Reviews (page 3 of 8)
There is virtually nothing musical or enjoyable about this. I read the brief... I don't care when it was released, and I don't care that it's supposedly a reference to other genres. This is people spending years learning how to prepare fine cuisine and then purposely giving everyone food poisoning. Maybe that's the point with its supposed punk references, but you just know they were enjoying sniffing their own farts when they made this. 2 stars instead of 1 for the sake of the people not playing brass.
Fucking unlistenable Exactly how I like it!
Lots of frenetic noise. Not my bag.
Niet heel memorabel
Fire
4 out of 5. Jazz expressed through the energy of punk is something I don't hear too often but appreciate when I do. Side note: Japanese jazz punk band Midori is a great place to stop off next if this album was your jam.
Definitely an assault on the senses in my opinion. Just not the best jazz album.
Thank God that's over.
aha es isch so fr free jazz und uhuere streng und d drums sind mega 80er? OKAY OKAY OKAY? es isch soooo streng haha. okay mitelrwiile hani spass ich gseh d songs nöd eso well halt youtube well es nöd streaming aber bruudi igendwie gohts schono blöd. bi bi feet music (Alec moment) und sie killeds echt. aso zemefassog: extreeem streng aber au zum teil wild und geil. 3.
Wat een bagger. Afgrijselijk. Ik wil m'n oren van m'n hoofd trekken
This is a once in a while listen. Novel but also frustrating.
A lot of conflicting thoughts on this one. Did I like it? Not particularly. My son woke up this morning and chose maximum chaos, which fits this album to a tee, so I had to laugh at the juxtaposition. I’m never completely sure if this kind of avant-garde art is meant to be played straight or if you’re supposed to laugh at the pretentiousness of it, but I tend to lean toward the latter. There’s loads of talent here and this is much more of a fun listen than reviews would have you believe, but how am I supposed to not at least give a chuckle to a jazz quintet with 2 drummers?
Good I guess?
Rating: 3.9/5 Short Review: Chaotic, relentless, like your brain on espresso and existential dread. Brilliant in bursts, exhausting if you try to “enjoy” it like a normal person. Favorite Track: “Chronology.” It’s pure controlled chaos. Feels like it might fall apart at any second but never does.
The fact that it is not available to stream on Spotify is not a good sign to start off. The fact that is just a bunch of Whoville style instrument noises is confirmation that this is going to be a slog. Well, the songs suck, but at least they are short. This is like the jazz equivalent of hardcore punk/metal. And I don't like those genres any better than this. Good Old Days started with some promise and now has devolved into a cacophony of annoying sounds. Listening to this on YouTube makes figuring out which "song" I'm listening to impossible. The end of this cannot come soon enough. Feet Music is the first song that feels like it isn't trying to make me think it sucks. I don't know if I need to listen to Ornette Coleman to get a taste of his music or if it would just be subjecting myself to more of this torture.
Favorite track(s): WRU, Good Old Days, Ecars, Feet Music I'm frankly astonished John Zorn made it on this list in any capacity. Should've been by way of Electric Masada but whatever.
Interesting.
Wow. That was completely bananas. I liked very little of it, but it did pick up structure and interest for me from Feet Music on. The drumming is unrelenting, messy soloing, mixed way too loud. I think that is supposed to make it punk, but I think it is just distracting. The bass is buried. I'm never going to be a fan of this music, but it is absolutely distinct and takes a position.
I liked this way more than I thought I would. Enjoyed the furious energy of it, and the fun groove of the middle bit. Down side: too much nonmelodic squeaky bouncing around.
1/5 - No thanks
436/1089 - Well this is niche. Not particularly interesting either with the normal-head to free jazz to normal-head formula repeated nearly 17 times. I swear I'm generally a fan of jazz but these album picks on the generator are not very good. It's like a rock fan's understanding of jazz/what a rock fan would find digestible.
It wasn't available on spotify and I wish I had bothered to track it down on youtube. Awful cacophony of brass. Some people love this kind of thing - they are wrong and weird
Raaaaad
Chaotische Scheiße
Appreciate the musicianship but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too frenetic for me.
🎧It’s not for me
I'm kind of speechless after having heard this. It's the sonic equivalent of being chased by a stampede of hundreds of baby elephants - absolutely relentlessly chaotic, and I really did like it. Slightly gutted to find that it isn't on streaming, but it was worth ploughing through several adverts for.
There is a reason why this is hard to find...
I'm pretty sure this can easily pass as a Dillinger Escape Plan interlude. Also, I have an insane urge to see if there are any live recordings of any of these songs and check them note by note besides the studio version. It's insane to just think that they can replicate this chaos, but they play jazz so they really might be able. It was so chaotic that it got me laughing, it made my head hurt, and somehow I liked it. It's just insanity. I feel like if I consider myself not stressed enough one day, I can put this on and go back to my normal stressed self. WHY DO I LIKE THIS CRAZINESS??
Heavy metal jazz. One extra star for the talent of the musicians
Fuck everyone this album rules. If you can't understand the intention behind it, your brain probably can't compute music more complicated than ZZ Top. John Zorn is a fucking beast, Ornette Coleman was an insanely gifted composer, and this album is one of the greatest tributes of all time. Favorite track: Zig Zag
chaotic
The worst so far.
I don't understand nor enjoy free jazz. I don't think I ever will.
That was hilarious. I deeply dislike jazz music and this ensemble demolished it and, in my opinion, showed it up for the pretentious crap it is. Each track is nasty, brutish and short - a bit like life, maaaan. In the words of the Fast Show: Niiiice.
