Reviews (page 5 of 12)
The sax is a bit...intense...
Jazz with lots of experimentation. Interesting to listen to.
Loved it, jazzy weirdness that made me thing of something that would have been in Disney's Fantasia, like when the dinosaurs were going extinct.
80 % de corrélation psychédélique je crois avoir tout entendu après une heure haha
j’étais en train de cogner des clous dans l’autobus en écoutant la première track et la seule image que je voyais dans mes rêves c’était un poulet stressé et frénétique j’ai pas aimé le premier disque. c’est de ça que je voulais parler quand j’étais jeune et que je disais que j’aimais pas le jazz. c’est des instruments joués sans cohésion et je comprends juste pas. genre dans ce cas on entend bien que les musiciens ont beaucoup de talent, mais y’a tellement aucune cohésion entre eux que c’est juste pas plaisant à écouter. ils jouent tous chacun de leur bord plein de notes pas dans une tonalité conventionnelle et il n’y a aucun lien entre les divers instruments. ils ne construisent pas un tout que je trouve beau, ils sont chacun de leur bord en train de construire (et échouer de construire) des choses tellement différentes et qui ne s’emboîtent pas les unes avec les autres. le deuxième disque est beaucoup plus cohésif que le premier, donc je trouve ça meilleur. cependant, même celui-là est un peu trop… expérimental? pour moi donc je pense pas le réécouter. also les jappements de chien (??) tout au long de la dernière track sont gossants ♡: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Honnêtement je l’ai quand même apprécié, la vibe était nice. Sanctuary était cool aussi, i guess
I thought I knew what I was in for but I didn't. I felt like I was trapped in that scene in Dumbo where he gets drunk and stuff gets *weird*.
How do you give a star review to something you don't understand? Maybe one day, when I grow up, I'll understand this. Until then, it's impenetrable. I once read a book by Questlove that had a paragraph about the Davis song Nefertiti and since then I've loved it. So I can get there. But, I think, like reading Ulysses, I need an explainer manual for this kind of jazz. Until then I'll keep trying, but not today Miles. Not today...
In-depth review of **Miles Davis – *Bitches Brew*** (double LP, Columbia 1970) --- ### 1. Lyrics There are none. *Bitches Brew* is a purely instrumental record; any “text” is carried by track titles, cover art, and the human voice only as wordless sound (whispers, shouts, chants caught in the studio). Interpretive meaning therefore comes from: - **Titles** – “Bitches Brew”, “Miles Runs the VooDoo Down”, “Sanctuary” – which hint at black mysticism, erotic power, and safe spiritual space. - **Miles’s muted, conversational trumpet** – treated like a singer who prefers vowels to words, bending pitches the way blues singers bend syllables. --- ### 2. Music – what is actually happening? | Element | What you hear | Why it matters | |---|---|---| | **Form** | 6 cuts, 20-27 min each. No head-solos-head; instead cyclic riffs that appear, dissolve, re-combine. | Davis erases the theme-improvisation-theme cage of bop; pieces become weather systems rather than songs. | | **Rhythm** | Two drum kits + two electric basses + Latin percussion = polyrhythmic web. | You don’t tap your foot; you *float* inside a drum orchestra. | | **Harmony** | One-chord vamps, modal scales, abrupt dissonant clusters. | Removes “changes” as the narrative engine; timbre and groove become the story. | | **Texture** | Fender Rhodes, organ, guitar, bass clarinet, trumpet, soprano sax all swim in echo & tape-delay. | Producer Teo Macero treats the studio as an instrument, foreshadowing dub, EDM, hip-hop splice culture. | | **Solo language** | Miles uses wah-wah-muted trumpet, smears blue notes, rarely shows off velocity; instead he *places* sound like a painter flicking color. | Emotional impact > virtuosic flash; makes every cracked note feel ceremonial. | --- ### 3. Production – the invisible band member Teo Macero’s post-production is the secret sauce: - **Roll-in/roll-out edits**: entire sections are faded in from one take, faded into another, creating “compositions” that never existed live. - **Tape loops & echo chambers** give the music its swampy, half-submerged aura. - **Slack tuning of drum mics** and close-miking of bass amps produce the first jazz record where drums sometimes feel *larger* than the horn. - **Stereo field** is wide: trumpets left, keyboards right, bass & drums occupy the whole canvas – headphones become a 360° ritual space. --- ### 4. Themes & Conceptual World - **Yoruba/voodoo subtext** – track titles, the bubbling cauldron cover photo, the trance-like repetition all suggest a ceremony rather than a concert. - **Black electricity** – Davis fuses the ancestral (field-holler intervals, African polyrhythm) with the futuristic (distortion, ring-mod, tape splice). - **Urban anxiety** – the music’s constant churn mirrors early-70s NYC: bankruptcy, heroin, black-out riots; beauty wrestled from chaos. - **Eroticism** – long, slow builds, wet reverb, panting percussion; the record *breathes* like body heat inside a crowded club. --- ### 5. Influence & Legacy - **Genre birth certificate** – While *In a Silent Way* sketched fusion, *Bitches Brew* is the floodgate: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band all formed within 18 months of hearing it. - **Rock ears opened** – Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, and later Radiohead cite it as proof that improvisation & studio art could coexist. - **Hip-hop sampling gold** – Portions appear on records by J Dilla, Madlib, Us3; the drum feel prefigures the *unquantized* swing of 90s boom-bap. - **Post-production precedent** – Macero’s splice-tape approach predates disco 12-inch remixes, dub, and modern DAW “arrangement by edit.” --- ### 6. Pros & Cons – the honest ledger | Pros | Cons | |---|---| | **1.** Invented a genre (jazz-rock fusion) that dominated the 70s. | **1.** Length & meander: 94 min can feel like a swamp with no trail markers. | | **2.** Star-studded lineup: Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Joe Zawinul, Lenny White, Jack DeJohnette, Airto, Bennie Maupin – a superhero team. | **2.** Low compositional memory: themes are short; if you crave melody you may feel lost. | | **3.** Production still sounds futuristic; headphone trip remains unmatched. | **3.** Murky mix: bass guitars often buried; some detail only audible on audiophile reissues. | | **4.** Emotional spectrum – spooky, sexy, angry, majestic – often inside one track. | **4.** Gate-fold double-LP price in 1970 = sticker shock; today = 2× vinyl runtime fatigue. | | **5.** Gateway drug: converts rock, electronic, even metal fans into jazz explorers. | **5.** Purist backlash: many acoustic-jazz devotees still call it “sell-out noise”. | --- ### 7. Bottom line *Bitches Brew* is less a set of songs than a weather system you enter. If you value structure, hummable themes or 4-minute resolutions, it will irritate you. If you want music that feels like a living organism – sweating, breathing, mutating – it can be life-changing. Historical importance is already settled; the real question is whether you’re willing to let the cauldron bubble for an hour and a half. Put on headphones, turn off the lights, and decide for yourself whose side of the brew you’re on.
i can'ttt, trop expérimental pour moi j'ai pas la fibre, surtout les morceaux de 25min... peut-être que le metro n'était pas le setting idéal
Bitches are not brewing
Yes, this is easily an album you must hear before you die. I don't even like jazz, but this is the one I do enjoy listening to.
I'm glad I've heard this because it's so influential. It was a less difficult listen than other experimental jazz I've heard on the list, but still not entirely my cup of tea.
