Return to Forever ♫ Romantic Warrior ♫ 1976 Columbia Records Vinyl LP w/Insert

Description: Welcome to Classic Cadillac Records! I visually grade all my records as accurately as possible and will never grade anything above Near Mint unless it's still sealed. Please note that a visual grade can differ from a play grade, and am happy to spot check a record upon request. All orders are shipped within 1 business day (usually sooner) and packed with extra care to ensure fast, safe arrival. Please look closely at all pictures, read all relevant details and ask any questions you may have before buying. I offer a full 30-day return policy on everything I sell, so buy with confidence! 20% restocking fee charged on items returned for reasons other than it not working properly. Thanks for looking!Romantic WarriorStudio album by Return to ForeverReleased1976RecordedFebruary 1976StudioCaribou Ranch (Nederland, Colorado, US)GenreJazz fusion progressive rockLength45:28LabelColumbiaProducerChick CoreaReturn to Forever chronologyNo Mystery (1975)Romantic Warrior (1976)Musicmagic (1977)Chick Corea chronologyThe Leprechaun (1976)Romantic Warrior (1976)My Spanish Heart (1976)Romantic Warrior is the sixth studio album by the American jazz fusion band Return to Forever, released in 1976 by Columbia Records. After releasing their previous album, No Mystery (1975), their fourth for Polydor Records, the group moved to Columbia and retreated to Caribou Ranch near Nederland, Colorado to record their next album. It was also their first to be credited solely to Return to Forever, removing the "featuring Chick Corea" tag. The album is more avant-garde and less funky than No Mystery, and remains the band's highest selling album with over 500,000 copies sold in the US.ProductionRecordingThe album was recorded in a ranch located near the town of Nederland, Colorado (pictured in 2005)Romantic Warrior was recorded in February 1976 at Caribou Ranch, located near Nederland, Colorado.MusicChick Corea contributed the longest compositions while the other members each composed one piece. The opener, "Medieval Overture", with its distinctive melodic motifs, sets the mood for the rest of the album. Lenny White's "Sorceress" starts with a funky riff and is distinguished by Corea's synthesizers. The title track, "The Romantic Warrior", is fully acoustic. It has a long intro, which is followed by a short theme consisting of one riff. Each group member, excluding White, plays a long solo. An extended outro follows, during which fast unison patterns are heard.On side two, Al Di Meola's song, "Majestic Dance", relies on rock riffs and distorted lead guitar sound, and features fast harpsichord-like synth figures. Clarke's "The Magician" is a complex composition, featuring playful melodies, and rapid unison lines. The last track of the album is Corea's "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant", the longest song on the album. It has a more conventional melody as a main theme, but follows the style of previous tracks. Notable is the intense keyboard solo showcasing Corea.After this album Corea decided that the group's time had come to an end and he continued with a new Return to Forever line-up with Clarke. Corea dedicated the album to the founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.Critical receptionProfessional ratingsRetrospective reviewsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusicChristgau's Record GuideD+ The Rolling Stone Jazz Record GuideThe Penguin Guide to Jazz RecordingsSputnikmusicIn a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann praised Romantic Warrior as "the sound of a mature band at the top of its game, which may help explain why it was Return to Forever's most popular album, eventually certified as a gold record, and the last by this assemblage." In another retrospective review for Sputnikmusic, Brendan Schroer argued that the "true magic of the collective’s work was in how these musicians could work off each other and make something both emotionally resonant and musically abstruse" and opined that "Romantic Warrior plays out as a wonderful - if slightly flawed - melding of incredible technical feats and inner-band chemistry".Noted rock-fusion-despising critic Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic about the record. In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he called it "jazz-rock's answer to Emerson, Lake & Palmer--the worst of both worlds"; and Corea's compositions "pompous", faux classical; while deriding certain members of his group's playing as being on display "in all their dazzling vacuity".Chart performanceYearChartPosition1976Billboard 200351976Billboard Jazz Albums31976Billboard R&B Albums23Track listingSide oneNo.TitleWriter(s)Length1."Medieval Overture"Chick Corea5:142."Sorceress"Lenny White7:343."The Romantic Warrior"Corea10:52Side twoNo.TitleWriter(s)Length4."Majestic Dance"Al Di Meola5:015."The Magician"Stanley Clarke5:296."Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant (Parts I and II)"Corea11:26Total length:45:28

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