Reviews (page 7 of 12)
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.
Makes me not like jazz sorry miles
idek, man
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.
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."
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.
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
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”
Chouette pour le dodo prime
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?
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.
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
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.
Alright jazz. Long album, but okay background music
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.
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 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.
Good background music but not something I’d put on to intentionally listen to it.
7/10 - Good Jazz
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
Decent listen.
3 stars for this one
the perfect soundtrack to my descent into madness over the holidays
Not what im used to listening to but after the 2nd listen, it really grew on me, will come back to
Very much jazz. Long jazz tracks. It's nice, easy listening.
dainos tokios ilgos gerasss. bet nebuvo max geras albumas 3.5
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.
difficile difficile difficile
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.
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.
Never listened to Miles Davis before but this was good.
Sounded stressful, reminded me of homeland
2.5
3.0
interesting.
I wanted to really like it but never got beyond simple enjoyment
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.
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.
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.
Wonderful album that is only listenable once a decade.
didn’t finish listening but it was interesting
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
Great jazzy music. Not a genre for me.
this is literally a jazz album
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
I mean it was good in just not pretentious enough to be able to separate good jazz from great jazz
Really good and rich sounds but the duration meant that I did get distracted and start thinking about the next album.
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.
An acoustic maelstrom that burns imprints on the periphery of the psychosphere, creating a discordant pounding of brass that cultivates its own existence.
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.
Jazz. Not for me, thanks.
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
Not my kinda thang Really good talent and works as background music
This is actually crazy
Didn't love it, although jazz music usually takes a while for me to get into. Maybe I'll listen again, we'll see if it grows on me.
pretty cool
Love Miles, can’t say I’d ever want to listen to this again too leggy and prolonged sometimes. I did like the latter half better
I didn't get as much from this as I know I will from Kind of Blue, or even as much as I did from In A Silent Way. I really enjoyed the meshing of guitar and trumpet, and the clear rock influence in his songs, but I'm afraid it was also quite a bit too long and, well, jazzy for me to really get fully behind.
Listen, I love Miles just as much as the next guy, but I had to digest this one in pieces. It's just too long for 1 album. Yea, it was good. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I need to knock off a star just based on length.
I have nothing against jazz, but at some point it just becomes background music to me.
Een Jimi Hendrix of een Van Halen lieten hun vingers de vrije loop gaan en speelden de sterren van de hemel. Hier improviseert een andere bekendheid er lustig op los en het resultaat is geteutel. Het zal best voor iemand bevrijdend zijn geweest dit aan te horen, maar ik vrees dat de geschiedenis erover zal oordelen als piepjanknormuziek. Experimenteel, virtuoos, interessant, maar ook op de zenuwen werkend. Sorry jazzpausen en muziekgoden, voor mij is dit middenmoot.
Inmiddels zijn we bij album 4 van Miles Davis aanbeland. De inspiratie voor een review raakt soms een beetje op, in de graveyardshift vd snoblijst. Gelukkig mag ik verder niet echt klagen over het aanbod (afgezien van de hiphop), want er zitten wel classics tussen. Zo ook dit jazzalbum, dat ik meer ken van de serie van Dogfish Head brewery over bierbrouwen. Staat vast nog wel ergens op joetjoep. Dat was een vd aanstichters om zelf te beginnen met brouwen. Dus in bepaalde mate zou je kunnen zeggen dat dit album aan de basis van een bierrevolutie stond. Of het aan de basis van een of andere jazzrevolutie stond weet ik niet. Ik maak nog steeds onderscheid tussen chaotische, zenuwachtige jazz en wat meer relaxte. Dit zit gelukkig meer in de laatste categorie, dus ik stoor me er niet aan. Al is ook hier bijna 2 uur wel fokking lang. Bundel het beste in 40 minuten en je pakt een ster extra denk ik. Nu nopen de te uitgesponnen stukken me tot een vergeetbare 3.
Still struggling with jazz. 3.
This was good to listen to while working but I don’t really know how to classify jazz music. Let’s go 3.5.
What a glorious mess. Unparalleled virtuosity on show here but the music was so bloody discordant and any resolution is so hard to come by it left me a little bit on edge. This is the kind of music I feel like I should ‘get’ but am probably too intellectually changed to be able to.
Made my uneasy but I enjoyed the come-down and the dogs barking. It was definitely an experience.
really good melody but a song should NOT be 26 mins.
