Return To Forever-No Mystery (1975)

Beneath its typically psychedelic cover, Return to Forever's fifth album is another of their classic records, though somewhat overshadowed by its placement between their three masterpieces ("Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy", "Where Have I Known You Before", and "Romantic Warrior"). Released several years after the first two and a year before "Romantic Warrior", this fifth record is where the band, led by Chick Corea and supported by Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White, delves into the most overwhelming funk, as evidenced in tracks like "Dayride", "Sofistifunk", and "Jungle Waterfall", all from the first side of the original LP, where there are hardly any traces of the group's usual jazz-rock sound. However, it's the expansive jazz-fusion track "Flight of the Newborn" that brings a touch of sanity to the funky rhythms of the album's first half. As a counterpoint to that first side, the second side again showcases the frequent jazz rock with the brilliant "No Mystery" and "Celebration Suite", two compositions where all the musicians demonstrate their extensive instrumental abilities, forming together one of the essential works of jazz rock/fusion of the highest level.