Tracklist:

Stepping Into Tomorrow

Design A Nation

We're Together

Think Twice

Makin' It

Rock & Roll Again

You Are The World

I Love The Girl

Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series.

Buy it for Think Twice and then let the rest of this Mizell produced wonder take over your mind, body and soul. Aside from a high price VMP repress this is the first repress since 1975. Long overdue!

Donald Byrd’s 1974 fusion masterpiece Stepping Into Tomorrow was a high-water mark of the legendary trumpeter’s vibrant latter Blue Note years. Byrd had begun recording for Blue Note in 1958, and over the course of his tenure evolved from a top-notch hard bop trumpeter into a pioneer of R&B/Funk fusion, leading the label’s own creative direction along a similar path. Byrd began to introduce elements of fusion to his music with his 1969 album Fancy Free and shadowed Miles Davis early-1970s moves with experimental sessions like Electric Byrd and Ethiopian Knights. When Byrd hooked up with visionary producer Larry Mizell for his landmark 1972 album Black Byrd a new sound coalesced: funky and sultry, sophisticated yet accessible, with intricate arrangements that allowed Byrd’s trumpet to soar over top. A string of commercial successes followed, the third of which was Stepping Into Tomorrow featuring the standout title track and “Think Twice,” which would become touchstones for future hip-hop generations including artists like J Dilla, Madlib, and A Tribe Called Quest. The album featured contributions from saxophonist Gary Bartz, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Fonce Mizell, bassist Chuck Rainey, drummer Harvey Mason & others.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.