- Bayette -- vocals, keyboards, guitar (1976-77)
- Doni Harvey -- vocals, bass (1976)
- Jerome Rimson -- bass (replaced Doni Harvey) (1977)
- Michael Shrieve -- drums (1976)
- Glenn Symmonds -- drums (replaced Michael Shrieve)

  (1976-77)
- Pat Thrall -- guitar (1976-77) 
  

- Asia (Pat Thrall)
- Go (Michael Shrieve)
- Hagar, Schon, Aaronson, Shrieve (Michael Shrieve)
- Santana (Michael Shrieve)  

Genre: progressive 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Automatic Man

Company: Island

Catalog: ILPS-9397

Year: 1976

Country/State:  

Grade (cover/record): NM / NM

Comments: still sealed

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 11

Price: $10.00

Cost: $1.00

Before adopting the stage name Bayete, singer/multi-instrumentalist Todd Cochrane recorded a pair of instantly obscure jazz-oriented albums for Prestige (see separate entry). The mid-'70s found Cochran-cum-Bayete hook up with former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve (see separate entry), bassist Doni Harvey and guitarist Pat Thrall. As Automatic Man, the quartet generated considerable attention in their native San Francisco. Signed by Chris Blackwell's Island Records, 1976's "Automatic Man" featured a surprisingly successful blend of Hendrix-styled guitar ("Geni-Geni") and synthesizer based jazz-rock fusion (One 'N One"). While Bayete's voice was no great shakes (he occasionally recalled Daryl Hall), on material such as "Comin Through" and "My Pearl" his energetic performances and spacey keyboards compensated for other shortcomings. Never less than entertaining, the collection attracted favorable reviews, but in an era of disco madness and punk mayhem proved too quirky for radio, peaking at #120.

"Automatic Man' track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Atlantis Rising Fanfare
2.) Comin' Through
3.) My Pearl
4.) One and One
5.) Newspapers

(side 2)

1.) Geni Geni
2.) Right Back Down
3.) There's a Way
4.) I.T.D. (Interstellar Tracking Devices)
5.) Automatic Man
6.) Atlantis Rising Theme

Genre: progressive 

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Visitors

Company: Island

Catalog: ILPS-9492

Year: 1977

Country/State:  

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG

Comments: --

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 12

Price: $6.00

Cost: $1.00

Following the departure of drummer Shrieve and bassist Harvey (replaced by Glenn Symmonds and Jerome Rimson respectively), the new lineup released 1977's "Visitors". Downplaying the debut's guitar pyrotechnics, the new collection featured a less spacey, more commercial, but less innovative collection of funk-rock. While the album wasn't spectacular, several songs, including "Give It To Me" and "Live Wire" were a match for anything heard on top-40 radio. The album sank actually sold better than the debut, hitting #109, but the band subsequently called it quits.

"Visitors" track listing:

(side 1)
1.) Give It to Me
2.) Live Wire
3.) So You Wanna Be
4.) Y2 Me

(side 2)
1.) Visitors
2.) Here I Am Now
3.) Daughter of Neptune
4.) What's Done