One point for cover art One point for originality 2/100
Sounds like someone strangling a goat made entirely of latex balloons, broken bag pipes and abstract noise. I am intrigued and also don’t want to listen all at the same time
WRU Ecars Feet Music Broadway Blues https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vhe3vSe-mmw
Less spy antics, and more diplomatic music, please! ★★
What did I listen to? Having scanned some reviews, I was expecting to hate it, but even my luddite ears can decent there's "something" here. Not recommended whilst trying to spreadsheet though.
Since jazz is pretty much the only music genre I can't stand, especially the saxophone, this is probably the worst music my mind can comprehend.
I have not heard this before. I’ve listened to both John Zorn and Ornette Coleman so I’m expecting this to be chaotic. So, this is more chaotic than I was expecting. I was thinking it sounded like grindcore free jazz and reading up on it they say it’s free jazz from a hardcore perspective and also thrash jazz so I wasn’t too far off. This is really wild and I dig it, as someone who enjoys both free jazz and hardcore, though like with most free jazz I’ll need to be in the right mood to listen to it again.
This was a cool and unique album! Not something I'll throw on every day, but it created a really interesting sound. I also thought it was cool that you would occasionally recognize a familiar song amid the chaos.
This is exactly the sort of unusual, out there, never-would-have-ever-listened-to albums that I wanted from this list. Hated it.
+1 star because I get what they're trying to do, but it's ultimately just a bunch of unnecessary noise
Not a jazz guy and this one contains all the jazz stereotypes.
If Napalm Death made a jazz album.
This kind of difficult music has an important prerequisite: you need to have listened to Trout Mask Replica beforehand. Otherwise, there are still people in your life who will be disappointed in you
My controversial opinion is that this album is actually very listenable, even if it isn't particularly good
Fun fact: On Guantanamo's Top Ten Torture Albums this is number one with a bullet.
chaotic ahh hell
"Man I could really listen to Feet Music" said no one ever.
Free jazz suffers from the same lack of restraint that some of the screamier metals do. If you are always on 11, it inevitably loses its impact. Respect for his marching to his own drumbeat and all, but still becomes background music
Nonsense
Could have done without it.
A 40 minute version of that 30 seconds at the beginning of every Saturday Night Live right before the monologue starts
At least it's different. I found the dissonant parts made the digestible parts hit harder. 5.9 Fav track: Feet Music
Could not find it, but other reviews suggest that's not such a bad thing. (1 start simply to post the review.)
Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman is easily one of the most chaotic albums i have ever heard. However, unlike something like War's The World Is A Ghetto, this one wasn't organized chaos, it's just chaos. Throughout the first half of the album, these people just didn't seem to know how to make proper compositions as they just wildly played their instruments with no rhyme or reason and it got extremely annoying. The second half was a bit more tolerable with them actually learning how to properly compose a song but they were still too noisy and abrasive to be anything that good. This album gets a 1.5, the extra 0.5 coming from the fact the second half was actually tolerable. Best Song: Feet Music Worst Song: C&D
I appreciate the energy but this album is for a very specific type of person that I am not.
i really don't like experimental, noise-like music
Jazz but Jazz at 100 miles an hour. Not available on Spotify but found it on Youtube. Pity about the ads 'tho.
I don't know if I'll listen to it again, but it was interesting
Absolutely dreadful. There's clearly some musical skill, but the music is barely better than noise as far as I'm concerned.
1 - TERRIBLE
Atrocious. Two saxophones improvising simultaneously, one in each ear. Please no.
Terrible
Ornette Coleman is the perfect musical representation of how my household operates – moments of coordinated brilliance, followed by long stretches of unrelenting chaos.
This gave me a headache.
Very interesting experiment. I don't think it quite works all the time but I like it.
1.5 - the hectic jazz is cool for a bit but becomes exhausting to listen to
This was just chaos. Noisy. Experimental. I think this one would definitely require more than one listen to fully enjoy.
I have SO MANY thoughts and comments that I must get through. 1. I legit had to take breaks listening to this album. It occupied my entire brain, and I gotta tell you, I’ve never felt so much mental clarity in my life than those breaks from this album. 2. This must be music that the Joker listens to on his day off to unwind. 3. This is like one of those things that stands out as a talking point. Like an extremely flashy watch or a middle piece of a table that is so absurd that people bond over talking about it and it serves as a great ice breaker. 4. I wonder if this is how my mom feels when I listen to “screaming music”. 5. The back half of this album is much more stable than the front half (kinda) 6. This album makes me question everything. Why are we here? How do magnets work? What choices in my life did I make that ultimately led me to listening to this album? Closing thoughts. No music has ever made me feel this sort of chaotic energy. This is a very unique experience that I have never felt before while listening to music. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about this album, but I’ll probably never want to listen to it again.
HardcOrnette: A deliciously cataclysmic musical conflagration
It's the end of a long evening. I've been DJing to a packed dancefloor, but it's time to pack up and go home. How do I get everyone to leave? Rah rah rah squawk squeak scrumble! That did the job nicely. Thank you Mr Zorn! The sound of cats fighting and drums falling down flights of stairs. I quite enjoyed it!
"I have no kick against modern jazz. Unless they try to play it too darn fast."
Jazzy noise.
Not enjoyable at all. Chaotic noise.
Jazz is never my thing, and add experimental into the mix and it's an audio disaster, in my opinion. I did listen to the entire album and there were a few parts I did enjoy, the more structured parts, but in all honesty, I just don't like jazz.
Well. This was something. Not my cup of tea I don’t think but I can appreciate the talent. There were a few songs in the second half that I did enjoy but it’s a bit too out there for me as a whole.
Experimental? I'm either going to love it or hate it. Jazz? Don't really get it. I have found a few jazz albums I like, but I don't enjoy most of them, Experimental Jazz? Hell No This is just noise. There are a couple of tracks near the end that approach sounding like a jazz album.
