Automatic Man -

Automatic Man was an American space-funk band from San Francisco that released the 1976–77 albums Automatic Man and Visitors on Island Records.

Members: Bayeté (keyboards, vocals), Pat Thrall (guitar), Doni Harvey (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums)

Background

Automatic Man formed in 1975 in San Francisco when drummer Michael Shrieve, fresh from a lengthy Santana tenure, teamed with jazz-funk keyboardist Tom Cochran and two relative newbies: guitarist Pat Thrall and bassist Doni Harvey.

Shrieve (b. July 6, 1949; SF) emerged as a teenage prodigy on the mid-Sixties Bay Area blues-rock scene. He joined Santana ahead of their August 1969 Woodstock performance and played on their first six studio albums: Santana, Abraxas, Santana III, Caravanserai, Welcome, and Borboletta. Amid these activities, he also played on titles by David Crosby, Luis Gasca, Mill Valley Bunch, and the 1973 Columbia release Love Devotion Surrender, the joint album between Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin. Shrieve left Santana after their 1974 live release Lotus.

Cochran (b. September 3, 1951; SF) emerged at age 17 as a sideman of veteran jazz saxophonist John Handy. In 1971, he played on albums by saxist Hadley Caliman (Iapetus) and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson (Head On). Under the mononym Bayeté, Cochran recorded the 1972–73 jazz-funk albums Worlds Around the Sun and Seeking Other Beauty for Presige Records. The former contains “Free Angela,” which Santana cover on Lotus. In 1974, Bayeté appeared on the acclaimed ECM release Love, Love by Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto.

Thrall (b. August 26, 1953; Alameda) first recorded with Cookin’ Mama, a communal rock band that issued the 1972 album New Day on the Marin County private label Rock Bottom. In 1973, he played on two songs (“Snaker,” “Hommage to Hendrix”) on Improvising Rock Guitar, an instructional record by Green Note Publications. His 1975 audition for Shrieve and Cochran earned him a spot in Automatic Man, which found Harvey by chance when they overheard his band in a nearby rehearsal space.

Automatic Man tightened before local audiences and headed to London, where they stayed on King’s Road and secured a two-album deal with Island Records.

Automatic Man

Automatic Man released their self-titled debut album in September 1976 on Island.

The album presents their spacey blend of symphonic rock, funk, and jazz fusion. Bayeté sings and plays keyboards and synthesizers throughout. He wrote everything apart from two tracks (“My Pearl” and “There’s a Way”) group-written with guitarist Pat Thrall, bassist Doni Harvey, and drummer Michael Shrieve. Lyricist Lou Casabianca co-wrote Side B.

The material alternates between compact space-themed instrumentals and syncopated vocal tracks. “Atlantis Rising Fanfare” and “Atlantis Rising Theme” bookend the album with atmospheric synth passages. “Comin’ Through” and “One and One” foreground Bayeté’s synthesizers and vocals, while “My Pearl” and “There’s a Way” highlight tight rhythm interplay between Shrieve and Harvey with Thrall’s guitar solos. The title track and “I.T.D. Interstellar Tracking Devices” probe turbulent astral textures.

A1. “Atlantis Rising Fanfare” (1:37)
A2. “Comin’ Through” (3:35)
A3. “My Pearl” (3:41)
A4. “One and One” (6:01)
A5. “Newspapers” (3:59)
A6. “Geni-Geni” (5:33)

B1. “Right Back Down” (5:56)
B2. “There’s a Way” (5:15)
B3. “I.T.D. Interstellar Tracking Devices” (5:14)
B4. “Automatic Man” (3:54)
B5. “Atlantis Rising Theme” (3:17)

Sessions occurred at Kendun Recorders for lacquer cutting, with engineering and mixing by Keith Harwood and Chris Kimsey. The album was co-produced by Automatic Man and Lou Casabianca.

Automatic Man features artwork by Dwain Zerio and photography by Jim Lee. The image depicts a disembodied alien face against a blue backdrop, reflecting the band’s space-oriented concept.

Lineup Change

Between albums, Doni Harvey and Michael Shrieve left Automatic Man. Shrieve co-headed the 1976 Island release Go, a collaborative effort with Stomu Yamash’ta, Steve Winwood, Al Di Meola, and Klaus Schulze. Harvey played along with Shrieve on the 1977 Arista followup, Go Too.

Bayeté and Pat Thrall continued Automatic Man with drummer Glenn Symmonds and Headstone bassist Jerome Rimson, who played on 1976 albums by Brian Parrish, Clancy, The Real Thing, and Yamash’ta’s concert release Go Live From Paris.

Visitors

Automatic Man released their second album, Visitors, in 1977 on Island.

The album showcases a more refined version of the band’s space-funk and symphonic-rock fusion. Keyboardist and lead vocalist Bayeté composed all tracks and provided vocals, with guitarist Pat Thrall contributing guitar arrangements and solos. The new rhythm section of bassist Jerome Rimson and drummer Glenn Symmonds bring a more stable and danceable pulse to the arrangements.

Musically, Visitors balances synth-driven textures with rhythmic propulsion. Tracks like “Give It to Me” and “Live Wire” emphasize danceable pace and synthesizer layers, while “Here I Am Now” features sudden tempo shifts and bursts of guitar. “Daughter of Neptune” and “Visitors” maintain the band’s space-rock sensibility, combining electronic motifs with structured rock phrasing. The album climaxes with “What’s Done,” an extended track that blends improvisational and thematic passages.

A1. “Give It To Me” (3:49)
A2. “Live Wire” (4:45)
A3. “So You Wanna Be” (4:00)
A4. “Y 2 Me” (4:18)

B1. “Visitors” (3:50)
B2. “Here I Am Now” (4:26)
B3. “Daughter of Neptune” (4:13)
B4. “What’s Done” (6:22)

Sessions occurred at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with producer Michael Lloyd and engineer Bruce Robb, assisted by George Tutko. Lionel Conway served as executive producer.

Visitors reuses Dwain Zerio’s chrome alien face against a pink backdrop.

Discography: