Holy Commercial Desparation Batman!!
P. McKenna | Atlanta GA | 09/15/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"An old saying goes that you can't judge a book (or album) by its cover, but this is one glaring exception to that old maxim. From the first sight of the ridiculous "cheesecake" cover and equally cheesy title, it's obvious that trouble was brewing in fusionland! A good alternative title might have been "I Refuse To Believe It!".
Upon applying the needle to this disc when it first came out, many fans of the white-hot predecessor "Believe It" were scratching their heads in disbelief, wondering if the right album was in the sleeve. Well, unfortunately, it was the right one.
Million Dollar Legs is a tragic textbook example of how record company meddling with creative forces it does not know or understand causes untold heartbreak and disillusionment. Fresh off a triumphant tour for "Believe It", Tony Williams and company were subjected to merciless pressure to create a "HIT" album. So, in their infinite wisdom, the suits at Columbia Records made them write cheesy pseudo-R&B/Funk tunes that were pointedly un-funky and told Allan Holdsworth to tone his playing down, WAY DOWN! :(
Things start off promisingly enough with "Sweet Revenge" but it quickly lapses into repetitiveness and takes a while longer to make its point than it should, despite some great drumming from Williams, a cool slithery bass groove from Newton and some unusually restrained playing form Allan Holdsworth. Time to hit the skip button when "You Did It To Me Baby" comes up, featuring some of the most idiotic lyrics you ever heard in your life and cliched horns straight out of a bad 70's sitcom that would've had Tower of Power rolling on the floor splitting their sides. One would hope that after this, the guys either:
a) Did penance
b) Were rolling on the floor laughing their butts off
c) Went out and got rip-roaring stupid drunk to try and forget what just happened.
It steadily slides downhill from here with weak funk vamps and flimsy over-extended ideas, with Williams and Holdsworth trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Of the last 3 tracks "Lady Jane", "What You Do To me" and "Inspirations of Love" actually threaten to get interesting before completely dissolving into a cesspool of sappy strings, weak underdeveloped compositions, sections arbitrarily stuck together and the like. Even in this, Holdsworth actually gets off a couple good solo lines in these tracks as does Tony Williams playing his heart out.
This and spectacular management screw-ups that left them stranded on the West Coast in mid-tour bought down the curtain on a foursome that could've been one of the most happening fusion outfits in the latter half of the 70's. Thankfully, they all went on to greater artistic success on their own.
Take heed of this, when someone tries to pressure you into trying to be something you're not and tries to get you to dumb down your unique artistic vision under the pretense of making it more "accessible", do yourself a favor, RUN, RUN LIKE HELL!!!!!!"
Not as bad as you may think.
T. Brown | Fayetteville, NC United States | 11/05/2004
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The thing to keep in mind is that this album is a failed experiment at pop-fusion, which is something tony dabbled with more than once in the seventies. The songs are cheesey, but the performances are as strong as you would expect.
Definitely one for the die-hard Tony fans and nobody else."
Do You Like Tony and Holdsworth?
Gary Sabshon | Long Island, NY USA | 11/30/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The reviews I've read so far are scathing. I got into Tony because I'm a drummer. His playing is fabulous on this record. Are the lyrics unimpressive? Yes. It's not often that you get to hear Tony playing in a funk/16th note framework. Here it is. Is it a less important work than "Believe It?" Believe it. But if you're a drummer and you want to learn from Tony, this record features a playing style you will not hear anywhere else and that makes it a valuable addition to your library. They aren't making Tony Williams recordings anymore. There is no reason to snub this one! Alan Holdworth's playing on this record is exceptional as well."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1