Thrash jazz, eh? I didn't not know that was a thing. I can see why. Thrash metal and thrash punk at least tend to have a tune. This is mostly just scales played at high speed, loudly, with equally chaotic drumming. I guess it's innovative, but that doesn't make it enjoyable. I'm giving it one extra star due to creativity, but it still only gets 2 stars.
15# Unpleasant Stop tuning your instruments and start playing. Jokes aside, this was really interesting and challenging. Frentic playing from all instruments, the intro starts with everything. The most punk or metal, jazz has ever sounded. Great. If they built the chaos up and didn't start bantering everything they got from the beginning of each song, it would be a pleasant experience, but i guess we have it somewhere else and it has a place.
This is really great. I am no jazz head or scholar but I have enjoyed almost all the music from that genre that I have encountered thus far on this list. These guys are playing their asses off. I can see how people could not like this as it ican be dissonant. But there is also a groove to be found in the "noise." I am not usually one who enjoys any music that is or can be described as "experimental" no matter the genre, but this is an excellent album.
Fuckin drugs are doing it
The whole thing sounds like noise piled on top of noise. Everything feels mangled together with no real rhythm or groove to hold onto. Instead of swinging or even locking into chaos in a satisfying way, it comes off like everyone is just playing whatever they want at the same time. I get that it is supposed to be free jazz, but this felt less like experimentation and more like a mess.
This made my work day so chaotic in such a short amount of time, it was impressive. This is some jazz I'd hear on the Eric Andre show. But I didn't have the comedy of the show to go with it. It's way too much and I hated it.
I feel like this is supposed to be some sort of avant garde masterpiece but I don't get it. I love a lot of albums of this type that get a lot of negative reviews like Locust Abortion Technician but this album just fell flat for me.
W.R.U. 2.8 Chronology 2.8 Word for Bird 2.8 Good Old Days 3 The Disguise 3.1 Enfant 3.3 Rejoicing 3 Blues Connotation 3 C. & D. 2.7 Chippie 2.9 Peace Warriors 3 Ecars 3.2 Feet Music 3.4 Broad Way Blues 3.2 Space Church 3 Zig Zag 3 Mob Job 3.2 Score: 3.023529412
asik jazz lagi. but in the most conventional jazz way (agak amburadul). im sure this this someone's cup of tea, just not mine
These guys can play up a storm and the idea of thrash grindcore jazz is fascinating. The tracks are short and are all individually brilliant. But because they're so relentlessly aggressive, listening to the album straight produces diminishing returns. But include this in a playlist set to random and it will certainly add a little piquancy. But now go and listen to Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz", which is the album that should have been on this list, and see why these guys are paying tribute to him. (Spoiler: Because Ornette is better)
Heard
Not the worst album on this list. Wild.
Listened to a playlist containing all the ostensible songs (minus a couple) but which was much longer than the album length. Enjoyed it a lot.
Meh
I swear to god, this is what goes through the head of a school shooter. I've listened to quite a bit of breakcore isn't even half as chaotic or awful-sounding as this. The bottom part of the album says "JOHN ZORN [et al.] PLAY THE MUSIC OF ORNETTE COLEMAN." I'm pretty sure these instrumentalists were respected in their own rights, but coming together do bastardize the music of Ornette Coleman? That's a low blow. At least I know that they didn't do it intentionally. (if you want to know what breakcore sounds like, my personal favorite song is "1UZ-FE" by Blksmiith. They're on YouTube, so you'll have to deal with ads. Although, the ads can't even compare to the torture that was listening to 30 minutes of that album. )
I will say this- I have never heard anything like this. I’m 95% sure that’s derogatory, but that 5% is enough for a 2. It kind of gave me a headache
The first half of this album is the sound my mind made when Jamo threw the reverse pass for an interception against Washington, when the ball went off Kindle Vildor's face for a fifty yard Aiyuk bomb, and when Torii Hunter went hurtling over the wall at Fenway in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS.
Audio experience: listening to talented musicians armed with their instruments being tossed down the stairs of the World Trade Center. I started clock watching ~ halfway through the album, continually adjusting the volume down to fight the oncoming migraine, a feat that not even the Bjork or Dizzee Rascal albums managed to accomplish. Exhausting.
Was initially thinking a 2 for how chaotic it was, but upped to a three because it got easier to listen to while still being crazy as hell.
Clearly, they know how to play their instruments well. They just don’t know how to make music. This album was hard to listen to.
I feel like I've said it a few times, but THIS is what I signed up for when I started this list. Throbbing Gristle, The Flaming Lips, Roxy Music and all of the other totally insane stuff thrown in among the 60s Beatles clones and nine Bowie albums. There are three things I love more than anything in music: niche music theory that I can spend an hour and a half looking into, albums that sound like absolutely nothing on this earth, and saxophones. Especially saxophones. There isn't a single album on this earth that's made worse by a saxophone player. Now imagine my surprise when I find out that there's an album dedicated to my favorite jazz saxophonist, Ornette Coleman, sitting in the bottom 10 albums on the list. Now imagine my double surprise when I find out that it's heavily inspired by Grindcore and other hardcore punk scenes from the end of that decade. This is all to say, this album makes Captain Beefheart sound like Herb Alpert. I don't think you can get more chaotic in jazz without foregoing rhythm entirely and just saying "fuck it, make sound until you pass out." And under that is some serious thought. The sax in isolation sounds like he's playing a normal song, he's just getting buried under the two drummers simultaneously playing their hearts out. I could gush about this album for an hour and a half, but I have sleep to get. In short, this is the best jazz album I've ever heard, and I hope Ornette Coleman heard this before he died.
Crazy set lol. I liked the chaos!