Alldeles för kort tid med en dag för en vettig recension av det här albumet. Det tutas i alldeles för långa låtar, ofta finns det 4-5 låtar i en låt. Så en producent som kunnat sätta en punkt emellanåt hade varit önskvärt. Jag vet inte om det är så men jag upplever lp 1 och lp 2 som ganska olika, lite olika temperment och ingångsvärden. Tvåan upplever jag som mer forcerad och lite rastlöst. Ettan mer stämningsskapande och tydligare idé. Överlag är det inte heller särskilt svängigt och det är säkert inte meningen heller. Lite kul instrumentering med gitarr och elpiano/orgel. Särskilt elpianot på första lpn är jag förtjust i, när det får ligga där och bli lite loungigt, lite easy listening så där, mycket smakfullt, tveklöst bästa detaljen på skivan. Så där tycker jag det är hela tiden, det finns partier, nån minut här nån minut där som är skitbra, särskilt när tutandet hålls tillbaka. Ibland ligger Miles bara och fyller i väldigt sparsmakat och ibland tystnar han helt, särskilt på första lpn. Den närmast spöklika inledningen på öppningsspåret är ett parti som är lite längre, dryga fyra minuter som är himla bra och sista delen på sista spåret "Sanctuary" är ett annat längre parti och som är klart bäst på den andra lpn. Det är rätt splittrat och jag skulle vilja ha mer struktur. Men en trea klarar den nog trots allt
Det har hänt lite med Miles och hans musik från Birth of the cool till det här. Fusion har aldrig varit min favorit bland jazzgenres men är det nått album man ska köra så är det så klart BB. Extremt nyskapande gör din tid. Ett bra driv och fantastiska musiker. Men återigen, likt många andra omdömen i den här appen, albumet hade mått bra av att kortas ned. Ett enkelalbum hade räckt. Tiden till en koncentrerad lyssning finns tyvärr inte. Hade kanske påverkat betyget uppåt eller nedåt.
This is alright. I prefer Kind of Blue. If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
Long, but solid. Did I mention long? 5.3/10
I really wanted to like this. And bits of it I did. But overall it's just too repetitive and long-winded to really enjoy listening to - and despite how ground-breaking it is etc etc, isn't that the point?
not my thing, but im glad i listened to it.
I love Miles, but this just didn't do it for me me.
Some really cool soundscaping. I think I really need my jazz to be a little bit more structured in one way or another. I like rock and guitar music, I like jazz, I'm yet to be fully sold on fusion
This sure was a thing alright. What was that thing though?
great opener and flatlined after that
Jazz #ifykyk
If you're my sister and literally got a degree in jazz, I bet this is rad! Sadly, I did not go to jazz school, so I don't really understand this album but I'm sure it's important so I'll give it 3 stars.
Heck of a endurance test.
The squonkier trumpet parts cut into my enjoyment of this
It’s hard to know what to make of this album. I appreciate its attempt to meld jazz with rock, and Davis was clearly not short of ideas here. He’s creating entirely new soundscapes. But it also feels a little formless and meandering much of the time; I found myself grateful for the keyboard refrains in “Spanish Key,” for example, just for providing a point of reference. It’s also asking a lot of the listener, with six tracks that stretch past 10 minutes, including two that go longer than 20. Not my favorite Miles Davis, but it’s unquestionably distinctive, and John McLaughlin and Chick Corea especially are in fine form.
Jazz continues not to be my thing but this was not unpleasant to listen to - just long!
Just when I was starting to think that I liked jazz, now I wonder... It sounds like someone is trying to keep their groove while navigating obstacles, random interruptions and instrument issues. If I think about it, I don't like it. If I let it play in the background and don't think, it's ok. Solidly belongs on this list though.
The lucid moments are great
I’m probably the problem, but my attention span doesn’t allow for full enjoyment of this album. Found it difficult to maintain interest, songs go on for very long and while there’s a lot to like- it’s hard to remain engaged.
Replying to another user: I don't dislike Miles Davis because his music "stands out." In fact, I don't think his tracks are particularly remarkable. Give me something wild like the Gerogerigegege.
Pitkä kuin nälkävuosi. Välillä mielenkiintoista ja paikoin hyvääkin mutta olisi saanut olla tunnin lyhyempi. Kuuntelin kuitenkin loppuun asti ja vaimeana taustamusiikkina toimi aivan hyvin.
Siis ihan mielenkiintoista ja monia hauskoja elementtejä, mutta miksi tää kestää ikuisuuden?! Ekassa levyssä kaks biisii ja ne kesti jo 45min🥲 Välillä oli vähän liikaa kaikkea meneillään ja jopa kaoottinen niin tuli jotenki levoton olo. Mutta muuten todella mielenkiintosta ja hauskaa
Best Song: John McLaughlin More jazz. It's like Godfather 3, "every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in." This is more music that does nothing for me, besides maybe writing/cleaning to it. But, this time the songs are way longer. 3/5.
Some pretty decent jazz. Fav- Bitches Brew
Experimental Jazz. I like experiment and the non linear. The sounds and tone of the album would definitely go well with acid. Even without I am seeing shapes and colour in my mind. I don't 'Get' the album, I don't think you're necessarily supposed to. On any given day, depending on your state of mind, it will make you feel different ways, including displeasure. It's wonderfully weird and an enigma to me.
