Always tied to a confusing time line, the first released recording from the original configuration of was actually their second session. An initial studio date from the label done in February of 1972 wasn't issued until after the band had changed in 1975. The / recording from October of 1972 is indeed this 1973 release, featuring the same band with , , and . There's no need splitting hairs, as both are five-star albums, showcasing many of the keyboardist's long enduring, immediately recognizable, and highly melodic compositions. 's happy flute, 's in-the-clouds wordless vocals, the electrifying percussion of 's deft and loping electric bass guitar lines are all wrapped in a stew of Brazilian samba and 's Fender Rhodes electric piano, certainly setting a tone and the highest bar for the music of peer groups to follow. -- the seed for the band sans and that was expanded into a full concept album with -- is here as a steamy fusion samba with dancing on the keys. By now the beautiful has become 's signature song with 's lyrics and 's stabbing chords, and unfortunately became a hippie drug anthem. Perhaps 's definitive song of all time, and covered ad infinitum by professional and school bands, retains the quirky melody, handclapped interlude, up-and-down dynamics, exciting jam section, and variation in time, tempo, and colorations that always command interest despite a running time of near ten minutes. is a romantic classic that surely has been heard at many weddings, with another lyric by sung in heaven by , while the title track is 's lyric in a looser musical framework with 's chart coalescing with 's pungent flute work. As much as the others have become icons, the extraordinary sound of on this date should never be trivialized or underestimated. The final track, was a springboard for several of 's full-length album projects, and is heard here for the first time via a trio setting in a slow, birthlike motif. The expanded version of this recording includes many alternate takes of four of these selections, but also includes which was not on any albums, and there are four versions of which was only available on the release. From a historical perspective, this is the most important effort of 's career, quite different than his prior previous progressive or improvising efforts, and the pivotal beginning of his career as the most popular contemporary jazz keyboardist in history. ~ Michael G. Nastos