[1] School Days (S.Clarke) - 7:50
[2] Quiet Afternoon (S.Clarke) - 5:05
[3] Dancer (S.Clarke) - 5:23
[4] Desert Song (S.Clarke) - 6:53
[5] Hot Fun (S.Clarke) - 2:50
[6] Life Is Just a Game (S.Clarke) - 9:00
STANLEY CLARKE - Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Electric Bass,
Chimes, Gong, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Bells, Producer, Piccolo Bass,
Humming, Handbells
JEFF BECK - Guitar
BUDDY CHILDERS - Bass, Brass
GEORGE DUKE - Synthesizer, Keyboards
BILLY COBHAM - Drums, Moog Synthesizer
CHICK COREA - Keyboards
DAVID SANCIOUS - Organ, Guitar, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer, Mini Moog
RAY GOMEZ - Electric & Rhythm Guitar
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN - Acoustic Guitar
ICARUS JOHNSON - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
LENNY WHITE - Drums
MILT HOLLAND - Percussion, Conga, Triangle
JON FADDIS - Trumpet
TOM "Bones" MALONE - Trombone
LEW SOLOFF - Trumpet
DAVID TAYLOR - Trombone
MARILYN BAKER - Strings
JOHN CLARK - Horn
ALBERT AARONS - Bass, Brass
STUART BLUMBERG - Bass, Brass
GEORGE BOHANNON - Bass, Brass
THOMAS BUFFUM - Strings
DAVID CAMPBELL - Strings
EARL CHAPIN - Horn
ROLLICE DALE - Strings
ROBERT DUBOW - Strings
ROBERT FINDLEY - Bass, Brass
STEVE GADD - Drums
JANICE GOWER - Strings
GARY GRANT - Bass, Brass
GERRY BROWN - Drums, Bells, Handbells
CHARLES JOHNSON - Guitar
KAREN JONES - Strings
DENNIS KARMAZYN - Strings
GORDON MARRON - Strings
LEW MCCREARY - Bass, Brass
JACK NIMITZ - Bass, Brass
WILLIAM PETERSON - Bass, Brass
ALAN RUBIN - Trumpet
DALTON SMITH - Bass, Brass
LYA STERN - Strings
RON STRAUSS - Strings
MARCIA VANDYKE - Strings
WILMER WISE - Horn
JOHN WITTENBERG - Strings
JANICE GOWER ADELE - Strings
PETER GORDON - Horn
JERRY SOLOMON - Assistant Engineer
BOB DEFRIN - Art Direction
Every pro electric bass player and his mother wore out the grooves of
this record when it first came out, trying to cop Clarke's speedy,
thundering, slapped-thumb bass licks. Yet ultimately, it was Clarke's
rapidly developing compositional skills that made this album so
listenable and so much fun for the rest of us, then and now. The title
track not only contributed a killer riff to the bass vocabulary, it is
a cunningly organized piece of music with a well-defined structure.
Moreover, Clarke follows his calling card with two tunes that are even
more memorable — the sauntering ballad "Quiet Afternoon" and an
ebullient, Brazilian percussion-laced number with a good string
arrangement and a terrific groove, "The Dancer." Clarke also brings out
the standup bass for a soulful acoustic dialogue with John McLaughlin
on "Desert Song." Evidently enthused by their leader's material, David
Sancious (keyboards) and Raymond Gomez (guitars) deliver some of their
best solos on records — and with George Duke on hand on one cut,
we hear some preliminary flickerings of Clarke's ventures into the
commercial sphere. But at this point in time, Clarke was triumphantly
proving that it was possible to be both good and commercial at the same
time.
Richard S. Ginell, All-Music Guide
Since the recent split-up of Return to Forever, one scam's had Chick
Corea and Stanley Clarke conceiving an acoustic band. Electric fusion
devotees blue at such news can at least be consoled by School Days.
Recorded only last June, most of it keeps the amplified faith. But how
is more significant: like a current TV performer who's sold as
"sneaky-funny," Days seems sneaky-sensational. Though Clarke's first
two Nemperor LPs were highly crafted, their ambition often protruded
like a sore thumb. The whimsical cover and title of School Days clue
the more relaxed approach within. Yet the result's not pap; rather,
Clarke's impressive "fusion of fusion." Typical is the title track.
There, a disco pulse, static string colors, rock guitar, phased bass
virtuosity and gorgeous orchestral conception mix effortlessly;
compared to similarly intentioned cuts from Journey to Love, Clarke's
previous LP, the tune is catchier, meatier and nowhere near as obvious.
Title aside, School Days suggests maturity, not tutelage; the record is
a consistent success and thus a rare vehicle in the erratic genre of
fusion. (RS 226)
MICHAEL ROZEK - Rolling Sone Posted: Nov, 18 1976
Stanley Clarke - School Days (Epic Records)
Stanley Clarke exhibited phenomenal electric and acoustic bassmanship
with Return To Forever . However, his 1976 solo release heightened his
popularity and provided a benchmark for bass players. A virtual
electric bass soloing clinic takes place on the rock-influenced title
track, an impressive onslaught of octaves, harmonics, and plucking with
blow-you-away speed. Next, Clarke slows the pace with his smooth
piccolo bass work on "Quiet Afternoon." "The Dancer" is a festive
procession grounded in funky bass accompaniment. On the acoustic bass,
Clarke masterfully bows and fingers the pensive "Desert Song." "Hot
Fun" is a funky ditty demonstrating frightful dexterity on the electric
bass. Closing the 37-minute program is "Life Is Just a Game," a
somewhat symphonic excursion featuring Clarke on piccolo, electric, and
acoustic bass as well as vocals; its complex passages at times reach
warp speed. Anything but mediocre, School Days abounds in virtuosity
and versatility. Clarke is to the bass what Michael Jordan is to the
basketball.