1. pharaoh - 2.5 2. bitchez -2 3. zpanizh - 2 4. john - 1.5 5. milez -1.5 6. zanctuary - 3.5 7. feio - 2.5
Miles Davis pushes the limits of both jazz and listenability on this album. He breaks the former (in a good way) but not the latter. There's 90 minutes of music here, but it doesn't feel too long. There's so much going on - piano, electric guitar, horns, drums, bass - but it never feels chaotic or overstuffed. There are subdued moments, but there's always enough going on that you're not waiting for the next loud moment. It's a true jazz odyssey...I'm just not sure it goes anywhere. Having been stitched together from live sessions, it feels like a long jam that doesn't build from or to anything. It's just 6 great jazz tracks. Which can probably be said of many albums, but I think I need to rewire my brain for jazz before this goes from being an album I admire to a personal favorite.
This album is going to be either exquisite or excruciating, depending on your relationship with experimental jazz - there's not a lot of in between with this genre. If you're struggling to get into this album, I might recommend starting with Disc 2 to get your bearings on the shorter songs first. They're a little less experimental which could make them more palatable and help acclimate you to what you'll get on Disc 1. You might still hate all of it, but at least this gives you a little more runway to work with. I've spent more time with Davis's masterpiece, Kind Of Blue (1959), so this feels like a pretty radical evolution compared to that reference point. For starters, there are electric instruments here that absolutely weren't present in Kind Of Blue. It's also certainly more chaotic and requires a slightly different headspace to appreciate. I can get there, but it feels more like homework than casual listening; I don't think I'l revisit this as often as I play Kind Of Blue. "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" stood out as a good balance of experimenting while staying grounded in more traditional jazz. If you can only listen to one song, maybe this is the one. "Sanctuary" sounds more like what you'd get on older MD albums, so it resonated with me from that aspect.
This is an album I've had on my radar for a while but have always found it too intimidating. The skill and vision is clear. But i found some of the improv parts to be hectic. Its probably objectively a 4-5 but I'm taking a star for it not being my cup of tea.
It's pretty good, but also pretty hard to get through. Lots of really sparse improvisation in most of the songs. It has its moments, especially in Spanish Key and Sanctuary but as a whole it was fairly boring. The best part by far is the album cover, that goes incredibly hard.
Look I get that it's a renowned album for what it does. I just don't care for Jazz. Too many notes.
Good background music
Struggled with this one slightly, was pretty intense
Ok
I did not enjoy this as much as his previous albums.
Typical miles Davis. He’s such an asshole I have a hard time enjoying him. I don’t really think he’s that good honestly
I got this album the day after a Stan Getz bossanova album, and the contrast made me laugh. The Getz album is pretty easy-going and perfect for a dinner party. Bitches Brew is something very, very different. Let me put it like this: this album is like abstract art. If you want a pretty painting of a beautiful woman, you don't go looking at abstract art. If you want conventional song structures, harmonies, and memorable riffs, you don't play Bitches Brew. This is my first time with this album and it's deeply fascinating. Is it something for Sunday mornings with my boo? Nope. Right now I'm listening to it on headphones while grading papers, and it's pretty fantastic for that. Feet tapping, head nodding. I won't go back to this over and over, but it's an album I'll keep in hand for when I need it. Good stuff.
This was definitely a challenge. I always struggle with jazz but this had a mild psychedelic vibe to it that I liked. It hilariously gave my partner a mild panic attach cause she hated it so much. But honestly it took a while for it to grow on me and even then I really have to be in a specific mood to listen to this. Still fun though.
Not really the type of Jazz that I like. I'll try and give this another listen and see if it grows on me.
an awesome album name. Aggressive witchy jazz. Maybe even stressful but high energy
Proud I got all the way through. Didn’t entirely feel like taking my vitamins. I would listen to this again in the background.
Fine
Some good ones but but not totally my style.
Interesting? Yes, Worth being on the list? Yes. Can i think of a time that i would listen to it again? No
Classic, interesting, challenging
Sounds stupid but I did not realize how experimental the Beatles were
it would have been a 4/5 but the first half is such a fucking slog
3.1
I enjoy all the fusion projects that Miles did. While this one is considered his most famous and the entry point for a lot of people, it’s not my favorite. The name is appropriate because it is a strange brew of somewhat unfocused jams.
The music itself is fine, but I can't imagine going to see this live and not getting a bit bored with it. I, personally, need some breaks. Davis is without question one of the greats, but these 20+ minute improvisation pieces couldn't hold my attention. If all these songs were a bit shorter, it would have been great.
Disc 2 helped me do admin. Disc 1 was a slog. 4th time was a charm
JAAAAAZZZZZ Love the title. The album is definitely a journey and involves plenty of patience, especially for non-jazz lovers. Definitely an impressive collection of free form jazz infused with electric instruments. Just not really my kind of thing.
This band is still playing shows?? Their first album was 1974 🤯that's wild. I would have had my mind blown listening to them in the 70s before electronic music was a thing. But it's 2025. Still dancable thou! Paging all therobots in particular. Spacelab I've heard in movies before.. iconic now
I love jazz but this was a bit too experimental for me, and has a high bar for anyone’s early exposure. 3/5 enjoyment but there’s probably better albums to put on the project
This, for me, is "difficult... listening... hour" to quote Laurie Anderson but I listen to difficult music sometimes and appreciated this suggestion.
so much jazz! i’ve added it to library, for my repertoire of atmospheric sort of music.
