Customer Reviews
A slightly flawed, but overall very good funk album - By: The Fish, 22 Oct 2006 
It seems like criticism to say thatin the 1970s, each one of Herbie Hancock's albums was inferior to the previous one. However, it is more of a testament to the 1973 classic, Head Hunters than a judgement of the great man's career, & it is not to say that the albums that succeeded it weren't of considerable quality themselves. That brings us to 1975's Man-child; which followed the spaced-out grooves of Thrust. On that 1974 album, Herbie had changed his sound significantly from his previous effort, &in '75, hot off of Thrust's success, he had altered his style once again.
Man-child opens brilliantly with Hang Up Your Hang-ups, a funk-pop creation that could make the dead tap their feet. As well as snappy guitars, & blazing horns, this album-opener finishes with a cool break-down & an unexpected piano solo. It may sound like Herbie has sold out, but beneath the pop rhythms lie clever instrumentations & great solos from the sax & the keys.
It's a slight shame that the next few tracks can't quite keep up the high standard set by the first. Admittedly, Sun Touch is quite enjoyable(even if it is a poor man's Shaft), & there's masses of fun to be hadin the fantastic Steppin' In It (with a great solo from Stevie Wonder on harmonica!); but the standard is somewhat lowered by the slightly repetitive Trailor, & the distinctly average Bubbles.
However, Man-child ends up being dominated by its closing track, the devilishly twisty & frenetically brilliant Heartbeat. Reminiscent of Riot (Speak Like A Child, Blue Note 1967)in its muted ferocity, Herbie bashes out a brilliant solo to close out the album with style. The funk phase of Hancock's career isn't my personal favourite, but Heartbeat is one of my favourite ever Herbie tunes.
And on that exceptionally high note, the album ends & it is easy to forget about its imperfections. Such as: By using so many different musicians, Man-child struggles to find a tonein which to settle, unlike the cool Head Hunters, or the trippy Thrust. Also, some of the tracks go on for too long without any real direction.
Next upin Hancock's funk odyssey was the quite good Secrets, followed by the not-very-good Mr. Hands, meaning that Man-child should perhaps be treasured as Herbie Hancock's last great album for quite a while. Recommended.
Great fusion album - By: Johan Maes, 15 May 2003 Well i can agree with the reviewer above.Thrust had a litlle more energyin the synergy between bass & drums(amazing on that album)..Manchild is a must for the ones that own thrust & like Herbie's early 70's fusion stuff..
My top 3 :
-Dedication(very rare),mostly japanese import..5 stars..wondurfull ambient jazz..avandgarde techno in track 3 & 4
-Thrust (4.5 stars.. litlle more flat recording,but it's the music that counts!!)
-Manchild
...and the newer "Gershwins world" is my number one jazz cd of the 90's ..excellent recording with a very live feeling for the audiofiles among us( 5 stars recording+music!!!)
Another top album from Herbie. - By: , 11 Jan 2002 This album came outin 1975 after 'Thrust' & it continues the funk theme but this time with a wider range of musicians. The first track 'Hang up your hang ups' is upbeat & funky, it makes you wanna get up & dance!The band is mainly Headhunters but there is a horn section as well that really add something earlier albums didn't have. The rest of the album followsin a similar vein with some mellower moments & more funk. A top moment is Stevie Wonder's harmonica on 'Steppin'in it'. Herbie is superb all the way through & the only reason the album gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that sometimes the songs seem to go on just a touch longer than they should.
