Bob James - Two (1978 Japanese CTI Original 1500 Series LP)

Vinyl: EX
Sleeve: EX
Obi: None

Our grading system explained here.
Photo is of the actual item.

Bob James - Two Vinyl LP - 1978 Japanese CTI Original 1500 Series Limited Edition Stereo Reissue

• Contains "Take Me to the Mardi Gras", one of the most sampled breakbeats in hip-hop history, alongside five further tracks ranging from Bizet to soul
  
• Recorded at Van Gelder Studios December 1974 and January 1975, produced by Creed Taylor for CTI
• 1978 Japanese CTI Original 1500 Series limited edition reissue manufactured by King Record Co. Ltd.

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios in December 1974 and January 1975 and released on CTI in 1975, Two is the second album Bob James made for producer Creed Taylor and the record that established his reputation beyond the jazz world entirely. James arranged and conducted the session himself, playing electric piano, clavinet, ARP Odyssey synthesiser and Yamaha YC30 organ across six tracks that move comfortably between jazz-funk groove, orchestral arrangement, and something approaching lush cinematic mood music. The most celebrated track, "Take Me to the Mardi Gras", is a cover of the Paul Simon song from There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), transformed here into a Latin-inflected jazz-funk instrumental whose opening bars, a cowbell montuno pattern from Ralph MacDonald laid over Andrew Smith's drum break, became one of the most sampled four measures in hip-hop history, appearing in recordings by Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Missy Elliott among hundreds of others. The rest of the album is equally considered: "Farandole", drawn from Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2, receives an eight-minute jazz orchestration; "You're As Right As Rain", written by Linda Creed and Thom Bell, is delivered with a lush, soulful restraint; and the closing "Dream Journey" demonstrates James's instinct for atmosphere over tempo. Eric Gale plays both guitar and bass across most of the record, with Steve Gadd replacing Andrew Smith on drums for "The Golden Apple" and Gary King taking the bass chair on the same track. The trumpet section of Randy Brecker, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, John Frosk and Victor Paz, Hubert Laws on flute, and Eddie Daniels on solo clarinet give the arrangements a richness that sets these CTI recordings apart from the leaner fusion of the same period.

Released in Japan in 1978 on King Record Co. Ltd. as part of the CTI Original 1500 Series, a limited edition reissue run of the label's catalogue. King Record pressings of CTI material from this period are consistently sought by collectors, the combination of Van Gelder's mastering and King's quality control making them among the better ways to hear this music on vinyl.