Pat Metheny Group
First Circle
ECM Records/Warner Bros. (US) 1984
ECM 1278 (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : VG+(RW, wear on corner, dirts.)
media : VG+/VG+(some light noise caused by slightly hairlines and scratches. B3 has light click noise caused by small scratch.)
Featured in the first edition of the guidebook Obscure Sound. A 1984 release from super-guitarist Pat Metheny, leading the classic lineup with Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby, Pedro Aznar and Paul Wertico—this being the fifth album under the Pat Metheny Group name. The PMG aesthetic reaches full bloom here: the title track (A3) drifts on an open, buoyant rhythm section beneath crystalline piano and guitar-synth melodies; B1 pairs a Latin-tinged pulse with aching, lyrical guitar and keyboard lines; B2 offers an irresistible floating warmth, like a more mellow companion to the immortal “Are You Going with Me?”. Undoubtedly one of the group’s crowning achievements. The addition of Pedro Aznar lifts the music into another dimension—one might also sense the gentle imprint of Brazilian Minas genius Toninho Horta, a frequent Metheny collaborator.
B2: End of the Game
B3: Mas Alla