Fusion with vocals

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

whether Symphonic Rock or Jazz Rock or Avant Rock or any other style of Prog, I prefer as few vocals as possible

some classics like Pink Floyd are exceptions, but generally I want to hear MUSIC, not someone croaking some insipid lyric smothering the music

Pop Rock is a whole nuther thang... it needs to have vocals because the music is not complex enough to keep one's attention on its own

[arj]

This is awesome - listen if you like Holdsworth.

[Progbear]

There’s also Kittyhawk, a band I’ve frankly never been a big fan of; an early entrant into that slick “80s fusion” sound.

[hFx]

When rockers get together they somehow get to jamming Smoke on the Water! When fusionists (?) get together (including singer), this is the standard

[hFx]

The one-and-only fusion singer..?

[Galactic Bulldozer]

Guess who forgot this?

[Galactic Bulldozer]

Universal love again...

[Galactic Bulldozer]

Behind every fusion band is a drummer who wants to write pop songs.

[Progbear]

A more obscure selection, the Nucleus spin-off Pacific Eardrum:

[interbellum]

^^I have the Pacific Eardrum-LP Beyond Panic with the Kim Poor-cover which also appeared in her book "Genesis Lyrics". Nice stuff.

[Mr.Krautman]

^^I have the Pacific Eardrum-LP Beyond Panic with the Kim Poor-cover which also appeared in her book "Genesis Lyrics". Nice stuff.

And the first (self-titled) one is excellent too, also including vocals by Joy Yates (Dave MacRae's wife). It's a pity that these two great records never have been re-issued on CD. Maybe a good project for Esoteric, provided that they could get the rights ?

[Mr.Krautman]

You can't get more vocals AND fusion than this:

(and btw, did you spotted the guitar player ?)

[interbellum]

And the first (self-titled) one is excellent too, also including vocals by Joy Yates (Dave MacRae's wife). It's a pity that these two great records never have been re-issued on CD. Maybe a good project for Esoteric, provided that they could get the rights ?

CharismaVirgin did release them on CD in 1990, but only in Japan as part of "the Japanese Virgin British Rock History Vol. 12 series".

[interbellum]

You can't get more vocals AND fusion than this:

(and btw, did you spotted the guitar player ?)

Isn't that that guy playing with Phil Collins?

[unclemeat]

[Rarebird]

A couple of Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra albums have some vocals. Not to mention Michal Urbaniak's Fusion.

Listening to Musicmagic now and the vocals are really diminishing my enjoyment. The same goes for Mahavishnu Orchestra with vocals.
Other things with vocals mentioned in this thread, I like, like Wigwam, Ruphus, or Made In Sweden.

[FrippWire]

I haven't read every comment so forgive me if my suggestions are duplicates but there are some vocals on some things by George Duke or Narada Michael Walden.

[Mister Triscuits]

Listening to Musicmagic now and the vocals are really diminishing my enjoyment. The same goes for Mahavishnu Orchestra with vocals.

I've always disliked Musicmagic, but I love Visions of the Emerald Beyond.

[pb2015]

Visions was good (and with less space for vocals than Apocalypse).

As far as Chick Corea with vocals, I like Touchstone from the early 80's (almost all instrumental but the first track has wordless Gayle Moran parts).

[MagmaShark]

I haven't read every comment so forgive me if my suggestions are duplicates but there are some vocals on some things by George Duke or Narada Michael Walden.

Speaking of Narada I would definitely recommend the Warriors Live in Palo Alto from 1983
Probably 25% vocals which are actually quite good and 75% seventies jazz rock fusion.
Smokin' hot music all around

[Bytor]

You can't get more vocals AND fusion than this:

(and btw, did you spotted the guitar player ?)

And on drums, it's Marc Craney who played with Jethro Tull, right?

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Boy, there may be exceptions, but it's been my experience that vocals usually ruin good fusion records. Maybe ruin is too strong a word. Perhaps tarnish? Bruford's Feel Good to Me and Gradually Going Tornado, some Tony Williams Lifetime, and Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group come immediately to mind. I can only shake my head and say "why?!".

[Czyszy]

Personally, I disagree. Great vocals usually enhance jazz fusion for me!
Here's a cool example:

[Crawford Glissadevil]

I prefer jazz fusion without vocals. I like vocals, but not with jazz fusion.

[Trane]

I prefer jazz fusion without vocals. I like vocals, but not with jazz fusion.

Scatting is allright with my JR/F (since they use voices as an instrument), I'm generally not a fan of a singer in that genre.

Actually I shun sung JR/F, though I wouldn't say that I flee it.

Vanelli and his disco look (gold chain through a front rug through an open shirt) and his vocals repelled me back then and still does today.