Not on Spotify, Jazz
4 for all the haters
Musical Show-Off jam is not music
I still do not exactly understand how to approach jazz, but this is a very interesting album. Clearly a boundary-pushing jazz record, its hardcore punk influences are clearly visible and deeply striking. This record revels in rebeliousness, and I deeply appreciate it.
Would have been less if it wasn’t for the second half of the album.
Wow, I have never appreciated silence so much. Mad shit!
Yep that is impressive shit
First album I just could not listen to... I managed 10 mins. I'm sure there is a lot of talent here somewhere, but this is just unlistenable.
Super chaotic jazz. Most of the instruments are playing a similar melody, but the drums didn’t get the memo at times. This would be a good album to blast to prevent a group of people from sleeping; for hypothetical protest purposes. Keeping this in my back pocket. 1.8/5.0
This sucks. Just because it’s jazz doesn’t mean it’s automatically good, this is unlistenable. I do absolutely love the cover art though.
Don't try to pretend this is anything but a room of arseholes trying to fart over the top of each other.
When the album started, it STARTED. No slow intro, just a punch in the mouth of frenetic energy that never really stops. But shortly after that, it just feels like you gave two high school kids a few saxophone lessons and then just them hit whatever notes they wanted. Not a very good listening experience, but bonus points for being unique/creative. I can understand why an album like this would be included in this list.
Great cover, but totally unlisteneable. Not just because it's hard to find, but because it's actually unlisteneable. I still very much support this album's inclusion on this list over another eg Elvis Costello album.
This is so chaotic and at the same time ingenious music, made by complete masters of their instruments. I can't believe, but this can either go to 1 or 5 out of 5. I find the music incredible, but at the same time, I feel like I was violated. It becomes a little too much at one point, but the incredible musicianship kept me going through it all. 3.5/5
Straight booty cheeks 💔
what the actual fuck
ganz schönes Gedudel
No. Fucking. Chance.
this is what people who hate jazz think jazz is. it's compelling in its uniqueness but still not easy to listen to
I liked the original album much better than this sort of loud aggressive hard to listen to version
Zorn aggressively approaches Ornette Coleman with hyper-fast, two minute thrash/jazz interpretations. It's wild, chaotic, sticking up two fingers to jazz purists, I'm enjoying it 🤣
Unnecessary but i don’t mind that it exists
Key word: intensity. This album just keeps hitting you with those walls of crazy instrumentation, manic playing that sounds like half-improvisation and just a million sounds. I can imagine hearing this and being completely thrown off and overwhelmed. Then there is the other side of the spectrum, the people with musical adhd who are able to enjoy this and find it constantly exciting. You can guess in which category I land.
Crazy how an Ornette Coleman tribute album made it to the 1001 albums to hear before you die list over an actual Ornette Coleman project, like what was the author thinking here? Are they stupid? Anyways I guess I have a very loud and obnoxious Avant-Garde Jazz album to here and I am not going to shy away from saying I know without even hearing this in full that I am not going to enjoy it. I am not saying I hate Free Jazz by any means but I am very particular about it and I can promise you without a doubt in my mind, if there was any Free Jazz album I'd enjoy it would definitely not be a cover album of Free Jazz music. There are some slight glimpses of something great here, much like with a lot of Free Jazz music, but as a whole project this thing is all over the place and extremely messy. I wish I had more to say here but other than the more Rock/Metal elements John Zorn brings to the table, there really isn't much to see or even really enjoy here unless you are already huge on both respective genres involved. Nuff said.
Impressive but not as essential as the original 2.5
Abrasive, overwhelming, but not incoherent. I appreciate everyone who characterized this as the Jazz take on Thrash and Hardcore Punk, which provided better context. Not an album you just throw on, but that's not the intention, nor is it a quality all music should be filtered through.
Listened to ryo Fukui scenery
I sued to listen to Nake City in high school so I'm aware and can somewhat get John Zorn. I understand how it can be head as annoying and unlistenable, but I just gid it sometimes.
Fav tracks: good old days, Ecars, broadway blues, zig zag Explosive, fun, and experimental!! Super chaotic but sometimes you need chaos to calm yourself a bit
Not ininteresting. But I couldn't listen more than 2 songs.
Mocht je je afvragen hoe een bipolaire stoornis zou klinken als ze allebei een saxofoon zouden hebben? Dit album is het antwoord. Mijn god, dit is denk ik het lastigste album dat ik ooit heb moeten luisteren, ik heb meerdere pauzes nodig gehad om me hier doorheen te worstelen. Er zitten best wat momenten tussen die goed klinken, maar het is alleen wel jammer dat die momenten vaak tegelijk gebeuren en dat dan ondertussen 1 van de 2 drummers een heel ander nummer gaat spelen. Oprecht, het voelt alsof niemand weet wat ze gaan spelen, en afgaande op de Wikipedia beschrijving is dat ook wat hier gebeurde. Dit is muziek( denk ik?) die in elk geval een emotie tevoorschijn haalt. Ik voelde angst, druk en soms gewoon ook blinde paniek. Dat is wat dit is, een paniek aanval, met een saxofoon. Waarschijnlijk moet je dit album zo hard mogelijk aan zetten, maar ik kan het gewoon niet aan. Dit doet actief pijn aan mijn oren en ik ben nog niet eens een kwartier onderweg. Ok maar wacht eens even... Na 20 minuten voelt het alsof de verkrachting van 2 saxofoons is afgelopen??? Mijn hemel, ik heb medelijden met die arme spelers, ze klonken echt alsof er verschrikkelijke dingen met ze gebeurden. Maar vanaf Feet Music, jup na 23(!!!!) minuten, klinkt dit daadwerkelijk als een luisterbaar album. Ok er zitten nog steeds net ff iets te schelle saxofoons doorheen te tüteren, maar ik snap nu iets meer wat er word bedoelt. Poeh, ik ben doodop. Dit is denk ik het eerste album waar ik daadwerkelijk van kan zeggen dat het een uitdaging was om het af te maken. Er zaten wel wat mooie momenten in en absoluut kun je horen wat er bedoelt word, dit is duidelijk wel een stel goed getrainde muzikanten in plaats van 'we doen maar wat en zien wel waar het schip strand'. Daar krijgt het van mij een 2e ster voor, dit is absoluut een ervaring en een album dat me lang bij zal blijven, dat kan zeker niet van alles worden gezegd maar mijn god wat ben ik blij dat het voorbij is. FAVO: Feet Music
No saxophone has ever gone harder.
