Science fiction is a preoccupation of Chick Corea's. Possibly this is a byproduct of his allegiance to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology - or perhaps the other way around.
No surprise then that in the tradition of titles such as Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and Theme to the Mothership the title of the first CD by the fourth incarnation of Return to Forever is The Mothership Returns.
In his liner note, Corea likens the jazz-fusion band - which he started 40 years ago with bassist Stanley Clarke - to a spaceship from which 'solo ships' depart and to which they periodically return.
'In The Mothership Returns we've logged in some of our recent experience with our fourth version of the crew of the Mothership - three of us old hands ... and two old friends new to the Mothership. We've returned to Port NYC [New York City] ... awaiting the next mission orders,' he says.
One way of putting it. To come more down to earth, the three 'old hands' - Corea, Clarke and drummer Lenny White - have revived a brand. The trio are three quarters of what is generally regarded as the 'classic' line-up of the band which lasted from 1974 to 1976 and recorded the albums Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery and Romantic Warrior.
In 1977 Corea fired White and guitarist Al Di Meola, and after one more studio album and a live document of the final line-up, laid Return to Forever to rest.
