Pat Metheny Group+Imaginary Day: Worth a listen and a lot More

It is agreed by most Pat-Heads that this album is not for everyone. Check out the American Garage section of the PMG web site (www.patmethenygroup.com) and you'll see some interesting comments. Or would have, because the thread may have been expunged by now. It got kind of hairy and heated. Some of the complaints are valid, if not funny. (I recall a complaint about the "Chinese Western" feel of the title track.)

At first listen, Imaginary Day is intimidating in a way, it has a heck of a lot going on, perhaps too much. It appears unfocused and now I kind of wonder if that's part of the allure/distaste quotient it engenders. The more I've listened to it, the more it has grown on me and become a real favorite. I may love it some days and not others. Maybe that's the point of the whole PMG thing anyway: "question what you hear."

It's a risky album that way. It's not for most new fans though I know people who only have this one!

My standout cuts: Into the Dream, Across the Sky, Roots of Coincidence (a classic concert piece for years to come), and Follow Me.

I rate it highly and recommend it to those with a hankering for something more than just background music. I'm calling it a "transitional" record for the Group only because it's unlike the other PMG albums and, is therefore, too much for some listeners. It's a real trip. So novice listener beware.