Not a big fan of jazz and it was hard to keep enthused with nearly 2 hours of it here. I mean it wasn’t bad and as jazz goes probably better than a lot of other efforts but I’d be lying if I said I was ever going to listen to any of this again.
Very jazzy, the stressful kind of jazz. Sanctuary was nicest.
Big name, with no big results. Impro sessions...only.
Top-tier musicianship, every member of the band is on another level. I have a problem with pieces that are 20 minutes or longer. Although I appreciate the attempt to develop ideas and push the boundaries of the song, I find it difficult to follow every change and maintain my focus throughout the entire song. Fav track: "Spanish Key", it gets really funky in some parts. 3.5/5 might be more rewarding on repeated listens.
I feel like I'm too dumb to fully understand this music. But it's still quite enjoyable while working
Some of "the sound" of this album sounds like the interlude on The Doors "Riders on the Storm" and I wonder if The Doors did that intentionally or not, as Bitch's Brew came out before LA Woman. I admittedly had a hard time differentiating between each of the songs since they were all instrumentals. My ears are novices when it comes to jazz. I was excited for Bitch's Brew and was not let down by any stretch of the imagination but I did enjoy the prior two Miles Davis albums more. It does not help this album was longer than the other two Davis albums on this list. When I'm too stupid to understand the difference in the sound of jazz songs, then longer albums tend to be a bit tedious for me. The tracks I enjoyed were: Bitches Brew Spanish Key Miles Runs the Voodoo Down (my favorite)
This is jazz as I understand it: orchestrated chaos. It takes a more educated mind than mine to truly appreciate it, I'm sure. At times it dragged on, but at others I quite enjoyed it. Makes me feel like I'm listening to the soundtrack to L.A. Confidential or something, and that's a good thing.
I appreciate the vituoso - but can also get tired of the horn. I appreciate the electric guitar and jams (sounded like the Beastie Boys) but don't understand it! I think I like it, but then I don't.....fucking Jazz.
I've already listened to his album (5). I understand the appeal, but it's a bit tedious to listen to.
Just too damn long. lots of good individual parts here but theyre all found randomly 8+ min into each song. Fav track: Spanish Key
Never heard of this artist before so it was a pleasant surprise. The stars are for the beautiful voice I really enjoyed listening, unfortunately the songs are pretty forgettable.
Great mood and very interesting. Need to sit down and really pay attention to get the most out of it though. Not as easy to listen to as In a Silent Way.
I think this is what my dad was talking about when he said that he hated jazz. I’m listening 55 years after it came out, and it feels to me like rachmaninoff‘s concerto 2. sometimes overwhelming, sometimes quiet, sometimes it draws me in and others it pushes me away. i’ve never listened to this much trumpet. i can see how it impacted modern music. i don’t know if i would listen to this again. i do like spanish key though.
Can’t say it was my favorite from Miles. It’s very abstract to the point where there’s hardly anything in terms of groove or rhythm keeping a song going, whereas in previous listens I’ve had from him there’a usually something to catch my ear and hold on to that the music dances around. 5/10
I really wish I like this more. I mean, I know it is hugely influential and iconic. But, the unstructured, free flow form of the songs just leaves me feeling like I'm listening to something half realized. I want to give it a 4, but that would just be me wishing I was musically cooler than I apparently am. So, I'll rate it a 3 and then cry myself to sleep for being basic.
***an easy listening instrumental album
Waaaaaaaah Wah wah waaaaaaaah Wah waaaaaaah
It's been a few years since I last listened to this album and I was hoping to enjoy it more this time around, but unfortunately I didn't.. I like jazz but this just doesn't do anything for me. I'll try again in another couple years.. Favorite track: Feio 3.5/5
Way long, but good.
Ehkäpä hieman liian kaoottinen ainakin kakaroilla yhdessä kuunneltuna, mutta myöhemmin yksin kuulokkeilla levy tuntui inspiroivalta jaa hyvällä tavalla kaoottiselta. Ei lemppari mutta tarvii uuden kuuntelun vielä.
Like smoking a wet blunt outside of a jazz club, and then coming down to realize that the 2 hour show you just saw was actually just the band tuning up for 10 minutes.
Nah, it sits there and bores me. In a Silent Way blows it away
ya like jazz?
Treffer meg ikke like godt som «Kind of blue» og «Sketches…»
Enjoyed! Very smooth stuff. Would be good background music for me
Cool, but way too long
pretty but I prob wont relisten
Sometimes jazz sounds like Playing music wrong on purpose and I'm here for it. This album was interesting to me.
5.5/10 Considerably more enjoyable than Kind of Blue, but still this is just really not my cup of tea. As background music its fine.
A little hectic for me. I like some sort of melody. Too highbrow!!
I didn't even notice when it ended.