In a Silent Way había abierto el camino pero Bitches fue toda una revolución. Portada mítica. Una banda haciendo historia. Con Jimi Hendrix en la cabeza, "Miles runs the voodoo down" como mejor muestra de ello (el bajo y teclados podrían estar en Electric Ladyland). ¿Qué decir de Spanish key? Hasta los títulos parecen relacionarse con Hendrix... También se aprecian influencias de Sly & The Family Stone o, obviamente James Brown. La influencia era bidireccional, porque Miles les tocó la fibra a todos, especialmente a Hendrix. Con John McLaughlin, Corea, Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin en estado de gracia este trabajo supone una demolición del Jazz para fusionarlo con el rock eléctrico, la psicodelia y el funk. Mientras Ornette Coleman o John Coltrane iban en busca de una libertad absoluta desde sus propios parámetros, Miles lo hacía desde la fusión y la improvisación, algo que ya había introducido en Sketches of Spain o In a silent way. Es un disco en el que Miles toca relativamente poco, es más bien el director de la banda. Se trataba de tocar y tocar, improvisar sin dirección, y elegir los mejores cortes. Abstracción y groove que prioriza el conjunto por encima de solos por turnos. Un disco magistral.
While there is clear talent on this album and I know Miles Davis is legendary, this one didn’t really do it for me. It felt like a lot of the same and I just think that hearing jazz live is always better than on an album. Not really something I’d take the time to listen to again.
For the most part I think this album is great, but my biggest problem is the 2nd song. More me, not enough really happens in it to warrant it being 26 minutes long. Besides that, I love all of the experimentation and chaotic passages. High 4.
Just as annoying, painful and unlistenable as his last album in this challenge
Look, it’s just not for me. Incredibly talented musicians playing music that is basically unlistenable.
Third Miles Davis. My previous of his wasn't too long ago - about 80 albums or so. Kind of Blue was alright, similarly to how In a Silent Way was alright. I wasn't too big on the jazz staple of having a bunch of inordinately long tracks, but I suppose the actual music was moderately relaxing. I know this is a particularly big album of his - I've encountered it on occasion while surfing the web. I'm getting a psychedelic vibe from this album cover. Maybe this album marks a pivot within his style. Anyways, on with the music. AN HOUR-THIRTER???? You have got to be jerking my cock until I'm on the brink of climax only to lop the thing off in what can only be described as the greatest act of blueballing in known history. You see the charity✊😡👈 towards this album that I was just holding in my hand? Get it da fuuuuuuuck outta here (╯°□°）╯︵ ʎʇᴉɹɐɥɔ 🪟 When you're stuck in the hostile climes of a feature-length avant-garde jazz album, you do what you can to survive. The true nature of this music is, fortunately, quite benign. I don't bother this music, and this music doesn't bother me. There's gotta be a concept in human psychology where music gets to a point of being so discordant and unruly that the mind just shuts off and filters out everything which follows. Like the cocktail party effect, but if it only relates to one piece of stimuli. This album isn't quite on that level for me, but if these songs were any busier I'd have a shameful, entirely-blank review to submit. Anyways, bitchfest over. The trumpets on this album are interesting. They're much livelier than I remember them being, sounding garbled and stretched to their absolute limit. They're not quite my thing, but I respect the craft. The percussion is also pretty solid. I like the pitter pattering of the cymbal clashes, and some of the drum rolls are pretty good, too. They do a nice job of reigning in the more free-wheeling aspects of this album. Part of me does wish there were moments without their presence, however. The ever-present drums make me feel a little cagey after a while. The miscellaneous, less important aspects of this album have some merit, too. Some of the guitar reverb is pretty cool, and I like the ambient guitar strumming which occasionally appears in the background. I don't like the psycho bits of these songs, however. I'm not sure what instrument I'm even referring to, really. It's the one that keeps jumping up and down at differing rates and goes ballistic when Miles starts choking on his trumpet. Kind of sounds like an organ, but there isn't an organ credit on this album. Overall, this album is admirably experimental and bold in its choice of instrumentation, but it's ultimately too lost in the sauce for me. I can point to moments of competency on the whole, but there aren't any specific moments of greatness in here, and the longer the music goes on, the less remarkable and more repetitious its eccentricities begin to sound. Book time. Tried aping the style of Electric Ladyland, but wound up sounding nothing like its inspiration. Pioneered jazz rock. Dense. Many different styles. Sold well. Revitalised Davis' career. Yeah, this seems like a solid rap sheet, though I'm kind of mentally exhausted after listening to this album. I *yawn* cosign this inclusionnnnnnnnnnnnnn
It feels like almost an impossible task to properly digest and comprehend Bitches Brew in a single day. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. Dense, experimental, and improvisational, this record really rewards you for focusing inward on the music. I really appreciated that there was almost always a driving rhythm line on percussion or the bass guitar that helped me to really lock in to the groove if I ever found myself lost. How are people rating this so low? Fav track: 3 - Spanish Key Best Three Track Run: 1, 2, 3
A bit of a cacophony of sounds, not the quality of Miles Davis I'm used to. It was okay.
I enjoyed it, didn't LOVE it. First track off vol.2 was awesome
I enjoy most jazz and I get this but damn it was long and drawn out.
No notes
This is far out, man. Maybe a little too far out.
Très très expérimental, pas le genre que j'écouterais au quotidien. J'ai lu "on dirait des musiciens de jazz qui se préparent avant le concert", je comprends l'idée. Vraiment un délire.
Creo que no soy tan alternativa como espero, no my jam
Good jazz album. Not from my favorite from Miles but not bad at all.
Hot damn I was honesty expecting not to like this, but damn, damn damn damn. This is fun groovy rockin’ jazz, damn.
Sometimes I shake my head at the reviews on this page and wonder how someone who loves music enough to tackle this project couldn’t appreciate some classic album or another. Not this one. This is a challenging record, even by jazz standards and I understand why so many find it unlistenable. I’m not one of those people. This is, without question, both brilliant in and of itself and incredibly influential on so much of what followed, way beyond the world of jazz. It’s an incredible achievement for a guy whose entire catalog is full of incredible achievements. That said, of the Miles fusion albums, it’s the one I’d put on last. I prefer Tribute to Jack Johnson, In A Silent Way, and On The Corner (in that order) to Bitches Brew. Those works are more focused while this one sprawls over nearly two hours. It’s a big bite and you might need to come back to finish it later. But it’s worth it. The guys in the room making this music were among the greatest ever on their respective instruments, under the direction of the greatest band leader in jazz history and the final product is thanks to the incredible editing by Miles and Teo Macero of the lengthy jams into, well, slightly less lengthy jams, but also an absolutely incredible collage of sound.
Miles Davis at his best. Not much else to say; his expansion into full-blown jazz fusion is a legendary moment in music history.
Very long songs but defo a great instrumental
This is stand out the best 1001 album I've listened to yet. From the off its innovative, experimental and engaging. Far more interesting than the majority of albums on this list I expect.
Album 23 Top 3 favorites off the album: Pharaoh's Dance, Spanish Key, Miles Runs The Voodoo Down If it's a crime to be this biased, once again, lock me up and throw away the key. You can't stop me, I won't stop me, there is nothing that can stand between me and this album. I'm not normal about this one. I'm not even going to pretend to be. It's albums like these that make me wish I had taken up a "jazz instrument," and then I remember that I could simply: a. do that, or b. become a jazz musician on the cello and join a musical tradition that is so diverse and vibrant that there's absolutely space for me in it. New 2026 resolution? How can you get bored of tracks even at 20+ minutes long? There's just so much going on as the track flows. We've got solos that take us way up into the stratosphere and tumble back down, solos that dive way down into the depths and slither back up, dizzy circular figures, smooth sailing, growls, shrieks, harmonics, it's bright and then dark, smooth, jagged, bold and brassy, spare and resonant, hot, cool, EVERYTHING!!! This album is EXCITING!!! And that's just the first track!!!!!!! Bitches Brew itself is ominous and chaotic in the best way. In the interest of time, I won't go into everything else, but WOW. Easiest 5 I've ever given. This album is something special.
loved <333 love miles davis
Um. Not for me.
