Weather Report-Mr.Gone (1978)

With their eighth album, Weather Report reached their commercial peak, even though creatively they lowered the bar compared to albums like "Black Market" (1976) and "Heavy Weather" from the previous year. The music on this new release is quite different from the material on "Heavy Weather", although it's also true that it's much more accessible than their earlier recordings from the 1970s. Even so, the group led by Joe Zawinul continues to delve into the easy-listening jazz fusion that began with "Black Market", showcasing their deep musical roots in free jazz with a touch of experimentation under the umbrella of electronics and Jaco Pastorius's catchy and appealing bass. Besides Zawinul (keyboards) and Jaco Pastorius (bass), the rest of the lineup that recorded this new album consisted of Wayne Shorter (saxophone), Peter Erskine (drums), Manolo Badrena (vocals), Maurice White (vocals), Jon Lucien (vocals), Alan Howarth (synthesizers), and drummers Steve Gadd and Tony Williams. Tracks like "River People", "Young and Fine", "The Pursuit of the Woman With the Feathered Hat", "And Then", "Punk Jazz" and "The Elders", move away from the complexities of the past to offer a friendly jazz of enormous originality.