This was a really cool album but I had a hard time trying to stay engaged because the tracks were so long and seemed very repetitive.
One I'll come back to. I want to understand this one more. Perhaps a tad on the long side.
I'm not much into this style of jazz, but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The bass and drums are great, and the trumpet has it's moments, though it's too piercing and abstract for me overall
I don’t speak this language. I can listen and kind of appreciate it. I know this album is a definitive jazz great but I simply don’t understand.
This was a really long album. Good, but might've overstayed its welcome just a little.
Not a jazz fan
Excelent songs, such as sanctuary, Pharaoh's Dance., They're my favourites. Extremely impressive, inovative and experimental. Some moments are way too experimental for me, with a weird jazz fusion vibes. Some songs left me feeling "anxious", unsettled. Problaby by design (so many things happening at once) Long songs, which was algo a surprise. Overall, excelent discovery, and great way to start. Problably I won't listen to every song or the whole album very often, but some songs for sure will enter my regular playlists for working focus.
By minute 12, I was begging the trumpet to stop. By minute 30, I was begging for death.
Experimental improvisational jazz man, just a bunch of cats sitting about and jamming freeform and exploring riffs endlessly... One piece clocked in at 4 minutes and change and I almost fell over with shock.
3.3/a little too freaky
Sounded great but was too long for me. No break to really digest.
Undeniably good. Easy to understand its importance and influence. But a little tedious to listen to sometimes.
Another I album I feel I should like more than I do. I come back to this one every five years or so for a temp check, but the end is always the same, free form jazz get's under my skin. I could leave Disc 1, but found Disc 2 to be more palatable with some moments I could sink into. I do like Miles. The Blue Note stuff is killer.
I really liked the last Miles Davis album we had, which felt like more classical jazz. This one is definitely more experimental or "free form" (if that's the correct term, idk. I'm just picturing the free form jazz bit from Spongebob rn). Also, the length of the songs and album as a whole made this difficult to listen through in one sitting. I'm not sure this is the sort of jazz I would gravitate towards, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Just not my taste. I'm not sure what to give this, but low 3 feels right to me.
This feels like an album that I should really like and real musicheads would love, but it just wasn't my cuppa. There's no denying the talent, but this is the type of jazz where it's so technically good, but it is so loose that it less appealing to the untrained ear even though it takes incredible skill to do what they are doing. I really like the echoing effect that is used that gives an eerie feeling of loneliness in a big city in the middle of the night. All in all this is *just* a high 3 on a first listen. I would certainly like to come back to this one to take another crack at it and try to appreciate it a bit more.
Very long but kind of all melted together and I kind of got lost in it. Wasn't fully paying attention but sounded intricate af. Was cool to listen to knowing this is such a classic of an album, but I may be too dumb to really appreciate it
More atmospheric than most of the jazz I’ve been listening to. It’s a vibe.
If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
7 tracks coming in at a 1 hour 45 min run time is diabolical. At least the music is pretty good but damn it was a long listen
Forward thinking, but it’s no “Kind of Blue”. I do like the electronic components, but it’s a little frenetic and unsettling at points. Standout track is “Sanctuary”
This is a hard one to rate given some songs were great like "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" and "Sanctuary" and then there "Feio" which I didn’t like and "Pharaoh's Dance" which was both good and not good. Guess I spilt the difference.
Good music but songs way too long couldnt really enjoy them as phone rang, had to work, pick up kids at school. Hated every second of not really having time to enjoy a good album like this. Still repetitive but pretty good
Bueno
jako dobro, iako ponekad mučno, nije baš moj đir
Kind of good but also sometimes horrible, which seems to be the point of jazz
For as long as it is it drifts right on by. I got a lot of house work done!
There were parts I really enjoyed and others that I found very grating.
Still don't understand Jazz.
I used to like jazz much more than I do now. This is grand, though.
2.7
I dig me some mad trumpet. Miles delivers on that. Overall I like Disc 1 better than Disc 2. Pharaoh's Dance, I like the beat. That beat is WORKIN! It gives the piece a frantic undercurrent. Bitches Brew is kind of eerie and I like Miles' trumpet playing best on this one & Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. With complex jazz like this I imagine the instruments having conversations. I did not care for what the keys were adding to the conversation for most of the album. Had it's moments but mostly it felt like the keys were sloppy and discordant and making a general mess of things. Spanish Key & John McLaughlin has some groovin moments. I really didn't care for Sanctuary because it felt like they were searching for something and I'm not sure if they ever found it... and the trumpet playing is boring. I didn't like Feio because that 3 note bass line is really boring.
Too advanced for me. Lotta chaos to my untrained ear.
I guess I don’t consider peeing your pants to be cool.
This is a really hard album to listen to. It's got great bones and the musicians on it are extremely talented but it just does not come together. The drums and bass are the most consistent aspects but piano and trumpet can sometimes catch you off guard and they feel out of place. When this album works it is truly great but when it fails, it falls apart.
