Ex-Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper augments his rather infamous fuzz-bass attack by performing on guitar, recorders, soprano sax, and percussion on this reissue of the original LP.
Recorded in 1976 and re-released on CD by Culture Press in 1996 and Cuneiform in 2007, this outing features the bassist's fellow Soft Machine bandmate, saxophonist Elton Dean, along with others of note.
Moreover, Hopper veers into jazz fusion territory amid his often memorably melodic compositions, also including an investigative spin on modern jazz great Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." Hopper and associates mince heavy-handed rhythms with subtle EFX treatments, a jazz waltz motif, dreamy choruses, and commanding jazz-based horn charts.
Here Dean, keyboardist Dave Stewart, and saxophonist Gary Windo add a bit of luster to the session, thanks to emotionally charged soloing and wistful lines.
The Culture Press CD audio characteristics tend to be a bit muddy (a minor flaw), but this shortcoming was remedied by the Cuneiform remastered version of the landmark Hopper Tunity Box in 2007.
This production stands as one of Hopper's finest solo efforts -- largely due to the inspiring ensemble work and the bassist's strong material.
Recommended.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hopper Tunity BoxHugh Hopper, Mike Travis, Gary Windo | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | MiniluvRichard Brunton, Hugh Hopper, Mike Travis, Gary Windo | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Gnat ProngHugh Hopper, Mike Travis | Hugh Hopper | Play | 07:58 | 18 MB | 53 MB |
| 4 | The Lonely Sea and the SkyMarc Charig, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Frank Roberts, Mike Travis | Hugh Hopper | Play | 06:39 | 15 MB | 42 MB |
| 5 | CrumbleRichard Brunton, Hugh Hopper, Frank Roberts, Mike Travis, Gary Windo | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Lonely WomanOrnette Coleman | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Mobile MobileHugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Hugh Hopper | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 8 | Spanish KneeMarc Charig, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Frank Roberts, Mike Travis | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | Oyster PerpetualHugh Hopper | Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 41 mins | 94 MB | |||||
| 41 mins | 262 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Brunton | Composer, Guitar |
| 2 | Marc Charig | Composer, Cornet, Horn (Tenor) |
| 3 | Ornette Coleman | Composer |
| 4 | Elton Dean | Composer, Sax (Alto), Saxophone |
| 5 | Mike Dunne | Engineer, Producer |
| 6 | Bill Ellsworth | Design, Graphic Design |
| 7 | Steve Feigenbaum | Reissue Coordination |
| 8 | Hugh Hopper | Bass, Composer, Cover Design, Guitar, Original Sleeve Design, Percussion, Primary Artist, Producer, Recorder, Sax (Soprano) |
| 9 | Nigel Morris | Composer, Drums |
| 10 | Frank Roberts | Composer, Piano (Electric) |
| 11 | Andrew Rose | Mastering |
| 12 | Mike Travis | Composer, Drums |
| 13 | Gary Windo | Clarinet (Bass), Composer, Saxophone |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |