''Turn It Over'' is the second album by the American jazz fusion group

the Tony Williams Lifetime The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by jazz drummer Tony Williams. Original line-up The Tony Williams Lifetime was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and Larry Young on organ. The band ...

, released in 1970 via

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. It was rereleased by

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

in 1997, as part of ''Spectrum: The Anthology''. Williams is again joined by guitarist

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

and organist Larry Young, along with former

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frontman

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

Production

joined the group for ''Turn It Over'', providing bass and vocals. Tony Williams was excited by the amplification he could employ during the recording of the album; his liner notes repeatedly instruct the listener to play the album at a high volume. Williams described the album as his version of the

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

's '' Kick Out the Jams''. The album contains a cover of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

's "Big Nick".

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called the album "one of the more intense pieces of early jazz-rock fusion around," writing that "in parts, it's like Jimi Hendrix's ''Band of Gypsys'' with much better chops." ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' praised Larry Young's "fearsome long tones and wobbly distortions" and "psychedelic, dissonant harmonies." ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' deemed ''Turn It Over'' "one of the most violent, raucous recordings ever to issue from a noted jazz musician." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called it "tougher" than the debut, singling out the cover of "Big Nick".

Track listing

Personnel

* Tony Williams - drums, vocals on "This Night This Song", "Once I Loved", "A Famous Blues" *

- guitar, vocals on "A Famous Blues" * Larry Young - organ *

- bass, lead vocals on "One Word"

References

{{reflist The Tony Williams Lifetime albums 1970 albums