Turn It Over

Turn It Over is the second album by the American jazz fusion group the Tony Williams Lifetime, released in 1970 via Polydor Records.^[7][8] It was rereleased by Verve Records in 1997, as part of Spectrum: The Anthology.^[9] Williams is again joined by guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, along with former Cream frontman Jack Bruce on bass guitar.

Turn It Over
Studio album by The Tony Williams Lifetime
Released	December 1970
Recorded	July 1970^[1]
Studio	Olmstead Sound Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz fusion, jazz-rock
Length	34:50 38:36 (reissue)
Label	Polydor Records
Producer	Monte Kay, Jack Lewis, Tony Williams
The Tony Williams Lifetime chronology
Emergency! (1969) Turn It Over (1970) Ego (1971)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Robert Christgau	B+^[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD	^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[6]

Production

Jack Bruce joined the group for Turn It Over, providing bass and vocals.^[10] Tony Williams was excited by the amplification he could employ during the recording of the album; his liner notes repeatedly instruct the listener to play the album at a high volume.^[8] Williams described the album as his version of the MC5's Kick Out the Jams.^[11]

The album contains a rendition of John Coltrane's "Big Nick".^[12]

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album "one of the more intense pieces of early jazz-rock fusion around," writing that "in parts, it's like Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys with much better chops."^[2] JazzTimes praised Larry Young's "fearsome long tones and wobbly distortions" and "psychedelic, dissonant harmonies."^[13] Vibe deemed Turn It Over "one of the most violent, raucous recordings ever to issue from a noted jazz musician."^[10] The Guardian called it "tougher" than the debut, singling out the performance of "Big Nick".^[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"To Whom It May Concern - Them"	Chick Corea	4:18
2.	"To Whom It May Concern - Us"	Corea	2:58
3.	"This Night This Song"	Tony Williams	3:45
4.	"Big Nick"	John Coltrane	2:43
5.	"Right On"	Williams	1:52
6.	"Once I Loved"	Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Ray Gilbert	5:05
7.	"Vuelta Abajo"	Williams	4:57
8.	"A Famous Blues"	John McLaughlin	4:15
9.	"Allah Be Praised"	Larry Young	4:39

Reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"One Word" (originally released as a UK single, 1970)	McLaughlin	3:45
Total length:			38:36

Personnel

• Tony Williams - drums, vocals on "This Night This Song", "Once I Loved", "A Famous Blues"
• John McLaughlin - guitar, vocals on "A Famous Blues"
• Larry Young - organ
• Jack Bruce - bass, lead vocals on "One Word"

References

1. Mandel, Howard (2010). Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz. Routledge. p. 73.
2. "Turn It Over - The Tony Williams Lifetime, Tony Williams | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
3. "Robert Christgau: CG: The Tony Williams Lifetime". www.robertchristgau.com.
4. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 693.
5. Cook, Richard (2000). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (5th ed.). Penguin Books. p. 912.
6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 772.
7. Meeder, Christopher (August 6, 2012). Jazz: the Basics. Routledge. ISBN 9781135887124 – via Google Books.
8. Fellezs, Kevin (August 8, 2011). Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0822350477 – via Google Books.
9. "Energy, Sheer Musical Force Drive Williams' 'Spectrum'". Los Angeles Times. February 28, 1997.
10. Tate, Greg (Sep 1997). "The Real Music". Vibe. 5 (7): 242.
11. Macnie, Jim (Mar 8, 1997). "Renowned jazz drummer Tony Williams, 51, dies". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 10. pp. 10, 76.
12. Fordham, John (28 Nov 1997). "This week's jazz cd releases". The Guardian. Friday. p. 4.
13. West, Michael J. (6 April 2020). "JazzTimes 10: Key Post-Bitches Brew Fusion Albums". JazzTimes.