Perfect Machine (album)

Infobox Album | Name = Perfect Machine
Type = Studio album
Artist = Herbie Hancock


Released = 1988
Recorded = 1988
Genre = Jazz fusion, Post-modern bop, Electronica, R&B, Electro-funk
Length = 35:48 (Original LP)
Label = Columbia Records
Producer = Bill Laswell/Material
Herbie Hancock
Reviews =
Last album = "Village Life"
(1985)
This album = "Perfect Machine"
(1988)
Next album = "A Tribute to Miles"
(1994)

"Perfect Machine" is the thirty-seventh album by Herbie Hancock, and the last with the Rockit Band.

About the Album

The last of the three Rockit band albums, "Perfect Machine" was also the last album at Columbia Records for Herbie Hancock.

Winning his second Grammy award for Best R&B Performance for the album "Sound-System", then winning his Academy Award in 1986 for his original score to the Dexter Gordon starred movie Round Midnight (in which he also acted in), "Perfect Machine" was the least popular of the three Rockit band albums.

Even though this album produced a unique music video for "Vibe Alive", this album failed to receive fair reviews. Many people criticized the fact that maybe Hancock did little or no work on this album, even the fact that the music video showed that Hancock did not do much work.

The title track for instance, was Hancock going into a world electronic for the first time, even using the Vocoder (which he also used on "Future Shock"). Plus, trying to recapture the magic from his 1965 hit "Maiden Voyage", he turned the song electric for the first time on a record.

Track listing

All songs by Hancock/Laswell/Collins/Bonner, except where noted.

#"Perfect Machine" (Hancock/Laswell/Skopelitis) - 6:35
#"Obsession" - 5:20
#"Vibe Alive" (Hancock/Laswell/Collins/Bonner/Micro Wave) - 5:26
#"Beat Wise" - 5:52
#"Maiden Voyage/B. Bop" - 6:34
#"Chemical Residue" (Hancock) - 6:01
#"Vibe Alive" (Extended Dance Mix)* - 8:13
#"Beat Wise" (12-Inch Edit)* - 6:28

*Tracks marked with an asterisk(*) available only on the CD re-issue.

Production credits

Producers

**Material
**Herbie Hancock

Musicians

**Herbie Hancock: Piano, Fairlight CMI series I & II, Rhodes Chroma, Apple/Mac Plus, Yamaha Dx-1, Yamaha DX7 and DX7-IIFD, Kurzweil K-250, Yamaha TX 8/16, Oberheim Matrix-12, Akai 900-S, Vocorder
**Jeff Bova: Synth Programming
**William "Bootsy" Collins: Electric bass, Vocorder
**Sugarfoot: vocals
**Nicky Skopelitis: Fairlight drums
**Mico Wave: Minimoog bass, Talk box, Vocorder
**D.S.T.: Turntables, "FX"

*Mixed by Dave Jerden, Associate Producer: Tony Meilandt, engineered by Martin Bisi, Mike Krowiak, Dave Jerden, Billy Yodelman and Bryan Bell. Mastered by Howie Weinberg.