music.wikisort.org - Composition

Pat Metheny Group is the first album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 1978. It features Pat Metheny on guitars, Lyle Mays on piano and synthesizer, Mark Egan on electric bass, and Danny Gottlieb on drums.

Pat Metheny Group
Studio album by Pat Metheny Group
Released	1978
Recorded	January 1978
Studio	Talent Studio, Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	41:28
Label	ECM
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Pat Metheny chronology
Watercolors (1977) Pat Metheny Group (1978) New Chautauqua (1979)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
All About Jazz	(positive)[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]

Many elements that became defining traits of the band's overall sound were in place on this album, namely Metheny's incorporation of several different guitars and Mays's fusion of electronic and acoustic keyboards to create a fuller, more harmonically sophisticated foundation for the melodies and solos. This is particularly evidenced on the track, "Phase Dance", where Metheny introduces the main melody on an acoustic guitar and then switches to an electric to play one of the improvisational solos, with Mays providing the foundation on keyboards before playing the other solo. "Phase Dance" quickly became a signature song for the Group, most often played in concert as an introductory piece. The track 'Jaco' is a tribute to the bass player Jaco Pastorius.

Track listing

Personnel

• Pat Metheny – 6-and 12-string electric and acoustic guitars
• Lyle Mays – piano, Oberheim synthesizer, autoharp
• Mark Egan – fretless electric bass
• Danny Gottlieb – drums

Charts

Album – Billboard

Year	Chart	Position
1978	Billboard Jazz Albums	5
1978	Billboard Pop Albums	123

References

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