First released in 2006 and now reissued at mid-price this indispensible 3CD and single two-hour live DVD (from 1978 in Offenbach, Germany) of prime Weather Report cuts is both welcome and timely. With another Jazzwise end of year reissues poll topped by an epoch defining Miles Davis recording, the two extremely salient connections here are not just his former sidemen Zawinul and Shorter, but the inclusion of ‘In A Silent Way’ with Davis, McLaughlin et al, and the blistering unreleased second WR take of ‘Directions’ from 1971, which show the seeds were already being sown before Zawinul, Shorter and Vitous unveiled their brave new brew. This perceptive touch is thanks to album producers Bob Belden, Zawinul and Shorter who diligently cover the three main eras of WR's 16-year run, along with an excellent 100-page booklet of photos, essays and track info. Not just trailblazers, WR laid out a sonic-melodic-road map that countless others are still following today, but few, if any, have ever bettered.