idk not available
I get that this is probably avant-garde and creative, but I’d be lying if I said any of it worked for me. I would say I like jazz but I’ve never been a massive fan, so with that in mind I was hesitant already, however finding out this was an almost reinvention of it, scared me more. This was abrasive in all the wrong ways, and although the tracks were all very short they all just blended together for me, as dismissive as that may sound. Put simply it was an experimentation that didn’t work for me.
Horror. 3/10
The sound of a saxophonist playing while falling up the stairs lined with rubber chickens. But in a good way? I don't like or even really enjoy this (Honestly, what I've heard of Ornette Coleman I didn't care for, was already too experimental), but I respect it. The thought of playing jazz, but taking inspiration from hardcore punk and grindcore is interesting. Doesn't particularly "work", but I don't think that's necessarily the point. The experimentation and drive to push music "forward" is the point. It does hit moments of enjoyability from time to time (fleetingly) when there are portions where I can actually make out some sort of beat or repeated phrases to lock onto (That basically sounds like the soundtrack to Mario Kart 8, haha), but mostly it's just free jazz noise through most of it. Weirdly reminds me a bit of the later albums in Caretaker's Everywhere at the End of Time series. Where it's mostly noise, but once in a while a recognizable riff shows up. So yeah. I don't particularly like this, but I respect it. On the flipside, I've lost a shitton of respect for Dimery on his choices for this list. Why the hell is an Ornette Coleman cover album on the list and no actual Ornette Coleman? Are you telling me that this album is somehow more essential than the guy they're covering? This literally wouldn't exist without Ornette Coleman's music in the first place. Fuck man, just put The Shape of Jazz to Come on the list. No disrespect against Zorn, but honestly kinda insulting to Coleman to snub him but have this. I have no qualms with this being on the list, but without Coleman on as well is a bad look.
Man you have got to be trolling with this shit. 90% of this shit sounds like the LeBrin in the studio with 2 Chainz meme
20 seconds was enough. Anxiety Jazz is not for me. I reckon this album is used in Guantánamo.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHtrumpetAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHsaxaphoneAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHjazz.
Enjoyed more than I thought and Jesus CHRIST the musical talent in display is crazy
Free Jazz - Full Disclosure - I didn't find the complete album but based on the 13 songs I did listen to, I was able to form a solidified opinion on this album. This genre may be called "Free Jazz" but I would pay money to never hear this album ever again. If this music were a word, this album is what "Stress" sounds like - chaos embodied in saxophone form. The drums are somehow tight but willy-nilly. The good news is that each tornado of a song does end quickly. I will say that it did elicit a physical response out of me but that response was making my palms sweat. 10/10 not a good time if you have functioning ears.
This is a dense listen. It’s not for me, but I am glad this list exposes me to this kind of thing.
Nice to get a completely nailed on 1 every once in a while, absolutely hated this. Can't see where the hardcore punk influence is, except for if John thinks it's just a bunch of random noise. Making a cacophony at certain points in contrast to actual melody could be of interest but it was just 90 percent random sounds with 10 percent standard jazz blues. The pretense being held by most of the people involved in this has to be suffocating, assume most the band and audience must know deep down it's not good. Happy to be an uncultured swine for not getting this. I will say I do like the sound of two simultaneous drummers a la Danananakroyd, just not like this
I wish all the music on the list sounded like a one-man band clattering down the stairs. My heart is racing. Why is everyone playing their instruments at the same time in wildly different rhythms and keys? Why does nothing match? Why are two different saxophonists freestyling, one on the right and one on the left audio channel? Intense and unrelentingly violent. I don't know what this is based on, I don't understand what this is. For that reason, I quite like it. One of the most provocative albums on this list. In parts unlistenable. In parts, highly amusing. The drumming sounds like gunfire.
Come on now. I think this epitomises my dislike of jazz. I mean, what the fuck is this. It's completely unlistenable. I can't believe I went out of my way to find this and what's more spent 41 minutes listening to it. There's zero structure that I can identify. There's no melody. Do people actually enjoy listening to this? I don't care if it's making some sort of artistic point I think this must be the the top 3 worst albums on this list so far and we've done over 900! 1, feel very harsh on Depeche mode now after this mess
I can't believe this is the album I'm saying this about, but this is (so far 388 albums in) my favorite Jazz album by a long shot. Its fucking nuts, like I've never felt that an album has made me feel like I just got jumped by a violent gang for 40 straight minutes. It's jazz in the most intense and confrontational way possible. This is the type of thing you play on full volume to terrorize a shitty neighbor, or used in inhumane torture practices in Guantanamo Bay. This shit is truly powerful, like music can be annoying sometimes if you don't like it, but if you don't like THIS? Then this album could drive you insane in the membrane, possibly insane in the brain! Seriosuly I might need a wellness check cause this album is giving me stockholm syndrome, the more I listen to it the more I start to like it. Wouldn't recomend this album to my worst enemy but I'll start looking for a copy for myself today.
Something I can listen to in bursts. A really cool sound. 1/2 hardcore punk, 1/2 freejazz.
