Weather report's seventh album Heavy Weather was released in 1977. It is the band's second album with bassist Jaco Pastorius, but on this one he is apermanent member of the band (He was also present on 2 tracks of Black Market MOVLP428).

Its opening track, "Birdland", was a significant commercial success, something not typical of instrumental music. A striking feature of "Birdland" is Pastorius picking harmonics on his fretless bass.

Released just as the Jazz-rock or Fusion movement began to run out of steam, this landmark album proved that there was plenty of creative life left in the idiom.

• 180 gram audiophile vinyl