Smith could hardly have predicted the longevity of Vital Information when Columbia signed him as a solo artist after he’d hauled in the pop dollars for them with Journey. A no-frills package (although there are a couple of ‘bonus’ tracks Smith discovered while pulling together the project), this release includes the eponymous debut plus Orion, Global Beat and Fiafiaga. Fans may have these releases, and newbies may prefer Smith's later explorations of the bop tradition entwined with his fascination for konnakol rhythms. That said, both Global Beat, in its range of percussions, from Narell's steel pans, to talking drums and congas, and likewise Fiafiaga, flirt with world rhythms.

But the rock home base for these early outings couldn't be more explicit than on VI's debut with Stern and Brown laying down spectacularly OTT solos that may re-organise your molecular structure. Wilczewski's Breckerish sax leavens the twin guitar attack on Orion, although there's a mellower, more radio friendly, pop-funk feel to Global Beat, as well those more varied rhythms. But none of this really preps you for the wider jazzish world Smith and his pals would explore later.