I could find on CD of that period including the original Headhunters, Thrust, and Man Child. And for some reason I thought that's where that period basically ended and Herbie started doing VSOP and the Rock-It stuff.

 

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the album Secrets. I had no idea it existed until it popped up in my YouTube feed. I don't know why I never came across it before. And then there's Mr Hands, which is just insane.

 

But anyway, I've become obsessed with Secrets, listening to it almost every day, especially the tunes People Music and Gentle Thoughts. Just yesterday HH posted a picture of himself from that period. He's in the studio and he's resting one hand on his Oberheim Four Voice and the other on his Rhodes. It's just so cool.

 

On People Music, there's a really cool breakdown moment around 2:45 where the drums and bass drop out and there are these amazingly lush synthesizer chords going through a dense reverb and the individual notes of the chords are sliding up and down to each other (polyphonic glide).

 

I'm wondering if that's the Four Voice? I assume it is. WOW, what a sound. It just sounds like some other world and I want to live there. Combined with Herbie's Rhodes, it's just such an amazing sonic landscape.

 

[video:youtube]

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Oh yeah, that's a good one! There's a whole lot of recordings he made before moving on to VSOP, the Bill Laswell stuff etc. But he was moving into an even more commercial period, with (I think) more and more producer influence which pushed him very near, if not directly into disco, and very commercial R&B. So many of those recordings have a few scattered bright spots, and some pretty dated stuff that you almost can't believe comes from Herbie. But they're always very well done, and have some moments when his brilliance shines through.

 

Lot's of folks really like Sunlight (1978), where he first explored his singing through a vocoder for lead vocals. It's all really well played etc. but I don't choose to listen to it very often. I prefer the live version of that era, the Japanese import Directstep (1979). Speaking of Japanese imports, you do know about Flood, right? AMAZING recording/performances.

 

Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1979), Monster (1980), Magic Windows (1981) and Lite Me Up (1982) ? Hard for me to take. YMMV. But if there's a solo, he still sounds great. He is Herbie F***ing Hancock, after all. And I certainly agree about Mr. Hands (1980) - it's brilliant. So I think it's a matter of producer/record label pushing Herbie in a direction that moved further away from what most of us love him for. Read his book, and he doesn't apologize for that era. He was exploring different things in what he says was an honest fashion. So what do I know? I know what I think and feel, that's what.

 

Back to Secrets: in light of what followed, I think it's the last really good funky record that he made (not counting 1-2 tracks on Mr. Hands). And I agree - it's not given its due. Thanks for the reminder!

 

Jerry

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It's funny, your post today inspired me to put on "Mr. Hands," which I hadn't heard in forever. For some reason I had kind of written it off, but it had some killer stuff.

 

Most pleasant surprise: "Just Around the Corner," an unapologetic disco track which nonetheless features an amazing solo from Herbie. And when the Clav comes in... nasty!

 

Most unexpectedly disappointing track: "Calypso," because my excitement at hearing Sheila E play with Herbie, Tony Williams and Ron Carter turned out to be for naught when it turned out she was mostly mixed too low to even hear.

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I got turned on to the classic Headhunters period of Herbie's career in the mid-90s when I was at Michigan State University. Herbie always has such a killer Rhodes tone on those recordings. I bought everything I could find on CD of that period including the original Headhunters, Thrust, and Man Child. And for some reason I thought that's where that period basically ended and Herbie started doing VSOP and the Rock-It stuff.

 

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the album Secrets. I had no idea it existed until it popped up in my YouTube feed. I don't know why I never came across it before. And then there's Mr Hands, which is just insane.

 

But anyway, I've become obsessed with Secrets, listening to it almost every day, especially the tunes People Music and Gentle Thoughts. Just yesterday HH posted a picture of himself from that period. He's in the studio and he's resting one hand on his Oberheim Four Voice and the other on his Rhodes. It's just so cool.

 

On People Music, there's a really cool breakdown moment around 2:45 where the drums and bass drop out and there are these amazingly lush synthesizer chords going through a dense reverb and the individual notes of the chords are sliding up and down to each other (polyphonic glide).

 

I'm wondering if that's the Four Voice? I assume it is. WOW, what a sound. It just sounds like some other world and I want to live there. Combined with Herbie's Rhodes, it's just such an amazing sonic landscape.

]

 

 

People Music is my favourite track on Secrets. Such a wonderful vibe..the drums, bass and then Herbie...wow....and the synth sounds...gorgeous...yeah must be the four-voice...will kick myself forever for not buying that serviced four-voice for $ 3.500 about 7-8 years ago...thought it was "too expensive" at the time. Well at least I can multitrack my two original SEM´s....they sound better than anything else I've heard/tried.

I also only heard Secrets first like a couple of years ago...just went by me...WHAT??? :)

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Arthur Schopenhauer

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Timely thread as I've been binge listening to Herbie Hancock lately. Of course, I grew up hearing his music in the 1970s and studying his back catalog in the 1980s.

