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It was Headhunters that got me into HH--man that's a killer record. All three of those records (Headhunters, Thrust and Man-Child) were some heavily deep, funky shit.
I'm sort of sorry to say that, for some time, my idea of Herbie Hancock had been inextricably tied to terrifying images of masturbating mannequins, some turntable scratching, and a goofy-sounding Moog.
I was five years old. To this day, the word "rockit" sends me to a very weird place, makes me feel kind of icky, totally creeps me out. After seeing the segment on Sunday Morning, however, I feel the need to run out and explore Hancock's earlier work. Takin' Off, Maiden Voyage, and Head Hunters seem essential.
There was something else about the segment, though, that caught my interest. In the background of one of the frames, I noticed what appeared to be a familiar pair of loudspeakers. A quick Google search confirmed my suspicions: Herbie Hancock listens to Tetra 606 loudspeakers, big brothers of the 505s, which we reviewed in August 2005.
There is a very good reason why Herbie bought the 606s -- they are exceptional listening instruments. Rob Fraboni(producer for the Stones, Dylan, et al) uses his 606s for mastering. Indeed, I'm the proud owner of 506s and cannot wait to upgrade to 606s. Cheers,TM