Technically it may be brilliant musicianship, it's not necessarily pleasant to listen to. Kinda like Stravinski.
I feel there this is an album from amazingly talented musicians, which I’m not sure I fully understand the jazz elements and appreciate it enough. I enjoyed listening to it, but maybe not as much as some others would. Favorite disc 2, track 3, ‘Miles Runs the Voodoo Down! Loved that track!
This one was not for me.
High brow jazz music for a chill bar filled with jazz heads! Best paired with a good mood
Loved it, love me some miles
This guy was untouchable. He was great at everything. The man could redefine music. This album pushed the boundaries of what music could be.
Makes me not like jazz sorry miles
Creo que no lo entendí por completo
idek, man
Nope. If this was put on at a party I’d leave. Kind of Blue is one of my favourite albums but I just don’t enjoy listening to jazz-fusion. I saw the album was 75 mins long and after listening to it for a while I thought “at least I must be a good way through the album now!” It turned out I was only ten minutes in, and that’s only half way through the first track. Sanctuary was pretty ok, but overall not my thing.
Jazz is not for me
Every time I get a jazz album I say the same thing - I just don't get it. Like, I understand people think it's masterful, and Miles Davis is the GOAT, and blah blah blah, but it's just not for me. Well, this IS for me. I couldn't possibly tell you the difference, except this shit sounds like someone is about to do something dark, and most jazz sounds like background music while you peruse handbags at Macy's.
Lovely bluesy jazz. Great for cooking
This was good but too damn long. I guess I’d like it better in the background but Davis is blowing the shit out of that trumpet.
An endurance test of background sound.
piep knor
It probably deserves a profound, complex, jazz-savvy review because of all the brilliant arrangements and compositioning that is going on. Alas, I don't know jack shit about music, this sounded weird for way too long and all I've got stuck in my head is the RTJ line "I'm miles ahead of you, you can sip my bitches brew."
Will occasional dip into this album over the years, it’s a mixture of the relaxing and a light challenge at the same time. It gives itself time and the spaces to breath, probably why I like what’s considered avant-garde in jazz more than in rock, there is more structured freedom that embraces the innovative whereas in rock I just find it more chaotic and directionless. Personal choice. Found myself getting lost within this morning, superb. I understand jazz is a preference but I don’t see why this is considered so challenging (by people who seem to like byork ??) it’s not like it’s Coltrane late period, which is a challenge. Anyway superb 4.5 Star
Paso Como que dos horas de Revolution 9
Parts of it are lovely and parts are chaotic. the chaotic parts made me feel anxious. I feel terrible about lowballing a classic but 3 stars from me.
I've been on an interesting journey with this record. The first time I heard it - probably around 14 or so - I liked it and thought it was cool, but because it seemed so far removed from the other Miles/jazz I knew, I didn't think to go back to it. I listened to it a few more times in college and felt like I "got" it more, but again, didn't feel much of a returnability factor. The last time I picked it up 7-8 years ago, I wasn't really in the headspace for it and chalked it up to me not being much of a fusion guy. But goddamn, it hit me hard this time around. Much like In a Silent Way, the arrangements and playing are out of this world; unlike the calm and beauty of In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew is dark as fuck. So much swagger and intensity across the board. I've always felt a little tired by the end of the album's runtime, which is keeping me from getting to 5 stars right now on it, but that could very well change someday. Very glad this gave me another excuse to go back to it. 4.5/5
Bitches Brew was a famous drink created by Len Houmous. It was a pre acid trip drink and called Bitches Brew as it led to 11 of Lens 32 marriages. He never told anyone what was in it. 2.5 3/7 Spanish Key
supa good... i already listened to this prior
По случайности не написал отзыв к альбому «Hounds Of Love“ Kate Bush а также „1984“ Van Halen. „Hounds Of Love“: Дата Прослушивания: 16.01.2026 Время: наверное, перестану писать(я забыл). Первую композицию узнал в течение первых 10 секунд, популярный сериал от Нетфликс сделал свое дело. Данная композиция неплохая, но не мое. Остальные же песни мне также не понравились. Многие композиции мне было неприятно слушать, а несколько прям больно. Альбом мне не понравился. Не мое. „1984“: Дата прослушивания: 17.01.2026 Время:(я не помню)) Данный альбом мне понравился немного больше, чем Kate Bush и ее „Hounds Of Love“. Что-то из альбома мне показалось знакомым, но не больше. Это музыка не для меня. Она грубая, напористая, количество звуков огромное, и все на кучу. Это, наверное тот вид музыки, который слушают лысые, бородатые мужики xD. Прочитал чуть чуть про саму группу, как оказалось это легендарная группа(как я понял). К сожалению даже легендарность исполнителя не дает гарантии, что мне понравится. Может, когда-то я и буду слушать такое, но не сейчас. Теперь к оценке „Bitches Brew“ Miles Davis: Дата прослушивания: 17.01.2026 Время: после «1984». Мне хочется сказать, что „Bitches Brew“ ужасный альбом, а может я не понимаю. Весь альбом я слушал не более 5 минут. Каждая мелодия это для меня непонятный напор звуков, которые мне неприятен. Очень странно. Очень странно! Мне не понравилось.
Too crazy and chaotic for me. I kind of vibe with the first track but not with the others at all.
I still don't like jazz. Sorry
Always had mixed feelings about this album. Its a bit more esoteric than his bop stuff but there is such clarity in the trumpet that sings out among the esoteric wandering of everything else. And the build, the shades and light, the drummer and bass lead the cacophany on top of which Miles imposes himself. On the one hand, the ego of the man. On the other hand, the ego of the man! And the musicians on this, as is the way with a Miles album, are soloist famous all by themselves. Look up the skaker dude on track one if you dont believe me. This album reminds menof the beginning of Monkey Magic where they tell the story of the stone wgg on the mountain top and from the egg out of the primordial chaos there was born jazz fusion! Like all births this one is a little traumatic, a bit messy, very painful and rae but ultimately beautiful. Five stars based on star power alone but also for Miles’ strength in conducting the cauldron and the funky groove of the bass and drums. This is a wild ride.
Noita
Not sure what emotion he was going for with this one. Anxiety? Disorientation? Either way it’s incomprehensible
Happy to report that this became a very good album to listen to as I was packing to go to Florida tomorrow. I was very nervous about listening to it, given what I've heard over the years about Davis' jazz fusion being difficult at times, as well as reading some of the reviews from this website. I found it to be a much more pleasant (if that's the right word) experience overall, though some songs were more than others. My favorites were the title track and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down, but I can't say I strongly disliked any of it. I am not going to seek out any of his non-list albums, but I'm glad it was one I needed to hear. My cat, however, did not at all enjoy Feio. She kept on looking around to see what was making all those weird sounds.
Not my kind of Miles Davis
Was a good album to listen to for something different
I mean it is good but it is also for when you are in the mood for the brew because at times it can be a lot and for that reason I am giving it 3 stars. Also because if Mark reads this he will get frustrated and it is good to see if he is reading my reviews.
“free form jazz”
3.8/5 Brilhante e sem foco em medidas iguais. Gravação e mixagens são o ponto alto.
Lovely vibe!! Fs one of my go to 8/10
Too mellow and chaotic for me at times
The longer it went on for, the more it grew on me
Just don't get it. Not even in Kind of Blue's league.