Pretty tough to really listen to this, free jazz can just seem like chaotic noise at times. For the most part I was interested in the first 300 seconds or 1 minute of a song and then it just got weirdly monotonous.
I'm going to give it a 4, so it shows up in my "likes more than others" and I don't forgot to listen a second time.
It's no shape of jazz to come or even out to lunch
Spy vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman by John Zorn is one of those albums that’s oddly hard to track down — and once you finally do, you start to wonder why you bothered. I’ll be blunt: this is awful. It feels like lazy, chaotic jazz played at you rather than for you. The constant, overbearing drumming never lets up, smothering whatever ideas might have been lurking underneath. Instead of sounding exciting or confrontational, it just becomes exhausting. It’s noisy without being interesting, intense without being engaging, and genuinely hard work to sit through. I get that this is meant to be abrasive and experimental, but for me it comes across as self-indulgent and joyless. There’s no groove, no hook, no moment where it clicks — just relentless clatter from start to finish. Favourite tracks: None. I honestly couldn’t pick a single one. Least favourite tracks: Every track — they all blur into the same unpleasant experience. Album artwork: Genuinely brilliant. Easily the best thing about the album.
Två av de absolut jobbigaste musikstilarna att lyssa på, amerikansk HC-punk och frijazz, här kombinerade. Det blir för tufft för mig
En tribute-skiva alltså på listan. Men det är å andra sidan vanligt i jazzen att man tolkar andras låtar. Colemans verk får ett härligt stök och bök här, kanske rent av lite punk. Bra och hårt arbetande tutare. Lite mer dynamik hade inte skadat. Trummorna går på rött mest hela tiden.
Skönt att få ett lugnt avslappnat album att ha på i bakgrunden. Borde vara ett självklart val alla spaanläggningar med någon som helst sinne för stil och smak. Nåväl. Här var det gasen i botten från början till slut. Det här är frijazz av högsta klass. Lyssnar man med ett halvt öra verkar det råda ett totalt kaos. Men för den som tar sig är uppmärksam finns det en logik och symmetri. Varje tut har ett syfte. Den måste det ursinniga trumspelet lyftas fram. Har inte skaffat prenium på YouTube, så tyvärr kommer sura avbrott för reklam med jämna mellanrum. Det enda stopp man vill ha är ju vid vändande av sida på grammofonen. Tyvärr har inte albumet gått att inbringa i någon av Halmstads alla välsorterade skivbutiker.
Punkig jazz. Tänker direkt på JH3. Intensivt, inget att slölyssna på. Klart underhållande i kortare perioder. Hittade en spellista med Colemans original. Trots att Coleman var en frijazzpionär så låter originalen närmast smooth jazz i jämförelse med Zorn.
Actually kind of fun. Not a fan of squealy sax, but the murderous drums add a nice sassy little nuance.
Not for me at all.
It's proto-Naked City playing Ornette Coleman compositions, I'm in heaven.
My kind of jazz. Sounds like my life most days.
John Zorn – *Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman* (1989) **In-depth review** (lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, pros & cons) --- ### 1. Lyrics There are **none**. Every track is instrumental, so the “text” is the story the horns and drums scream at you. If you insist on a libretto, it’s the **titles** themselves—snippets like “Rejoicing,” “Feet Music,” “Mob Job”—which act as ironic or affectionate stage-directions for the mayhem that follows. --- ### 2. Music – what actually happens? Zorn re-sequences **twelve Ornette Coleman themes** (1958-87) into **28-minute hardcore-suite + 12-minute slow-suite**. - **Front half** (“Chronology” 1-12) – grindcore tempos (180-220 BPM), heads stated in 10-15 seconds, then **instant free-blast**. - **Back half** (4 later Coleman tunes) – half-time swing, almost lyrical; the record’s “after-glow”. **Instrumentation** - 2 alto saxes (Zorn left channel, Tim Berne right) – constant **contrapuntal screaming**. - 2 drummers (Joey Baron, Michael Vatcher) – **stereo artillery**; no ride-cymbal jazz time, just **fills-as-beats**. - Bass (Mark Dresser) – **distorted, slightly funk-flat** tone; walks only when the tune allows. **Harmelodic strategy** Coleman’s **harmolodic** melodies are kept **intact** but **accelerated** until they feel like **punk riffs**. Zorn calls it “*be-bop at the speed of hardcore*”; reviewers hear **“thrash-jazz”**. --- ### 3. Production - **Engineer**: **David Breskin** (also producer). - **Venue**: **Sear Sound, NYC** – **tube gear, live-room bleed**, almost no overdubs. - **Mix trick**: saxes **hard-panned** so you can **follow either voice** like choosing a protagonist in a comic strip. - **Drum sound**: **close-miked + long hallway reverb**; the kit appears **50 ft wide**. - **Mastering**: **hot**; LP is **40 min** but **denser than most 80-min CDs**—“*at least two LPs of material compressed to forty minutes*”. --- ### 4. Themes & Concept - **Meta-punk homage**: Zorn grew up in **80s Lower-East-Side** squats; he wanted **Ornette’s joy** filtered through **Napalm Death’s 90-second songs**. - **Cartoon violence**: title borrowed from **MAD magazine’s “Spy vs. Spy”**; music behaves like **black-and-white anarchists** setting bombs under jazz tradition. - **Speed as politics**: by pushing **Afro-free melodies** into **white-hardcore velocity**, Zorn **de-colonises** the idea that “swing” must be relaxed. - **Improvisation = demolition**: every solo is **collective**, not individual; the **ensemble** is the protagonist. --- ### 5. Influence & Legacy - **Blueprint for 90s “punk-jazz”**: *Naked City*, *The Lounge Lizards*, *Painkiller*, *Zu*, *Mats Gustafsson*, early **Mars Volta**. - **Pedagogical