LOVE IS THE ANSWER
THE ORIGINAL LP JC 36373 (1980) STEREO
1. In the Park (Smith)
2. Love is the Answer (Smith; Gaines) JR
3. Speak about It (Robinson; Rose) JR JRG
4. Bridge through Time (Saunders)
5. On the Real Side (Smith; Reyes; Ford)
6. The Enchantress (Smith)
7. Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War) (Smith) JR
8. Free and Easy (Powell) WP

BONUS TRACKS
THE ORIGINAL SINGLE 23-10882 (1978) STEREO
9. Space Princess (Miller) DS special disco version

THE ORIGINAL SINGLE AS 653 (1979) STEREO
10. A Song for the Children (Miller) JR special version of the 7-inch single

THE ORIGINAL SINGLE 1-11269 (1980) STEREO
11. Love is the Answer (Smith; Gaines) JR 7-inch edit
12. Bridge through Time (Saunders) 7-inch edit

THE ORIGINAL SINGLE 1-11217 (1980) STEREO
13. Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War) (Smith) JR 7-inch edit
14. Free and Easy (Powell) WP 7-inch edit

Vocalists:
JR James Robinson;
DS Donald Smith
Personnel:
Lonnie Liston Smith (acoustic piano, electric piano, Crumar Performer, Crumar Organ, clavinet)
James Robinson (vocal);
Dave Hubbard (tenor sax, soprano sax, flutes);
Abdul Wali (guitar)
Paris Ford (bass guitar);
Lino Reyes (drums);
Asante (percussion);
Lawrence Killian (congas, bongos)
JRG James Robinson (additional guitar);
WP William Powell (additional guitar)

Throughout the 1970s and ’80s keyboardist, composer and bandleader Lonnie Liston Smith was at the forefront of the jazz fusion movement, releasing a string of albums that are now considered genre classics. Smith’s jazz pedigree is immaculate – having progressed through the bands of Art Blakey, Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri and Miles Davis, in 1973 he formed his own unit, The Cosmic Echoes, with whom he recorded the seminal 1975 album Expansions. In 1978 he signed to Columbia Records, making four albums for the company, the last of which, 1980’s Love is the Answer, is reissued here. A superb example of Smith’s cosmic, funky jazz, the band on these sessions included Paris Ford (bass guitar), Lino Reyes (drums), Dave Hubbard (saxes/woodwind) and James Robinson (vocals/guitar). Guided by Smith’s trademark Fender Rhodes sound, they lay down a fierce set of grooves including the dancefloor epics Give Peace a Chance and On the Real Side, countered by the sensuous, otherworldly atmosphere of Love is the Answer, The Enchantress and Bridge Through Time. Also included are six bonus tracks, among them Space Princess and A Song for the Children, both featuring bass guitarist Marcus Miller. Remastered from the original analogue tapes. Includes an eight-page booklet with extensive new liner note.

CDSML8522

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