2.5 rounded up to 3
Only got about halfway through, but it's Bitches Brew by Miles Davis
3.0 - Ok
5/10. Not his best but I’d have a glass of wine and dinner with it.
Too experimental, too long. Feio was nice
Puuuh...Jazz! :D Als nicht so Jazz bewanderter Hörer und Genießer von Musik, fiel es mir schwer mich vollkommen in diesen komplexen Strukturen zurecht zu finden bzw. diese entsprechend zu würdigen. Mir ist bekannt, dass "Bitches Brew" von Davis einen musikalischen Meilenstein darstellt, jedoch musste ich feststellen, dass diese Arrangements nicht wirklich etwas für mich sind. Was vermutlich einen gekonnten Zuhörer des Genres beeindruckt, konnte ich durch mein fehlendes Verständnis nicht wirklich genießen. Ich würde dem Album jedoch noch mal eine Chance geben, mich teifer famit auseinander zu setzen.
I wish the tracks were separated out. It would have been a 4 star with that.
1h45m is a long time to fill. Even though the trumpet, drums, keys, pretty much everything sounded great, a lot of the runtime was spent kind of meandering. Really enjoyed certain pieces of it but listening to the entire thing was a different story
Skibidi, digabi, doo, it's like it's not about the music man.... It's about the journey through the music, okeydoke, didalee doo. Skibidi.
Streit, men litt for langt og ustrukturert for min smak
sent
Fine work.
Unique, layered , and worth revisiting
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🌊🔥👩🏾🦱 Production (Legacy Edition): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎷🌀😵💫 Rating: 🤯🤯🤯/5
Songs are 2 long for my liking.
5/10
Jazz - Nice Some of it quite the definition of challenging but quite a bit of the 2nd disc I really enjoyed
🤷♂️
I love the sound of this album, but I do not love this album.
This was alright.. Quite stressful at times.
A bit too out there and tiresome for me.
Its bitches brew and i got it on boxing day so I couldn't exactly give it the time and attention it deserves. I like jazz and have a few records, but id need a lifetime of listening to understand the intricacies. It gave me enough to pique my interest and will be back.
I respect the guy and there is a time & place for this album, but for me, it's stressful.
Jazz. Man...
i listened to this album directly after listening to the other miles davis album involved on this, and somehow, it just didn't hit the same. I think i prefer the older jazz.
One of those albums where I could appreciate someone loving it, but 20min free jazz sessions are hard to love for the average person 3*
Best Song: Sanctuary. Succeeded where the previous song failed. Rambunctious while still being coherent. Worst Song: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down. This felt cacophonous in an unapproachable way. I never felt like the song had its legs underneath it, and the rhythm felt too fast and chaotic for how long and meandering the track was. Overall: Jazz always feels a little outside my realm of understanding. Maybe that's the point, I don't know. Nevertheless, it makes an album as long as this a challenging experience, and one that I don't know if I am particularly enriched by. A fun struggle, but one I doubt I'll return to.
Soulful and catchy. I don't know if this was played by ear or if they had notes but its really good.
I tried listening to this when I was much younger and less familiar with jazz in general and didn’t “get it”. I’m not saying I get it now, but it’s a little more palatable. Once you get past the first disc, there’s a lot more fluidity and less of a cacophony of sounds. The first couple tracks feel like everyone’s doing something interesting, they’re not playing the same song, but are all in a similar key so it doesn’t sound exactly “bad” but it is certainly tiring trying to figure out what’s going on. Maybe that’s my barrier to enjoying this, but that’s usually how I enjoy music so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about that. Here’s a rare case of I don’t think I’ll listen to this as a whole again but it should absolutely be on this list. On enjoyability alone, this gets 2ish, but its importance (and I’m not sure there are more than a handful of other albums I’d argue this for) gets a 3.5 so we’re going to go with a 3.
It's actually quite good. "Pharaoh's Dance" is my favourite off "Bitches Brew". The one problem with this album is that it's too long. Jazz albums tend to do my head in if it's over an hour in length. But this album is still cool nevertheless. I'll give "Bitches Brew" 3 stars.
Nice background music, but jazz does nothing for me 3/5
I don't usually listen to this kind of music maybe it's normal for this genre but I do think some songs are draging for too long...
Really good progressive jazz.
I am sure it is great...but very exhausting to listen to
I want to like it more than I do. Too slow for me and too much nothing happening in between the good parts.
Pretty aggressive jazz, the addition of guitar on this album was welcome. A bit too dissonant for my taste. Very long instrumental jams. I think I would enjoy this album more and might have given it 4 stars if I gave it a few listens.
I understand this album is placed in the canon, but I was not prepared to listen to an hour and 45 minutes of it on the date came up. I'll have to come back to it at another time
Hard to digest at times
6/10
Really great jazz. Really great sound. I can see how this hits the spot for jazz aficionados. Not anything I need to come back to but if its on I will definitely enjoy it!
