Early on, Connors didn't have the accolades bestowed on contemporaries like Billy Cobham or Tony Williams.
Connors simply didn't possess their chops in the jazz idiom.
But in a genre closer to R&B, and as an assembler of talent, Connors was in a league all his own.
Slewfoot provided Connors all he needed to do in the "serious" vein, with tracks like "Mother of the Future." You Are My Starship has the sound of previous albums coming to fruition.
The atmospheric title track represents a classic in the genre, with Michael Henderson's smooth vocals and bass playing, plus a solo on soprano sax by Gary Bartz.
Connors does a masterful, slowed-down remake of the Stylistics' "Betcha By Golly Wow" with Phillis Hyman's bittersweet and romantic vocal.
Hyman and Henderson duet on "We Both Need Each Other," and it shows genuine sexual chemistry between the two.
Even though this was released in 1976, Connors was still having difficulties letting go of the old sound, as the Latin-styled but aimless "Just Imagine" proved.
Connors put a good gloss on the often-recondite "The Creator Has a Master Plan (Peace)." You Are My Starship has some great work, and it's only one or two songs away from being truly essential.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | We Both Need Each OtherM.J. Henderson | Norman Connors | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | So Much LoveNorman Connors | Norman Connors | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | The Creator Has a Master PlanPharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas | Norman Connors | Play | 07:07 | 16 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | We Both Need Each Other (Remastered) | Norman Connors, Phyllis Hyman, Michael Henderson | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 mins | 41 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don Alias | Congas, Percussion |
| 2 | Gary Bartz | Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano) |
| 3 | Thom Bell | Composer |
| 4 | John Blake | Violin |
| 5 | Ed Caraeff | Design, Photography |
| 6 | Neil Clarke | Congas, Percussion |
| 7 | Norman Connors | Arranger, Assistant Producer, Composer, Drums, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 8 | Linda Creed | Composer |
| 9 | Skip Drinkwater | Producer, Remixing |
| 10 | Hubert Eaves III | Harpsichord, Piano |
| 11 | Bernie Grundman | Mastering |
| 12 | Onaje Allan Gumbs | Composer |
| 13 | M.J. Henderson | Composer |
| 14 | Michael Henderson | Composer |
| 15 | Phyllis Hyman | Vocals |
| 16 | Anthony Jackson | Bass |
| 17 | Carter Jefferson | Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano) |
| 18 | Keith Loving | Guitar |
| 19 | Earl McIntyre | Trombone |
| 20 | Larry McRae | Bass |
| 21 | Don Murray | Engineer |
| 22 | Tom Nikosey | Lettering |
| 23 | Shunzo Ohno | Composer, Trumpet |
| 24 | Noel Pointer | Violin |
| 25 | Sharon Redd | Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Lee Ritenour | Guitar |
| 27 | Tim Sadler | Assistant Engineer |
| 28 | Pharoah Sanders | Composer |
| 29 | Jerry Schoenbaum | Producer |
| 30 | Tom Scott | Melodica |
| 31 | Joe Sidora | Engineer |
| 32 | Joe Sidore | Engineer |
| 33 | Milton Sincoff | Creative Packaging Direction |
| 34 | Maretha Stewart | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Neal Teeman | Assistant Engineer |
| 36 | Leon Thomas | Composer |
| 37 | Tasha Thomas | Vocals (Background) |
| 38 | Ian Underwood | Arp Strings, Mini Moog |
| 39 | Tommy Vicari | Remixing |
| 40 | Art Webb | Flute |
| 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. |