Flight of the Cosmic Hippo explained

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
Type:studio
Artist:Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Cover:FlightOfTheCosmicHippo.jpg
Released:June 11, 1991
Recorded:1991, The Castle
Genre:Jazz fusion, post-bop, folk rock, bluegrass
Length:43:57
Label:Warner Bros.
Producer:Béla Fleck with the Flecktones[1]
Prev Title:Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
Prev Year:1990
Next Title:UFO Tofu
Next Year:1992

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo is the second album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1991.[2] It reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.[3] The album title came from an audience member who suggested "Flight of the Codeine Hippo"; the band changed "codeine" to "cosmic".[4]

The album received two Grammy nominations.[5]

Production

The group's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was recorded the night the Gulf War began.[6]

Critical reception

AllMusic's Brian Mansfield wrote: "The Flecktones owe more to bebop than bluegrass, and here the group finally names their style 'blu-bop.' That's why Flight of the Cosmic Hippo topped the jazz, not the country, chart. The Flecktones continue to make it look easy, adding banjo power chords to 'Turtle Rock' and reworking Lennon/McCartney's 'Michelle'." The Chicago Tribune wrote that "this is a group with a warm, engaging sense of humor and a desire to communicate, not a bunch of Berklee whiz kids practicing lessons in advanced harmonics." The Los Angeles Times wrote that "over the course of the Hippo album, the Flecktones ... essay a traditional Irish folk song, 'Star of the County Down'; a spirited rock 'n' roll number, 'Turtle Rock'; a jazzy take on the Beatles' 'Michelle', and a surprisingly soulful reading of '"The Star-Spangled Banner"'."[7] The Indianapolis Star deemed the album "jazz, played with country instruments and down-home warmth—what Chick Corea might sound like if he played with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band."[6]

Track listing

All songs by Béla Fleck unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Blu-Bop" (The Flecktones) – 4:22
  2. "Flying Saucer Dudes" – 4:51
  3. "Turtle Rock" – 4:12
  4. "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" – 4:29
  5. "The Star-Spangled Banner" (Francis Scott Key, arr. The Flecktones) – 2:35
  6. "Star of the County Down" (P.D., arr. The Flecktones) – 4:21
  7. "Jekyll and Hyde (and Ted and Alice)" – 7:04
  8. "Michelle" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 5:10
  9. "Hole in the Wall" – 4:40
  10. "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Reprise)" – 2:14

Personnel

Production notes

Notes and References

  1. Album Reviews . Billboard . Jul 13, 1991 . 103 . 28 . 76.
  2. Potter . Greg . Caught in the middle and loving it: Fans call it psychedelic bluegrass or rural jazz, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones play it to perfection . Vancouver Sun . 27 June 1991 . F5.
  3. Web site: BELA FLECK: THE KING OF PSYCHEDELIC BANJO. Parry. Gettelman. OrlandoSentinel.com.
  4. Pryweller . Joseph . JAZZ IN THE PARK BELA FLECK, SPYRO GYRA TO HEAT UP TOWN POINT FESTIVAL . Daily Press . 15 Aug 1991 . D1.
  5. Harris . Paul A. . Fusion On Folk: Bela Fleck Thrives On Unlikely Blends . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 2 Feb 1992 . 3C.
  6. Lucas . Tim . Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Flight of the Cosmic Hippo Warner Bros. . The Indianapolis Star . 26 July 1991 . C4.
  7. Boehm . Mike . B-A-N-J-O There Was a Player Who Strummed Into Space and Bela Was His Name-Oh . Los Angeles Times . 12 Sep 1991 . 6.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.