Even a novice-to-jazz ear like mine recognizes that there is something special happening here. Bitches Brews sounds different to me than other jazz albums I’ve listened too. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-bitches-brew-by-miles?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
3.5
Huge and noisy and eclectic. Moments of brilliance.
Tyckte det var bättre än på mina två tidigare lyssningar. Svårt att greppa och känns att det saknar struktur. Måste lyssna pånytt någon gång i framtiden
i think i need to spend some more time with this record. Definitely good, but some of it was harsh to me.
Congrats to those who get something out of those but I did not Rating: 2.9
I understand its significance, but I just don't enjoy listening to it. I was along for the ride up until In a Silent Way, and then Miles left me in his dust.....
Album 498 of 1001 Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Rating : 3.5 / 5 Was pretty surprised to get Miles Davis two days in a row. For me, this one just doesn't hit quite as hard as Kind of Blue. The Improvisation Jazz hasn't really been a favorite, though there are a few rock elements thrown in. Miles is still awesome.
Hmm. Well I found disc 1 pretty unlistenable and nearly gave up. Had a break, and listened to disc 2 in headphones, which was much better as I could hear the instruments properly and not only the free-form parping and squeaking. Interesting, is my verdict, and "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" reminded me of Aladdin Sane's crazy piano. Bowie always liked jazz, didn't he. So I should respect its interestingness.
Pretty cool
Listening to this makes me wish I had a cooler life haha. I'm just listening at work. At my desk. But like I wish I was Frank Bullitt. Dangerous yet fashionable. Also I couldn't stop this loop in my head: "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis." Excited to listen to his earlier work since apparently this one was more experimental.
3 - There were parts that were 5/5 and parts which were 1/5. It was sooooo long. I don't have the attention span for this.
Favorite Track: Bitches Brew
Very talented.
Not bad. Nothing really thrilling. Good background music.
shit's freaking me out lmao
lowkey vad var detta, kändes som det skulle varit soundtrack till en film som utspelar sig på en fett fancy restaurang under vattnet typ. Lyssnade igenom en hel del men sen skummade jag igenom vissa låtar, farligt långa. Har väldigt svårt att sätta ord på viben, men kul med något som jag inte brukar lyssna på. Kommer dock dessvärre nog inte återbesöka detta album. Alltså det fick mig verkligen att tänka på fisk kan inte förklara Bästa låt: spanish key, sanctuary
A very experimental album, it's enough to listen to it once.
When I was growing up there was this popular song by Canadian, Jerry Doucette called, Mama Let Him Play. "Mama let that boy play some rock and roll, jazz is much too crazy, he can play when he's old, he's too young for the blues, he's still inside his first pair of shoes He's just a baby" or something like that...Anyways, that line about jazz being too crazy he can play it when he's old, has always resonated with me. Well, I'm old now and I've become acquainted with jazz music more in recent years and I still think about that line. I like traditional, old school jazz, which is built around a lot of improvisation and experimentation, but not too crazy. I think Doucette was thinking about Miles Davis's, Bitches Brew because this jazz is much too crazy! This is fusion-jazz-rock based with lots of keyboards, dynamic rhythms, experimentation and plenty of wild trumpeting by Miles. It felt like the album was one long jam session and in reality it is several jams. I can't decide if I like it or no. I don't think it matters how old you have to be to appreciate this music, but if you want to chill out and impress your guests during your next soiree, toss Bitches Brew on your turntable and turn it up LOUD! Then the real party will begin!
Definitely a unique experience. It is not easy to consume this type of material. Especially when there are no lyrics in an album that are almost 2 hours long (I almost didn't have time to listen to it today, for example). But despite it not being an album for casual listening and not really being my type of music, it is very well conceived and produced for an album from the beginning of the 1970s. I'll leave it with 3 stars.
Prefer Sketches of Spain
Miles Davis is a musical genius. So hard to sit through though because the songs were SO LONG. Love jazz but this was kinda modern feeling. I don’t enjoy long songs a lot
But too long for me
If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis.
2,5
I just really don't like how long these songs are, or how long the album itself is. It starts to get monotonous after awhile.
The pinnacle of experimental jazz. I would describe it as "cool" - about as cool as you can get (check out that badass keyboard playing!) - but not necessarily good music. The repetition of themes is nearly non-existent, so for the non-jazz-minded, it's hard to really latch onto anything other than the drum beat. Even that is often absent. Feio, for example, has very drawn-back and irregular percussion. Pharaoh's Dance leans heavily on its unusual harmonic mode, but doesn't do much to make it sound marketable. Contrast that with Caravan, a comparable jazz standard, which is much more friendly to the crowds (and to me). The skill and instrumental control here is unreal. The bass, keyboard, drumming, and weaving wind section are all, separately, fantastic. (Man, those muted trumpet growls. Mmm.) But I think this ensemble is less than the sum of its parts. I also think that the Kind Of Blue ensemble is much stronger, though that could be because of the difference in style rather than how proficient the musicians actually are. 3/5 Key tracks: Pharaoh's Dance, Spanish Key, Sanctuary
long jazz instrumentals are typically not my jam, but the musicianship on this album is top notch. every band member shines. certainly impressive, but again, not really my thing.
