School Days cover

School Days

Released

Clarke’s fourth solo album was his commercial breakthrough. The screamingly intense funk-rock title track, led by his popping, bouncing bass line (obviously) but equally driven by high-energy synths, became the song everyone was waiting to hear at his concerts. The album goes a lot of places in only six tracks, though, featuring guest appearances by fellow fusion heavyweights George Duke, Billy Cobham, and John McLaughlin, and orchestral strings and brass on the closing “Hot Fun” and “Life Is Just a Game.”

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Blues Dream cover

Blues Dream

Bill Frisell
Agharta cover

Agharta

Miles Davis
The Flock cover

The Flock

The Flock
No Material cover

No Material

Sonny Sharrock, Nicky Skopelitis, Peter Brötzmann, Jan Kazda, Ginger Baker
All ‘N All cover

All ‘N All

Earth, Wind & Fire
Enigmatic Ocean cover

Enigmatic Ocean

Jean-Luc Ponty
Bright Future cover

Bright Future

Nikola Bankov
Dark Magus cover

Dark Magus

Miles Davis
One For Me cover

One For Me

Shirley Scott
Tower of Power cover

Tower of Power

Tower of Power