Mysterious Traveller is the fifth album of Weather Report released in 1974.. This album marked the end of bassist Miroslav Vitouš's tenure with the band. Vitouš was replaced by Alphonso Johnson. Another addition to the line-up is drummer Ishmael Wilburn. Greg Errico was the drummer for the tour between the previously released Sweetnighter and this album, but declined an invitation to be a permanent member of the band.
The record is generally considered to be the band's first that predominantly uses electric bass and incorporates liberal uses of funk, R&B grooves, and rock that would later be hallmarked as the band's "signature" sound. Also, the more restricted compositional format became evident on this album, replacing the more "open improvisation" formats used on the first 3 albums. It was voted as the album of the year by the readers of Down Beat for 1974, garnering their 2nd overall win in that category. Some consider this to be the band's best overall compositional effort.
Read more about Mysterious Traveller: Track Listing, Personnel
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—D.H. (David Herbert)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)