Steve Smith & Vital Information: The Complete Columbia Recordings

Wounded Bird Records has released the first four Vital Information albums in a four CD set. The music was originally recorded for Columbia Records from 1983-1988. The albums have been newly mastered from original ¼” masters. Steve Smith explains, “I searched my storage unit and found unmastered, ¼” safety copies of all four albums. My mastering engineer, Jim Brick of Absolute Audio, had the tapes baked and transferred onto digital. Jim did such an amazing job with the new mastering of the albums that they sound far better than the original releases.”

The first album, called Vital Information, was recorded in January of 1983, shortly after Steve had finished recording the Journey album Frontiers. As the long-time drummer of the group Journey, Columbia Records signed Smith as a solo artist. Smith went to work recording a group of musicians he had been playing with since the early 70s at the Berklee College of Music, which became the first incarnation of Vital Information. The first album features Mike Stern and Dean Brown on guitars, Tim Landers on bass, David Wilczewski on sax with Steve Smith on drums. As Vital Information developed through extensive live touring and studio savvy, the next three albums, Orion, Global Beat, and Fiafiaga (Celebration), feature a plethora of virtuosic and talented players including Andy Narell on steel pans, Ray Gomez, Barry Finnerty and Frank Gambale on guitars, Tom Coster, Kit Walker and Jay Oliver on keyboards, Lenny Castro, Mike Fisher and Armando Peraza on percussion and Kai Eckhardt on bass.

In the process of searching for master tapes, Smith found two unreleased, bonus tracks from Global Beat: “Jave and a Nail Revisited,” a drumset and percussion improvisation with Smith and percussionist Mike Fisher, and “Forget Me Not,” a medium tempo melodic piece featuring solos by guitarist Mike Stern and pianist Tom Coster. Both tracks are included in the new Wounded Bird collection.

Disc 1: Vital Information

1. Looks Bad Feels Good 

2. Questionable Arrivals 

3. V.G.

4. Vital Information

5. All That Is

6. Stoughton to Stockholm Samba 

7. 13th Month

Disc 2: Orion

1. Future Primitive

2. Thank You Mr. Edison

3. The Strut

4. Orion

5. Blade

6. The Adventures of Hector and Jose

7. Shadows PAst

8. Blues to Bappe II

Disc 3: Global Beat

1. One Flight Up

2. Island Holiday

3. Johnny Cat

4. Novato

5. Sunset

6. Jave and a Nail

7. Jave and a Nail Revisited

8. Global Beat

9. Black Eyebrows

10. In a Low Voice

11. Traditions in Transition

12. Blues to Bappe I

13. Forget Me Not

Disc 4: Fiafaga (Celebration)

1. Please Don’t Feel Bad

2. The Chant

3. Maltese Connection

4. Fiafaga (Celebration)

5. Babaluwaiye (The Creator)

6. Sunday Afternoon

7. The Perfect Date

8. Whenever You're Ready

9. 50/50