Chouette pour le dodo prime
Too long and cacophonous.
Definitely threw a curveball for me for my 4th album of this project, but I like weird experimental shit this was kind of a vibe. 100 minutes might’ve been a bit of a stretch and there’s nothing specific I’m going to remember but it was still pretty fun to listen to.
I could listen to more of this, but I didn’t love it. Make sense?
"Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis is an album I approached with high expectations, as I generally love his music. Unfortunately, this one didn't resonate with me at all. It's extremely experimental and not even remotely comparable, in my view, to masterpieces like "Kind of Blue". I'd never listened to this album before and was genuinely surprised - sadly in a negative way - by just how different it is from the Miles Davis records I know and enjoy. The album leans heavily into experimentation with a wide range of instruments, frequent tempo changes, and a great deal of dissonance. The only song I truly enjoyed is "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" which goes more into the classic jazz genre. The rest feels like the kind of music that only someone with a very trained musical ear can fully appreciate. I'll probably not return to this album in the future.
J'ai adoré ! Je n'y connais rien mais j'ai pris mon pied.
MEH. I like jazz too so i'm pretty disappointed that this didn't hook me
Found it hard to get going with the first track — blame my untrained jazz ears — but I started to enjoy it from “Bitches Brew.” I’d like to come back to it later to reassess whether I’m being too harsh. I was really grooving from “Spanish Key” onwards.
Bitches Brew is a dense body of work that demands a lot from the listener. Davis and his fellow artists curated a supremely perfect album that feels more akin to a fever dream than a jazz record at times. Miles’ trumpet playing is foreboding and truly some of his best ever. The electric keyboard adds to the dizziness of it all. This album cover is in my top 5 of all time, and it personifies the way this album makes me feel as if my brain is warping from the otherworldliness of it all. Miles Davis is a bad motherfucker.
experimental jazz experience that's for sure way ahead of its time. if you're gonna listen to this, set aside some time to properly get lost in the music. each track really is a journey here. very cool, thanks miles
Jazz - not my thing
For background music but kinda angsty
I really enjoyed this. I don’t think I have ever listened to a jazz album, but I loved the organised chaos of this album.
really good but I'm not a jazz person. certainly had some nice shower thoughts while listening.
it insists upon itself.
Not for me
Alright jazz. Long album, but okay background music
Did nothing for me. I never even knew when one song had ended and another had begun. Just background noise.
Turns out I really don’t like jazz
The best parts of this album are the brief moments where the energy ratchets up and things turn into a lovely bit of controlled chaos. Beside that, it’s pretty generic chill jazz.
This was not my jam. Couldn't appreciate it but was nice in the background
Definitely an experimental album of his. Can why some love it and other dislike it.
I’m all for free form music and hearing the musicians feel it out while playing. Jamming essentially but this album was really hard for me to get into to. I’m all for jamming but lack of words, song length and not being the biggest jazz fan felt like it contributed to my rating/lack of interest. I listened to the entire album and my conclusion is that, this album is meant for massive jazz fans, it didn’t feel like a casual listen. Musically the album isn’t bad at all, just not my thing.
Two Miles Davis albums in a row! There are things about this album I like a lot. The rhythms and grooves and instrumentation is wonderful. There were times it all felt so floaty. There's no doubt everyone on this album is phenomenally talented. I'm always in love with these kinds of jazz chords and changes, it's always a journey and even though you don't know where it's going next it still feels right when you get there. I think my issue is with this style of soloing which more often than not just feels dissonant to me. There is a lot of modal stuff which is really interesting to listen to But it feels like there is a bit too much tension and not enough release. I'm also not the biggest fan of the trumpet which is already so insistent as an instrument. Adding in long loud sections of blasting the same (to my ears at least) dissonant notes over and over just makes for a bit of a strange experience. It's harder to just let this album wash over you pleasantly compared to Kind of Blue. But also maybe the strange experience is the point, I don't exactly get the impression they were going for normal and relaxing. I was kinda vibing with the weirdness so even though maybe it's not 100% my thing (and even though it's far too long) I still had a good time.
longest album ever. Bit too stressful to listen to
I get why this album is so polarizing, if you don’t vibe with a 20+ minute track you’re probably going to hate it. I dislike a lot of prog and jammy music because of this. However, with an album like this I can’t quit grooving. Top to bottom this album catches me in it’s VIBE… and I love it. 10/10 Favorite tracks- “Bitches Brew” “Spanish Key” “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down”
Es war schon schlimm, als ich sah, was kam … und es wurde schlimmer. Bitches Brew von Miles Davis ist ein wirres Klanggewitter, das sich in endlosen Improvisationen verliert. Statt musikalischer Tiefe gibt es hier nur chaotisches Durcheinander, das weder fesselt noch berührt. Die Stücke ziehen sich wie Kaugummi, ohne Richtung, ohne Struktur – ein Paradebeispiel dafür, wie man Jazz in ein unhörbares Experiment verwandelt. Für Fans von Harmonie, Melodie und musikalischer Klarheit ist dieses Album eine Tortur. Ein Meilenstein? Vielleicht. Aber einer, über den man lieber nicht stolpert.
I can appreciate the skills that went into this album, although I didn't exactly enjoy listening to it. It's a very thick, busy texture.
Bizarre and funky and intriguing.
John McLaughlin is an otherworldly guitar player (someone neglected to include Mahavishnu Orchestra on this list...). Bass clarinet is a super cool choice for the ensemble. This is a weird, experimental trance fusion jam session.
Not an easy album. Tried in the past with mixed results. Finally worth the effort. Listen alone not distracted. Let it wash over you, sink into it and wow.
The best. This is not Kind of Blue Davis. Boundary expansion all of the place.
This record has a real bitchin’ vibe.
Given my deep and abiding love for Miles, I really wanted to love this, or at very least like it. Alas, it was just too hard on the ears.
Look, I know who Miles Davis is so I wasn't surprised by the genre but also dear god this is a hard listen. Maybe I'd get around it if they were playing live and I was on a first date in a dark bar that may or may not let me smoke weed while I sip cocktails, but I cannot listen to this any other time. I couldn't even listen to this for sleep because it'll be all chill and then the horns come screeching in with no warning. I will not be listening again
You don’t have to be affected by drugs and alcohol to listen to this, but I think it might help… When I listened to the first track I was ready for a whiskey sour and a pack of sobranie blacks…. but very quickly I found myself wondering if I just didn’t get Miles and after the mammoth 27minute titular track I wasn’t sure what had just happened - much like waking with hangxiety after a wild night and not sure what happened the previous evening… I actually enjoyed moments when I leant into it and didn’t overthink it, but I value being sober too much to listen to this album again!
Great, just not Birth of the Cool great.
I don't feel qualified to discuss the album.
9/10 really fun cool jazz, some very unique parts. Love miles davis
This beauty blends jazz, funk, soul, rock, dissonance and far-out experimentation. This is Miles Davis at his most groundbreaking. Let your mind and body float away while you listen to it.
I listened to a couple minutes of some songs, they weren’t horrible, but definitely not my type of music.
her er jeg fullstendig ut av både komfortsone og forståelsesgrunnlag. nå har jeg hørt denne ig. jeg skjønner det er en teknisk oppnåelse men det får meg ikke til å føle noe. eller. jeg føler meg jo ukomfortabel. dette albumet fikk meg til å flytte tidspunktet på dagen jeg vil høre nytt album.
Chaotic and complicated, the conversation between the hi-hats and the sax FEEL good. Each song works well as a stand alone but none of them stood out from the rest they're all just good. :/ I wish I had more words for it cause I do like jazz, it’s just that none of these pieces wowed me.