text**: conservatory teachers use the transcriptions to prove **“you can play free in 7/8 at 200 BPM”**. - **Cultural flash-point**: routinely appears on **“most hated”** listener polls, yet **Top-10 essential avant-jazz lists**—a **shibboleth record**: you either **exit screaming** or **join the cult**. --- ### 6. Pros ✅ **Unprecedented collision** of **free-bop** and **grindcore**; still sounds **futuristic** 35 years later. ✅ **Micro-arrangements**: every 90-second piece contains **head-improv-head** in perfect proportions—**no fat**. ✅ **Stereo theatre**: the **dual-sax / dual-drum** mix is **playful**; headphones become **comic-book panels**. ✅ **Gateway drug** for **metal kids** into **Ornette**, and **jazz purists** into **extreme music**. ✅ **Final four tracks** give **emotional payoff**—proof the band can **swing** when they **slow the hell down**. --- ### 7. Cons ❌ **Unrelenting** – **zero dynamic range** for 25 min; **ear-fatigue** is intentional, but **exhausting**. ❌ **Bass tone** occasionally **flat / “muzak-y”**, under-cutting the **apocalypse** above it. ❌ **Requires prior knowledge** – if you **don’t know** the original Coleman heads, the **“song”** can disappear into **pure noise**. ❌ **Repetitive on macro level** – every fast piece uses **same strategy**: **state theme → explode → stop**; **predictable** after the sixth slice. ❌ **No room for breath** – even **free-jazz veterans** admit they **queue it in 5-minute doses**, not **end-to-end**. --- ### 8. Verdict *Spy Vs. Spy* is **not a tribute album**—it’s a **hostile takeover** where **Ornette’s children** are **force-fed amphetamines** and **locked in a stereo cage-match**. It **fails** as background music, **succeeds** as **concept-art**, and **endures** as the **first** (and still **definitive**) **hardcore-free-jazz** document. Put it on when you need to **vacuum the room**—or **vacuum your brain**. **Key cuts**: “Chronology,” “Feet Music,” “Good Old Days,” “Mob Job”. **Spin it once**: you’ll **love it**, **hate it**, or **both**—but you won’t **forget it**.
Holy shit who can listen to this? I’m sure these musicians are some of the most talented people but this is horrible
Whooooa! This was a total blast. I can’t tell you what it is that made this album so fun and made me stick through the whole thing; I expected to turn it off a couple songs in especially since it was on YouTube. But man this ruled. What a fun time. Like free jazz attacked with the energy of hardcore punk. Awesome. Must-listen #278.
Despite being a fan of jazz and challenging music, Ornette Coleman has always escaped me. However, John Zorn is helping me come around to it. Zorn channels hardcore/extreme music to transcribe Coleman's free jazz into what are essentially punkified jazz songs. I didn't know what to expect from this album, and I've been unsure of Zorn in the past, but I see now that my anxieties were for naught. The compositions blend seamlessly into the next, making for what feels like swift listening; a positive when the compositons can be quite busy and bombastic. You kind of have to love the cacophony if you're going to enjoy Spy Vs. Spy.
Я не часто залітаю на фрі джаз. Точніше я його скоріше уникаю, бо це дуже інтенсивний музичний жанр і я буквально після нього хочу посидіти в тиші якийсь час щоб перепочіти. Тут в принципі ситуація +- схожа. Водночас тут вистачає прикольних композиції. Все набагато коротше та щільніше ніж в оригінальних 5+ хвилиних версія Коулмена. В цілому сподобалось.
Насправді це далеко не найбільш безумний альбом у дискографії Зорна і я не розумію чому люди на ютюбі (чогось видалили зі спотіка на жаль) так хейтять. Так, тут в принципі типовий фрі джаз, а-ля Ascensions Колтрейна, коли саксофони паралельно грають щось своє, але оскільки це музика Коулмана, то місцями воно звучить навіть "нормально". Коротше хз, я таке люблю та і загалом Зорн це легенда.
So. This gave me a headache. I hate this.
Ahhhhhhhhh
I think I couldnt have had a worse setting to listen to this, Friday morning in the office, with the volume low(ish) so my co-workers cant hear. This feels like the kind of album you need to crank the volume on, I genuinely could see myself really loving this album, just in a better setting. I am a little bit familliar with free jazz, but I dont think Ive heard it like this before. The drums are so thunderous on this one, and I really love the screechy saxaphones. But then when the double bass can be heard, creates slight moments of peace, and then jumps straight back into the cacophony of sound. Im giving three stars for now, but thats more due to a poor experience, I will come back and probably revise my rating later.
Verry impressive from the technical point of view. The album is something for specialists - definitively not for me.
Super interesting but I don't need to listen to it again
?/10 - скип, т.к. не нравится и нет на площадках(бутман пизже)
Unlistenable noise or high-concept brilliance? Definitely the former...
This is a hard one to rate. Confronting, chaotic at times but with brilliant musicianship and hardcore energy. But, would I listen to it again? Probably not.
Absolutely awful experience. One of the worst things I’ve ever heard.
I appreciate experimenting but no. Extremely anxiety inducing.
Holy fuck! This blew my mind. Absolute assault on the senses. So who’s forming the wall of death during the John Zorn concert with me? Perfectly controlled chaos.
Dude, what the hell. I like jazz. I like Napalm Death. But dude, what the hell. I was begging for a steady swinging ride pattern the whole time so getting to Ecars felt like they through me on life support after repeatedly slamming my balls against saxophones and drums. My ears were ringing by the time the whole thing was done.
