thisOneness - Surprize: The Story Of thisOneness 3 x CDs
SKU
OZ 55419
You’ll hear elements of Zao, Happy The Man, Weather Report, Return to Forever, Mahavishnu and much more.
I had never heard of this band or their one release that managed to come out at the time and it’s surprisingly good and professional and ... damn!
"thisOneness was a prog rock/fusion band from MN. From 1974-1976, 3 albums were recorded, one was released. This 3 CD set is a remix of the first album and the unreleased other 2 albums - "Amalgamated Funk" and "Sonic Geometry". The work shows the evolution of some rock cats to almost jazz cats. The booklet that is included tells the story of this band as they attempt to explore, discover and write new music while backing pop icon Olivia Newton-John at the same time. Something had to give so the band quit and went on to record their 3rd album. This is a refreshing look back at a time when music was made to tape and not as easily editable. The love and passion the band had for their music shines through. The influence of Weather Report, Return to Forever and the Mahavishnu Orchestra is evident throughout. For a fun listen, pick up The Story of thisOneness."
“A bit of backstory on this amazing archival release:
thisOneness was a Minnesota based prog/fusion band. Their sole 1975 album "Surprize" has been highly sought after by collectors for decades. Their music sits in two worlds - its an amalgam of progressive rock and the jazz rock/fusion along the lines of Mahavishnu Orchestra and RTF. I wouldn't call it squarely jazz rock because there are some vocals on the album and the flute and sax on "Surprize" is a nice touch.
About 10 years ago I tried to reissue the album. I had good conversations with the band members but they informed me that they didn't have the master tapes. I decided to pass on reissuing the album.
A year ago I was contacted by the band's keyboardist Gregg Inhoffer who discovered the earlier correspondence that he wasn't aware of. It turned out that not only did Gregg have ALL of the tapes (including multi-tracks) but he also had enough for two additional CDs of unreleased material. His plan was to reissue everything as a three CD set.
I am now holding it in my hands and its a thing of beauty. The focus of the release is the period 1974 through 1976. It includes a fully remixed version of the "Surprize" and the two additional discs which find the band moving squarely into a straight on fusion period. It comes with a booklet that chronicles the history of the band - including their time as Olivia Newton-John's backing band. FOR REAL!
This is the best archival release of 2022 by far and its a clear BUY OR DIE release!
NOTE: If you do any searches for the band you'll see their band name listed as This Oneness. It would seem the preferred spelling is one word "thisOneness" and we'll carry on with it this way.”-Ken Golden