Not my thing I’m afraid - interpretive storytelling jazz?
Amazing to think about this album in context. Jazz was the domain of acoustic instruments. Electric instruments were for rock. This album blurred the lines between them and inspired a whole genre of jazz fusion. It’s hard to imagine Weather Report existing without this album.
Good background music but not something I’d put on to intentionally listen to it.
Felt like a philistine at first, because I couldn't connect with the first disc at all. The second half is full of guitar freakouts and cool electric piano stuff, and really hit. Especially loved "Spanish Key" and "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down."
1h45 of a band warming up for a song they never play.
Not my thing at all but some serious musicianship here.
Ye buddy
Excelente!
Jazz isn't really for me
I understand why this album was included on the list and I can appreciate the sheer musical talent of everyone involved - the fact that the majority of it was improvised is amazing. However, with that being said, this was a chore to listen to. I don’t appreciate fusion apparently and I’m ok with that. If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis
Nice jazz album. Great drums and bass. Good atmosphere created throughout the album
7/10 - Good Jazz
I can't believe it's been 15 years or so since I last heard this album. I'm a big fan of Miles' second quintet, so that's what I usually listen to when it's Miles' time. I also tend to listen to In the Silent Way and also the live album Agartha when I need some electrification in my life. So I forgot how incredible this album is. So mysterious, so improvisational, so brilliant. Five stars forever and ever.
Découverte importante pour moi la première fois que je suis tombé sur Bitches Brew.
Il y a des sacrés bons grooves de McLaughlin et du gars au keys, j'ai oublié c'est qui. Mais on dirait que c'est toujours trop court par rapport aux interminables couac de trompettes overdubbed de Miles. Alice dit que c'est pas de la musique, c'est du bruit. Moi je dis que c'est beaucoup trop long même si c'est délicieux dans l'essence.
Pas mon style préféré de jazz mais je ne me vois pas donner moins de 4 étoiles. J’ai préféré In A Silent Way, suis-je fou de dire ça!?!
Always piques my interest with a Miles Davis album. The first part felt a bit like a feverish dream about being captured by dodgy people in a steamy swamp, or perhaps by pirates in a rain forest cove. Messy, intense, and dissonant are words that come to mind when thinking about the first part. The second part is much better in my opinion. More collected and less erratic. Much more coherent and pleasing to listen to overall. But there are still traces of that chaos, and I don't think I like it that much. Calm jazz is much more to my taste than what this album shows. Overall it was a fun ride, but way too messy for my taste. And way too long and meandering.
A 90-minute experimental jazz album is not high on my list of things I want to listen to. The fact that this album is considered the origin of jazz rock, a genre I actively dislike, didn’t improve my mood either. The start was not to my liking: atonal ramblings across all instruments. It did get a lot better, though, and I found myself bopping along here and there for the rest of the album. It wasn’t as bad as I feared, but I still had to divide my listening into chunks for such a long album. I appreciate that this is avant-garde and something quite different. While I might not enjoy it, I can respect Miles Davis’s belief that all music should be improvised. 3 stars
It's good I love the chaos but I feel I need to know and play jazz to appreciate it
I'm usually a fan of Miles Davis' music but this was a very anxiety-inducing album. Maybe that's what you're supposed to feel in between the tranquil parts though I did not enjoy this overal listening experience. It is however a well-crafted album and I am glad I've heard it once
Deeply sorry I just am not into this type of music
Outstanding album. Showcases classic Miles Davis, but also pushes the boundary of sound and music.
Demasiado jazz para mí, que me mola el jazz
Classic, strange, moody
Decent listen.
This record really expanded my world into jazz fusion and experimental jazz when I first heard it. It’s such a strange sonic universe they’ve crafted on this record. John McLaughlin of Magavishnu Orchestra ripping guitar. Miles Davis is almost more of a featured element than the main voice as I hear it. It feels more akin to a strange ambient music than noodly jazz fusion (though I appreciate both). It feels extraterrestrial, exploratory. Allegorical to a mind in chaos. Really weird, but not as alienating and noisy as something like John Zorn. Brilliantly strange.
Like Mozart, this music is beyond critical appraisal. Sublime.
3 stars for this one
I really enjoyed this album. This is my 3rd Miles Davis album and all are excellent. This is the soundtrack to a super cool persons life.
Great
I first heard this album when I was still in high school. I had only been listening to jazz for about a year when this was released in 1969. I didn't understand it at first, but I knew something important had just happened. And it had. A new direction in jazz had been, once again, spearheaded by Miles. He created at least three tectonic shifts in jazz in the course of his career. I love this album more every time I hear it. This album started a love affair I’ve had with Miles’ music for over 55 years.
Each song ranging from 12-27min is wild and not necessary.
the perfect soundtrack to my descent into madness over the holidays
I admittedly couldn’t define “fusion” for you, but I normally don’t like music associated with that word. It’s been about 10 years since I’ve last listened to this album, and in the time since I’ve come across and grown to love other works by some of the musicians in Davis’s band (most notably Wayne Shorter). And I return to this album able to appreciate it on its own terms, not as a genre-type. This is not easy music for me, and it might be another 10 years before I listen to it fully again. But I enjoyed the heck out of it. And I still don’t like fusion.
Bitches Brew is a slow burn for me. I have to remain simultaneously focused and aloof while listening so I don't take it so seriously yet still remain aware of what's happening. It's a good driving album, or at least it was this time around. I wasn't sucked in until around the 10 minute mark during the title track. Miles goes hard on the horn and everyone around him is respectfully grooving away, giving just enough to shine yet not overshadow the great one. Spanish Key and Miles Runs the Voodoo Down are two other tracks that had me for their entirety. The only thing about this album is....it's too long. There's so much going on within each 10+ minute track that by the end of it you feel like you got consensually fucked by a gorilla.
Not what im used to listening to but after the 2nd listen, it really grew on me, will come back to
High on concept, lots of artistic flourishes, but unfortunately light on compelling melodic lines that ultimately make this an enjoyable listen
Good album but I don't have all day to listen to 27 min songs. This is the type of jazz people talk about when making fun of it but I do like it. Will revisit
Mind expanding, so much going on in the detail, the grooves, the evolution of tracks. My kind of thing.
Vet knappt vad jag lyssnat på. Otroligt svårt att hålla fokus. Det är som om man får adhd av att lyssna. Inte asnajs med andra ord. Lite skönt då och då. Men alldeles för spretit och långt för att det ska funka.
Misstänker att man behöver vara en riktig finsmakare för att verkligen uppskatta detta. Även om den har sina stunder så blir det på det hela taget för stökigt och ostrukturerat för min smak.
Very much jazz. Long jazz tracks. It's nice, easy listening.
Not my thing.
dainos tokios ilgos gerasss. bet nebuvo max geras albumas 3.5
My ex had this cd and I tried to listen to it once and didn’t get very far. This time I fell asleep at some point and I don’t know if I slept through and it started over or if I just missed a little bit I felt no need to go back and catch what I’d missed.
Mystical, sometimes frightening
Miles Davis: Best jazz musician who ever lived. Bitches Brew: Best jazz musician who ever lived playing noise. I don't know enough about jazz to know why this is amazing, but I trust that it is. Would I listen to again? Nope.
They say you cant appreciate music if you cant appreciate jazz. I guess I dont know shit then cause this album sounded like noise to me. I made it like halfway and was like, naw. For me its like asking a vegetarian how good a steak was.
Guess I just don't like jazz
difficile difficile difficile
I like jazz but mufuggin a 20 minute opening song followed by a 27 minute song?