 

I'm thankful for every record Herbie has made and/or played on throughout his career. His travels through Jazz, Funk, Fusion and R&B have provided enough source material i.e. food for musicians to eat and drink (study) and mine (Hip-Hop) for an eternity. The man is truly a musical genius, a living legend and a national treasure.

 

Special shoutout goes to Miles Davis who influenced Herbie, Zawinul , Corea and countless Jazz musicians to explore other sounds and genres of music. Those musicians were able to push Jazz beyond its traditional boundaries and play it forward for future generations of musicians.

 

Thanks to Mr. Davis (RIP) and Mr. Hancock for the music they gave us and encouragement to fully explore music.

 

I'm giving Herbie Hancock his flowers while he's still among us and still playing his azz off. :thu::cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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Yeah, I bought the "Secrets" CD on Amazon about 15 years ago or so. The middle of "People Music" might be the most special moment on a great album. It makes me feel like you just stop whatever you are doing and listen to the world around you, ponder a thought, and then the Rhodes solo comes in and you get back into your groove!

 

My brother had "Mr. Hands" back in the 80s, always loved "Spiraling Prism" and "Textures". Herbie just has that CLASS when he plays. Still wondering what that stringed instrument was on "Textures". Maybe a really early Fairlight sample?? Anyway, does anyone remember the Herbie Hancock Pizza Hut commercial from back then with that song as the soundtrack? Scroll to 10:30:

 

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I've lost count of how many times I've rediscovered Herbie's HH/Secrets/Mr. Hands period. It recedes into the background, and then I come back to it and re-appreciate what a unique and special niche it carves out in the history of jazz and funk. It's a great wonder that music can be so sophisticated, artful, spontaneous, playful, relaxing, and confident all at the same time. Herbie showed it's possible to mix zen mindfulness and greasy funk, elements that people prior to that (and maybe even since) thought were too oppositional to combine.

 

I suppose if I had to strain to critique it, it would be that very little of it leaves me with anything to hum inside my head. When I turn it off, I'm left with more of a vibe and a feeling than a memorable tune.

 

And, yeah, there's that damn "Herbie rhodes tone" that the rest of us will forever chase after in digital emulations. On the one hand, I love hearing it. On the other, it just reminds how difficult it's been to come close to it in my own rigs.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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Thanks for posting about Herbie's Jazz/Funk/Fusion period ;-) I'm also very much obsessed by Herbie's Rhodes tone, and I was thinking for a while about asking to the forum if anybody had some information on what model he is using and what is the effect chain behind, ie what amplification, reverb and delays (I hear often some delay applied, though very subtle and sometimes of course more present).

 

Typically in this track from the man-child album, the Rhodes sound is so good!!!!

 

 

But People Music is also a very good example of this magnificent Herbie's Rhodes tone (also one of my favorite tune by the way).

 

So if anybody could be kind to share some knowledge with us, poor ignorants, it would be very much appreciated ;-) Thanks a lot in advance!!!

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And, yeah, there's that damn "Herbie rhodes tone" that the rest of us will forever chase after in digital emulations. On the one hand, I love hearing it. On the other, it just reminds how difficult it's been to come close to it in my own rigs.

 

Not long ago I accidentally discovered that the closest thing I have to it is the Mojo 61 Rhodes. I was playing while a Herbie tune came up on YouTube (I forget which one), and it was very close to dead-on. Sadly I can't tell you my settings because the editor isn't working, but I don't think I tweaked it much from the factory settings.

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Thanks for posting about Herbie's Jazz/Funk/Fusion period ;-) I'm also very much obsessed by Herbie's Rhodes tone, and I was thinking for a while about asking to the forum if anybody had some information on what model he is using and what is the effect chain behind, ie what amplification, reverb and delays (I hear often some delay applied, though very subtle and sometimes of course more present).

 

 

So if anybody could be kind to share some knowledge with us, poor ignorants, it would be very much appreciated ;-) Thanks a lot in advance!!!

 

Do you know about this demo record he made for Fender Rhodes?

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

Jerry

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Thanks for the links :) Yes I already saw these demo records when googling "Herbie Hancock Rhodes sound". But there's not much explanation about the complete signal chain. So basically he is using a Mark I Suitcase with echo and a fuzz/wah pedal. But how is the signal amplified then? What reverb is he using (maybe not on this demo record, but for sure on all the commercial records he made with the Rhodes)? What are the EQ settings? I guess he should also have tested different combinations on the various studio recording sessions he made in his 70's period.

 

I'm now in the tweaking phase of my new SV2, and while I like very much the Suitcase sound which is included (when going through the amp), I still find it too clean in comparison with these 70's Rhodes sounds. Today, I decided to put a bit more of mid frequencies, and it was already a bit better. But I don't know if I can do something else to get even closer or if I should just accept the SV2 Suitcase sound as it is...

 

Thanks also for the "Down The Rhodes" documentary, looks also very interesting :) It leads to this new Qwest TV channel, which has some nice programs and other musical documentaries about jazz, funk and soul musicians. Has anybody already suscribed to it? Is it worth it?

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