This is a landmark album for fusion and I. The way it was constructed, but for me thus music works best in a live setting where it can breath instead of being confined to a structure that didn’t necessarily exist
I'm not going to pretend I understood this album. 93 minutes of instrumental jazz is a lot to ask of someone.
Weird for Miles Davis. Dare I say more avant- garde than his other shit. A wild step away from something blue. Unsure if it would be good high jazz
The aural equivalent of eating your greens; you know it's good for you but it can feel like hard work at times. Maybe I'll know when I'm a fully fledged grown up when this clicks into place and I choose to put it on without prompting. Definitely getting closer but still maybe a little way off 😆
There were moments of this I really enjoyed. But overall, I still don’t think I’m cool enough to get jazz.
That was a real trip for biscuits and now we're all wet, daddio. Not only am I not sophisticated enough to enjoy all this jazzy skittly-boppin', but I'm somewhat self-conscious of the fact that I don't get/like it. 2.5*, but giving it three so I don't seem like such a square.
I now understand what Billy Madison meant when he said “If peeing your pants is cool, I’m Miles Davis”
Need to be in the right mood, he is good though
I wanted to like this more than I actually did.
Really could not get into this. It’s not bad, not my thing.
The music is relaxing but there is a bit too much of it.
Hard to warm up to this album in a short time span - it’s definitely a good record and stellar musicianship but I couldn’t find myself warming up to it easily. And that essentially is how I’ve been rating the rest - how much I enjoyed the record and whether I would want to spend more time with it in the future. At this stage my gut says no.
Wauw, deze hoes is zo fenomenaal. Cover-kunstwerken zijn echt een underrated onderdeel van de muziek-album-ervaring. Ook van de luisterervaring. Snap dan ook echt niet dat er zoveel gedrochten van album-covers zijn uitgebracht. Of een kwestie van smaak natuurlijk. Dan de muziek. Heb het album al meermaals aangezet, maar vraag me af of ik ooit verder ben gekomen als Pharaoh's Dance, wat toch 20 minuten lekker jazz-gepriegel is. Bitches Brew is toch een soort Trout Mask Replica van de experimental-jazz. Je wordt van hot naar her gegooid en Miles en zijn maten zijn niet zuinig op het af en toe uit de maat spelen of je laten schrikken met een valse noot. Expres verstoren van de opbouw of vibe voegt vaak iets toe aan muziek. Op Bitches Brew is het meer andersom: proberen een vibe te creëren door een continue reeks aan verstoringen. Het lukt mij niet om dit echt geniaal te vinden maar het is wel een unieke plaat van een bijzondere artiest. Overigens ook bij Miles leuk ook even stil te staan bij de fysieke transformatie die iemand kan doorlopen in zijn leven. Ondanks dat de beste man op relatief jonge leeftijd (65) is gestorven was hij van een knappe jonge vent toch verworden tot een eng mannetje. Altijd het googlen even waard. 7,5/10
bello ma luuuungo 3
Ik ben niet vies van moeilijke jazz, maar dit ging ook mijn pet soms te boven
Behoorlijk experimenteel moet ik zeggen
As someone into jazz I had heard so much about this album but never got around to it. As much as I love jam sessions; I just can't get into jam records. If this was the same but less of a jam session and more structured, I would've liked it a lot more
Yeah, it's experimental avant-garde jazz. Not unpleasant in the background, but difficult for me to appreciate when concentrating on it. I hear a lot of different things in here, but my closest touchstone is honestly Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Not my jam
I appreciate jazz both in the talent and expression, and in the influence it has had in much of what I like. That being said, I am drawn to lyrics as much as anything and the lack of lyrics doesn’t hold me the same way.
Can see how this is enjoyed, but for me jazz just doesn't do it, generous 3
Sort of get it mostly don’t
nah
I'm absolutely convinced now, that a trip on heroin is like hearing your trumpet in a constant reverb. But it's really impressive, nontheless!
Great album...good combo of rock, blues, and jazz. Great way to spend a Sunday morning.
Eh difícil de ouvir, e na vez de eu ouvir esse álbum, eu dei uma parada nesse projeto, fiquei uma semaninha so ouvindo músicas que eu gosto, ou seja, brasileiras, mas, eu acabei ouvindo o álbum e achei um jazz fusion Mt bom, bem estranho, nem único, parece que eu tô ouvindo um show ao vivo, que cada nota eh improvisada e a corrente de energia entre os instrumentos está Mt bem colocada, o jazz parece estar rolando Mt bem, apesar de eu não ter o conhecimento necessário para afirmar isso. Me vejo voltando pra esse álbum um dia que eu estiver mais disposto e com vontade de loucuras. Não vejo maneira de dar uma nota concreta pra ele.
This is a jazz album. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Will I listen to it again? Probably no. Cool cover art
Could not find the right mood for the album, and i tried for almost a week. It's very long, it's almost free jazz