I tried. I'm not going to pretend to like this just to look cultured though.
Nope. I recognize that Miles Davis is a legend, but it wasn't for me.
Generous and lengthy!
This made realize they never play Miles on the local jazz station because his tracks are too long
I feel about jazz the same way I feel about Fortnite: I’ve tried it more than a few times and I really don’t think it’s for me, but I do kind of see the appeal, and I’m happy for the people who enjoy it.
Classic
I've never actually listened to this before. It's really good, even though I had to break it into a couple of sessions due to its length. High four.
Miles Davis is a major jazz composer and performer. He's part of the Be Bop pantheon alongside greats such as Charlie Parker. This album, however, is very much progressive rock. The long suites with rock structures but jazz underpinnings sound more like King Crimson than Charlie Parker. Even the album art screams prog rock. The result is music that bridges the jazz and rock world and sets the stage for jazz fusion, jam bands, and 2000s prg rock revival. Bitches Brew is one of the most unique, intriguing, and influential albums of any sort, ever. Listen to it with an open mind or miss something truly remarkable.
I deeply duslike jazz. This is brilliant jazz, but it's a bit unfair for me to review the album when I hate the genre.
Better then kind of blue
Absolute experience of an album. You just can't rate it like almost any other; it's like listening to the mechanisms of a clock rather than its chime. Can't give it a 5 though, just don't love it enough (not yet at least)
I really don't want to knock the musicianship, but this album was so long and difficult to get through. It's not that the music is bad by any means. The horns are dynamic, and I can certainly get behind some good jazz music. This, for me, is just too long and really began to bore me unfortunately. I'm not the biggest jazz fan to begin with though so listening to it for around two hours straight was bound to not be the most enjoyable experience.
Jazz glory.
Everything you could want from jazz
Boring
Need to review
Never listened to Miles Davis before but this was good.
Really solid Jazz, but good lord is it a long album. Great to put on in the background.
songs are DMB concert length, but very vibey!
Sounded stressful, reminded me of homeland
Listened both while driving to work and chilling at home. Found it better at home, not engaging enough for driving. I don’t fully “get” jazz but it was cool.
Possibly the most famous experimental jazz album ever made (if not "A Love Supreme"). What's interesting about "Bitches Brew" is the major intersections with rock n roll, while sounding nothing like rock n roll, jazz, or anything that could be described as "jazz rock". Davis was heavily inspired by Jimi Hendrix and the increasing use of electric instruments in popular music. So you might have expected this to sound like a jazz album with a lot of overdriven guitars. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, Davis produces something like a template for jazz fusion and prog rock in equal parts. The album would go on to inspire generations of rock stars, including bands like Radiohead. The album art as well feels far more like something you'd like from a psychedelic rock band, with scenes from (presumably) Africa melting into the sky. It's a complex triumph of an album with its secure place in history. But it's definitely not an easy album to listen to. It's no mere background album, but it demands attention and memory. It's completely fair if you don't have the energy for it, but the album remains there for those who do.
I really don’t have any right to rate this, I just don’t understand it. I’ll trust the jazz cats when they say it’s great, but it’s not an enjoyable listen for me.
To jazzy
Psychedelic jazz with a touch of electric guitar. This is the good stuff
2.5
3.0
First off, amazing album cover. Bitches Brew may genuinely have one of the best album covers I've ever seen. Everything from the color scheme to the imagery is alluring. Secondly, the album itself fucking rules! I've made it no secret that I enjoy the works of Miles Davis. This is my fourth and final album of his that I've received through the 1001 Albums project. Is it the best one? I don't think I could say that myself, but the fact that it's widely considered to be among his best is something that I absolutely can see given just how great the album is. Of the four Miles albums on this list, Bitches Brew is by far the most experimental. Its predecessor, In A Silent Way, started to play around with what would become known as jazz fusion, but Bitches Brew embraces it. The added influences from genres like funk and rock create a style to the album that still sounds fresh and exciting to this day. I really appreciate that the album doesn't pull any punches. Let's face it; this thing is weird. Bitches Brew is batshit bonkers and I love it. More so than any other album of his on the list, it is not for everyone. Even people who like jazz seem to struggle a bit with this one. Not me though! I live for this stuff. Literally. The sheer amount of good music that exists in the world is genuinely one of the biggest reasons as to why I haven't killed myself amidst the political and personal turmoil that I've felt over the past few years of my life. This album project has saved my life in a way. I'm getting way too deep right now. Let's go back to the funny trumpet album. The compositions here are captivating. "Pharoah's Dance" is an enticing opener. The title track is just magnificent. "Spanish Key" nails the groove and energy that an album like this demands. I could go on. You know what else goes on? The album. Yeah, this thing is pretty long. 94 minutes of runtime for an album like this is not something that a lot of people can handle. But again, I'm not one of those people. I mean, this is far from the worst 90+ minute album out there. This is one of those double albums that warrants its length. Bitches Brew is an uncompromising artistic vision, the likes of which only come every so often. Not everyone will vibe with it, and that's okay. But for the people who can get behind it, Bitches Brew will provide an experience unlike any other. It is truly stellar. 5/5.
I never really listened to jazz or even Miles Davis for that matter until this list was put in my lap and I am so glad it was put here. He is just a genius in how he orchestrates. This album was like a lot of thoughts that got put together and they all had different goals and objectives but they made it work so well.
will keep listening to this
Jazz, 1970 -> 4
I remember trying to listen to this once, and as a fervent male feminist, I immediately turned it off when I read the front cover. I can get behind the brew, but *ahem* BITCH? Don't you mean QUEEN??? From that day on, I swore off this release, until my overlord 1001albumsgenerator.com told me to jump. My only response, is how high... was Miles Davis when he decided to put together a funk fusion record. I genuinely remember hating this, but I was like 17, so if it was interrupting my usual routine of New Japan Pro Wrestling and loneliness, I wasn't interested. I welcome that intrusion now and await the presumably disturbed wailings of Miles and friends. Will this be an acid trip that expands my consciousness, or just causes irreversible damage to my frontal lobe as I wait for NARCAN in the ER. Pressing play will tell the tale. Down the hatch and down the rabbit hole. Pharaoh's danced to this? Maybe the old days were cooler. I've been meaning to get into pining. Just looking out a window and really pining hard for an idea or something. Maybe ancient Egyptian jazz freakouts are my jam. Although, I would most likely have been a serf in that time and expired of old age in my late 20s. Hmm. I'll reconsider the object of my next great pine. Oh no. I'm still trapping myself in the song-by-song format. I need to evolve to paint-by-numbers pitchfork aping! STAT. Sound the alarm. We have a free thinker over here. GET HIM. Off-the-wall, completely insane. Dancing royalty. Psychedelics distilled from the venom of an elderly asp. Vision quests accompanied by great horns echoing off the walls of labyrinthine catacombs. I think I vomited a living asp who told me my fate. November 9th 2071. I will leave my job as vape assembler in the NEW United States of America brought to you by Amazon and become a spirit free to roam the oceanic cosmos for the period between my death and when corporations figure out how to reanimate corpses to produce more "economic value." If this is the soundtrack to my ascension and subsequent resurrection at the hands of the rulers, I can have faith that I will come back with the ability to turn people inside out by chanting an incantation scrawled in a forgotten language on the inner sanctum walls of the Chichen Itza. I mean this thing is groovy BUT maybe knock one star out of the cosmos for how bloody long it is. May it shatter into a million planets that house life hitherto unseen and wholly incomprehensible to the minds of humans. That's what I got out of this record. That, a couple sores from feverishly dancing to the snake-charmer like jazz for about 90 minutes and the further confirmation that 17 year old me was woefully misinformed about a great deal of things. Now scoop me another ladle out of that cauldron, these dogs sure can brew. Or are the dogs IN the brew? No matter, two scoops to go. 4 HIGHLIGHTS: Bitches Brew
Need more of a listen Listen for later, rating to keep up with daily list
Distractingly good! Not much you can do when this is playing. Just turn up the volume and get High!
interesting.
