Vinyl plays nicely (play-graded). Cover looks great; a few creases near edges; light-scuffing, tiny surface abrasions, and surface impressions (front/back); discoloration spots near top-right on back. Inner-sleeve is original (credits). Spine is easy-to-read with mild-wear. Minor shelf-wear along top-edge; heavier wear along bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and divots. (Notch in bottom-right.)
Beyond, by Herb Alpert, peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Jazz Albums and No. 28 on Billboard 200. It featured two singles: Kamali (No. 64 R&B Singles) and Beyond (No. 50 Hot 100). The wild success of Rise would lead anyone to the temptation of repeating oneself, and at first, Beyond does plenty of that, grafting the same slow, hand-clapping beat onto several numbers. But Alpert won't sit still for long, and he comes through with some startling things that wake up the record midway through. The funky, percolating party beat of Red Hot starts the engine, which is pushed to an electrifying degree by the sequencer-driven, Echoplexed, hard-charging title track, where we hear Alpert's distinctive horn through a metallic electronic buffer. The most amazing track is the finale, The Factory (featuring Peter Frampton), a terrifying, relentlessly grinding depiction of a soulless foundry that must have shocked sedate former TJB fans who bought this album on a lark, expecting happy music from the past. Bold stuff indeed! (allmusic.com)