My first-ever exposure to Billy Cobham was this album. I purchased it in the summer of 1987 before my senior year of high school at a bookstore in Kirksville, MO, when I went to a drumline camp for a week at what was (then) Northeast Missouri State. I saw the cassette for around $5 (which back then, was very cheap). I had remembered reading an interview with Cobham in Modern Drummer magazine shortly before that and then, right there, was a cheap cassette featuring his drumming. The thing about this release is that the first track "Jailbait" was the only tune I could specifically name prior to hearing the album all these years later. I was a rock-influenced drummer at the time and hearing that tune made me a fan of Cobham's playing.
After listening to the following videos, I wonder what my drumming would be like today had I invested as much time in Billy Cobham's drumming as I did in my main influences, which are (in alphabetical order by last name):
- Tommy Aldridge
- Peter Criss
- Liberty DeVito
- Lars Ulrich
- Alex Van Halen