I've tried to like jazz for years without success, this didn't help. It sounds like next doors teenager got some instruments for Christmas and keeps on practicing. If I'd paid for this I'd be heartbroken. A solid 1 star with another one on offer if he ever learns all the notes and what order to play them in.
Noise
I wanted to really like it but never got beyond simple enjoyment
acho esse incrível jazz experimental me dá uma sensação parecida a de andar descalço na grama completamente doido de droga (não consigo elaborar além disso)
PEDRADAÇA!! ótimo pra trabalhar ou encher o cu de droga. depende da sua rotina. dito isso, jazz fusion da melhor qualidade. gostosinho demais, me deixou focadão na diagramação, no puro êxtase dos instrumento maluco
Best track: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. Supposedly this is an early example of jazz-rock fusion, though it leans much closer to jazz. It has some rock-like intensity in some moments.
I can understand why it’s not for everyone, and it’s definitely unconventional when compared to Davi’s’ earlier work, but my goodness does it work. BB is an unprecedented work of art that transformed Jazz forever and cemented Miles Davis legacy as one of the all time greats.
What a great album
Sounds fresh and surprising unlike other music from that time. A wild journey and I love how Davis is so generous with the sound he does not dominate everything but enters the songs strategically while letting the the others musicians construct a wide sonic soundscape. Loved this.
148/1001 Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ Yeah this absolutely rules
it's so good Will I listen to again: 100%
I like Jazz, and I like Miles Davis.... but, man does this cacophony of noise make my head hurt. Sounds more like a whole album of them warming up/tuning their instruments.
There are some really amazing explorative sections of music on this album. There is also some parts that just kind of meander a little too much. This is so close to being a truly amazing album. 4/5 Will listen again
Masterful and exciting
I’ve clearly not got the ear for this - just don’t get it - found it monotonous and dull - people rave about it, but not for me
Steeley Dan's Donald Fagan called Bitches Brew "unfocused garbage" Radiohead's Thom Yorke has cited Bitches Brew as "a major influence on OK Computer" - when Bitches Brew came out in early 1970 it really divided jazz fans- think Bob Dylan going electric at The Newport Festival in 1965. Jazz had its own Judas. Bitche's Brew would continue to inspire and alienate people in near equal parts for all of the 1970s and beyond. To many of the jazz elite Bitches Brew was the start of Miles Davis slow creative death and unlike Jesus Christ there would be no resurrection. So, what of the 93 minutes of music found on this landmark album? I have loved Bitches Brew since I first heard it a decade or so ago and have played it at least 30 times. Is it Miles greatest work? Not to me, it is not. Is it in all ways essential listening for anyone with even a passing interest in the music of the 20th century? It absolutely is. Is it as good as the best jazz albums of the 1950s? Not to me frankly as it's simply not on the level of the best works (which would of course include his own output) from the 1950s. By the end of the Me Decade jazz was a crippled if not flat out spent tamed beast but without Miles forward-thinking far-out at times angry album Jazz would not have prospered as well as it did for most of the decade (1970s) ironically many of the ideas/playing found on Bitches Brew (jazz fusion for one) inspired a lot of junk (a big chunk of jazz fusion albums released after 1974/75) during The Me Decade by 1980 a lot of Jazz fans looked to the past for great albums not the future and certainly not the present and we all know what happens to any artform when it's audience by and large stop looking forward. Of Note: I know very little about jazz music from 1980 to present (and I'm far from being an expert on Jazz music before 1980) I have no doubt that there have been some great albums (that whole Acid Jazz scene produced some masterpieces) released but since jazz is not my favorite genre, I do not keep up with new release to any degree whatsoever. Further Listening: Listed here are a few jazz albums released during the 1970s that I enjoyed, you'll find lots of jazz fusion which am not a big fan of by and large, but these albums are IMO essential listening, fusion or not. They are present in no order other than the order in which they popped up in my head. Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music Herbie Hancock - Headhunters Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity Miles Davis - On the Corner Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud Ornette Coleman - Science Fiction Billy Harper - Black Saint Eddie Henderson - Realization Herbie Hancock - Thrust Bill Evans - Symbiosis
too spooky for me
I didn’t like this very much. It was sonically interesting but jarring and unpleasant, but I can see the artistry.. EDITING this down to a 2 unfortunately, because revisiting it in my brain, I just didn't mesh with the sound
Admittedly beyond me.
This is a complex and wild album to review. I loved it, found it challenging, and some parts hard to listen to.
Not as accessible as some of my favourite Davis albums (the obvious Kind of Blue, Ascenseur pour l'Echaffaud) but so much worth a careful listen. This seems to be a divisive album, and I get why, but to me this absolutely must be on the list and it's a feat for the ears but only on the right day for it! The rhythm is great as is the musicianship and listening to this is like going on a discovery adventure. And it's almost "easy listening" compared to Trout Mask Replica :-).
Nope
Finfin jazz, æ e fan.
This is a really good album, though not Miles Davis's best entry on the list. (It's probably one of the coolest album arts on the list, though). The tracks are long and meandering, just as one would expect from an avant-garde jazz album. That's a good thing, in my mind, and it gives this album a more immediate feel, almost like you are listening live. My main demerit against this album is that the very long tracks blur together quite a bit, I think I would have liked the whole package better if the individual songs had more identity. Favorite track: "Pharaoh's Dance"
I can't say I really like it but it's not just noise, your can sense his musical genius in there.
This is a classic for me. I always think of late nights at Parks library in my senior year of college. Studying for vert bio and having this album on repeat. The unpredictableness was strangely calming. I believe i was gifted this album on Vinyl by my cousin Jackson, the same one who introduced me to this site. Either way I have the record and I love it.
Too long but good jazz
Free form jazz
This sounds like the song Jez tries to write for Honda. "What we need to do is create a powerful sense of dread"
I am learning to appreciate this album the more I listen to it
Wow
I was afraid to listen to this Album. So big, such a reference, but what was I to think? I think, if you let yourself fall into it, it can change your life, it can be more than music or a hell of a lot of single notes. At the same time, I totally get, that you cannot see more than some guys doing weird, disharmonic stuff. I also think that at some moments it gets too repetitive, too long and too caught in itself. But overall, it is the best jazz Album I know. Fav: Bitches Brew
Might be even better than Kind of Blue. You can hear the evolution in his sound.
Not sure what to write about this, really. It is definitely dynamic and I think the backstory is really cool - piecing together the record from these improv sessions, the mixing, the multiple drummers and bassists and pianists being hard-panned, it's total gear nerd/music history fodder. But does it translate to enjoyable music? I really don't know. There are some neat licks for sure and overall it wasn't really a hard listen, but I don't know what I would come back for. It's pretty random and I think most of the appeal is listening to the musicians listening to each other.
Perfect album! Pharaoh's Dance and John Mclaughlin are the masterpieces.
I may understand jazz better if I knew the rules. And if you're going to say, "There are no rules," then I will tip my cap and say good day to jazz, perhaps. I don't think I'm qualified to listen to a 26-minute song the way I'm supposed to. Bitches Brew is a funny title, though.
Not into experimental jazz. Miles Davis is a virtuoso though.
