I really want to like this, and the return of the arena-rock sound certainly hits me in the nostalgia, but the lyrics are lacking - you can feel the lack of a Berg who pushes for specificity instead of broad statements. Hopefully the rest of the album is a pleasant surprise, and it will certainly get spun regardless.
Shame they were not able to find the masters here, but for what's possible it's a really nice collection. It's a shame we lost Guaraldi so young - he certainly had more great work in him.
Really nice remaster of a one-of-a-kind album cycle. It took me a while to get into it, but even as the somewhat crazed music of a genius in crisis, the genius still shows.