Jazz schmazz. Enough already
Different from other MD recordings. Brilliant grooves that ebb and flow bring the listener along on an interesting journey. While most MD recordings leave me bored, this album kept me waiting to hear “what’s next!”
I really struggled with this one, experimental jazz not being my thing. However, the later tracks were a bit more straightforward and enjoyable for me.
Siempre aprecio el trabajo de Miles Davis. Considero que fue un músico excepcional, que estaba en búsqueda de la creatividad, de generar algo novedoso e inusitado. No le temía a la experimentación, y se encontraba siempre explorando territorios nuevos en una carrera muy prolífica. Que aprecie su trabajo no significa que todo me guste. Este álbum es extremadamente largo y sienta sus bases en un estilo de free jazz que me resulta poco inspirador, irónicamente monótono y aburrido. Creo que para disfrutar un álbum como este debería estar absolutamente drogado. Estando lúcido y tratando de prestar atención al contenido se vuelve una experiencia insufrible de casi 2 horas. Si el el álbum fuese más corto no tendría ese problema, pero no es el caso. La calidad de grabación es buena, pero tímbricamente no percibo que haya suficiente experimentación, casi toda la música se interpreta con técnica y sonoridades estándar, es la selección de notas y ritmos que se explora desde el caos. No me parece mal y aprecio que este álbum exista, pero a nivel personal disfruté más del arte de tapa que del álbum en si mismo.
I get that it was groundbreaking and some of it is really amazing but I guess I'm more of a 'Kind of Blue' guy.
This kind of felt like jazz on acid. Favourite Track(s): Spanish Key, Miles Runs the Voodoo Down Least Favourite Track(s): Feio
"Random note generator" style of Jazz. Improvisational & all over the friggen place like a mad woman's shit. Hardly melodic, but definitely hard going.
Very long, some interesting parts Standout song: Spanish key
Wonderful album that is only listenable once a decade.
Loved this album from first listen, all band on top form
didn’t finish listening but it was interesting
Pretty much unlistenable. And I like jazz.
A sprawling masterpiece vest enjoyed at night with s drink (or several given the length in hand). The chaotic explosion (although how chaotic this actually is falls into question in Bitches Brew with the audible “keep it tight”)of noise and seeming refusal to follow traditional structure just works and creates something wonderful. Spanish Way feels relatively normal following the first two tracks, being driven along at pace.
It gets 1* for an excellent album title.
I imagine that if you like jazz, this is probably top tier jazz - it is Miles Davis afterall - but it you're me, you see this pop up and think "Oh goodie.... more jazz for me to not get". The beginning made me think of the soundtrack to an Oceans 11/12/13/8 film, but where the composer was going through a particularly difficult life event at the time of creation and had channeled that into his art. Sort of cool, but deranged. I obviously object to a 27 minute jazz song, even one that changes as often as Bitches Brew, because jazz already makes me feel slightly anxious and listening to music shouldn't feel like an endurance test. Overall 1 hour and 45 minutes of experimental rock jazz is far too much for me in one go, which is a shame because I did enjoy bits of this. This is probably the closest I've got to actually properly enjoying jazz next to Dave Brubeck. It would get a 2.5, but it's better than a 2, so: 3/5
För flummigt, inte vad jag förväntade mig.
I couldn’t make it through the album
Great jazzy music. Not a genre for me.
Pretty cool, it's, very unlike anything I have ever heard. Though if anything id say it reminds me of the background music in an older movie when something crazy and intense is happening. Not really my style though
Great stuff
I think I could get into jazz
this is literally a jazz album
Rating: 9/10 Really cool shit throughout, every track is like its own crazy journey and it’s definitely one of those pieces of music that can’t just be digested understood and loved immediately, you really cannot brute force something so titanic. Favorite song was Spanish Key.
i liked the part where the trumpet went like BRRRrrrrRRRrrr and the guitar went BWwwwAAaaanggGggg and the drums were all badumtssbmtsss tsstsstsskchkch tss tss kch and the dawg was all ccrreeaakkkk🐕🗣🐕🗣 5.7/10
This jazz just ain't for me. 3 brews out of 10 gila monsters
-Always wanted to fully listen to this album ever since my friend recommended it. -Probably going to listen to it once on and once off pschydelics.
Lindo demais este ter aparecido 3 dias depois do In A Silent Way. O que Miles & banda fazem aqui é inacreditável; um dos pontos mais altos da história do jazz, possivelmente o maior marco do jazz fusion e quase duas horas de uma música de outro mundo.
love love love love love
Not my cup of cha…
Not for me
Bring back Bill Evan’s
All the songs sounded the same, and too long for each one. First one I'd say I didn't enjoy
There are similarities to the experimental electronic stuff I like. Enjoyed it.
Not my thing
Tää oli eka levy mitä ei pystynyt edes ”raivolla” kuuntelemaan… Annoin mahdollisuuden, mutta kestin ekaa eeposta seitsemän minuuttia. Ei pystynyt, liian hapokasta.
I mean it was good in just not pretentious enough to be able to separate good jazz from great jazz
Not a jazz fan, but this was beautiful. 9/10
Never going to be my favorite Miles Davis, but I have gained more of an appreciation of it over the years. Surprisingly listenable once you've made it through a few times and I'm sure it was revolutionary when it was released I just think he did similar ideas to a greater effect on other projects and always am gonna have a soft spot for his hard bop and modal jazz eras over this later stuff.
Really good and rich sounds but the duration meant that I did get distracted and start thinking about the next album.
Not a huge jazz fan, but I like how this one gets a bit psychedelic.
Ikke alle øvinger må gis ut på plate. Noe bra innimellom, men alt for ujevnt og for mye ræl.
Respect the artistry, unfortunately this is not really my tempo. “Spanish Keys” is good.
Is this one of the most important albums in Miles' discography, marking the point at which he embarks on a jazz fusion journey through much of the 1970s? Yes. Is it my top 10 favourite records to put on if I'm in a jazz mood? Absolutely not. It's just too abstract and unztructuted for me. I'll stick with Sketches of Spain thanks Sanctuary was the best track.
I only got through 3 and a half tracks before getting on the phone with my girlfriend, but I really don't think this is for me. Like obviously it's really impressive and I liked it, but I didn't connect with it and I doubt I'm gonna want to listen to it again.
Oh shit
An acoustic maelstrom that burns imprints on the periphery of the psychosphere, creating a discordant pounding of brass that cultivates its own existence.
This album is like a Jackson Pollock painting, just a bunch of shit splashed together and a bunch of critics tugging on each others' members congratulating themselves on understanding it.
Jazz fusion perfection, this list has it correctly placed with how high it is. Maybe Miles best?
Muito muito MUITO grande, mas a atmosfera é legal, nem dá pra rankear em top 3 porque tem 2 músicas, bom álbum pra deixar de fundo.
I recognize its place in music history, but it's a little too chaotic for me
Hell yeah. Not an everyday listen, but this goes hard.
instrumental, but i don't like those sharp trumpets, nor the overall melody
One of the best albums of all time, literally so good at storytelling
Jazz. Not for me, thanks.
Challenging listen
This album is nuts in the best ways. Already a fan before this list, it’s impact can’t be overstated
I think what is said about Wagner applies to this ‘it’s better than it sounds’. Not for me, no melody, no structure. Influential/important etc. etc. yes, clearly. Enjoyable to listen to? Nope. All the 5/5 people are giving it that to look like they’re musical intellectuals but I doubt if they have this on vinyl that it’s worn out.
Day669 - i think i want to like it more than i do
One of the most influential pieces of art in the 20th Century. Resonates nearly 60 years later.
Not my kinda thang Really good talent and works as background music