Wtf nog nooit zo blij geweest met reclame
Was on a good streak until this!! Absolute carnage!
i found this on youtube and it sounded like someone hit a bus filled with luggage from a band trip 3/5
This is really pretentious.
do you like big band style horn sections? what about a couple of them playing over each other with scattered drums behind it? terrible? of course it is!
To put it simply… unlistenable. But that album cover is pretty dope
if i had to sum up this album its like cuphead final boss but crazier. this wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.
Weird shit
Not available on Apple Music
Hard to find a complete album. I think YouTube had 4 songs blocked. Loud aggressive jazz. Some was ok but most I just wanted off
Day 134 Not for me at all, struggled to get through this.
If a jazz album was all the crash out chaotic song finale. Even so I was interested, so can’t go 1 star.
ein Meilenstein der Musikgeschichte! Großartig!
I was excited for this after I read what it was, thinking I'd get some uptempo jazz. This a true cacophony of sound. Apparently he was trying to make hardcore punk with saxophones? This is crazy. Ultimately it's too disorganized to enjoy, though I see why it's notable.
What in the world is this
A whole lot of effort went into hating this album. Nothing on Spotify so I tried YouTube Music. There was a playlist called Spy vs. Spy so I listened to that. But after I was through I determined that it was actually a collection that didn’t include more than two tracks from the album. Then I found some album called Spy vs. Spy on YouTube and started listening to that. This time I determined that it was not the real deal earlier. Anyway, all the tracks I listed to sounded like screeching saxophones over chaos. Sigh.
Overall Rating - 3.00/5 (6.00/10). Nothing that was necessarily awful, but not really anything good, either.
Didn't listen. Couldn't find album
Really bad. Not for the masses. I can appreciate free form jazz as a form of expression, but it just sounds terrible. Absolutely should not be on this list. Very hard to listen.
That was a bit of an exhilarating ride! Mind you, I'm completely unfamiliar with Ornette Coleman's music, maybe that explains my rating.
Wait - there's hardcore punk jazz?? This album gets a 5 just for existing, but also because I think it may have changed my life. Never listened to Zorn or Ornette Coleman before, it's going to be frustrating unavailable on Spotify or Qobuz, just Youtube, but just gave me a whole new genre to investigate.. Best reviews on Reddit: "Sounds like an orchestra falling down the stairs and I absolutely love it." "Honestly having listened to it, i wish it wasn't available on any platform"
To nobody's surprise, I enjoyed this album. I like Ornette Coleman, whose 1959 album "The Shape of Jazz to Come" is generally regarded as the first free jazz album. I think I can hear the melody of "Lonely Woman" from Coleman's album on "Spy vs Spy", specifically in the 7th track, "C&D". These shorter, absolutely hectic vignettes are really fun — I like how thrashy they are and how evocative each track is. This isn't the kind of album I would listen to every day, but there are times where listening to some saxes, bass and drums just going all out is exactly what I need.
This did not pair well with the type of morning I had yesterday. I can’t imagine what it would pair well with. Maybe trying to rush around a supermarket with 5 minutes to close and a three week shopping list. My one star is based on approx. three minutes of listening.
Listened through YouTube. I’d classify this as stressful jazz. Not your typical coffee shop jazz for sure. The term avante garde as far as I’m aware just means we didn’t want to fit in your boxes definition of the genre. Kerri didn’t want to listen to it. But I listened with Jessalyn while delivering the Christmas Cheer Hamper to the family. Would I listen to it again? Probably not…. But this is different from all the other jazz, so I’ll give it that. It was a fun listen but definitely not first thing in the morning. When my family said to shut it off.
Yenno, I respect this... its kind of like one big middle finger to any and all structure of traditional music, they should call this fuck you jazz. The most inaccessible form jazz can take, if not of the most inaccessible forms of any genre. So in a way, that makes me kind of like it... gives me a smirk when I think of this pissing some people off. Finding joy in their momentary misery hahahaha. Was I miserable while listening to this? At first yes, and then I just sort of went along for the ride. Did it sound good? Definitely not. Did it make me smile at times? It did! So I have to give respect where respect is due in a way. Plus, there were no horrific vocals which honestly makes a big difference for me. 4/10
Not on any streaming platform so wasn’t the easiest to listen to. Wasn’t worth the effort in the end. Awful noise
You know what, if you're into this sort of stuff, I take my hat off to you. One of the most insane albums I've ever listened to, and I'm a death metal fan.
“Now you must acquire a taste for freeform jazz.” - Patrick Star, Spongebob Squarepants S2E26 This album is my brain when I don’t take Ritalin. Like, I understand what the free jazz movement was doing, and I love some noisy shit, but perhaps I’m not an adult yet. Or maybe I don’t like alto sax as an instrument? Drums were absolutely killing this whole album, but it kind of sounded like an incredibly extended solo break. This album cover was...a choice. Why are we flogging a woman?
Not on US Apple Music.
A certain chaotic vibe that I can't say I disliked
I dunno, I don’t think this is entirely without merit
Blistering, abrasive front half leaves the back end tough to appreciate. Very cool sounds but I think the structure of the album could be mixed around to give some push and pull rather than saturating your ears for 20 minutes.
Did not have a Spotify link :(
Not the worst ever, but not good
Something cool
Goodness me as a Saxophonist myself I desperately wanted to go against what appears to be the norm and give this album (once I found it available to be streamed) a big thumbs up. Instead of thumbs up it became two index fingers into ears. 1/5 6/12/25
Interesting and fun but a bit too much!
genijalno! još ovakvih albuma molim
Pas ma came 🤔
I have has this on all morning. I have a weird fascination with experiments like this. OR I'm a glutton for punishment. So there are sections that aren't discordant noise. It's like a weird calm in a storm when they appear. During those moments you can tell these people have talent and if used for good could untie us all, instead they decided to fuck with us. I admire that in a weird sick way. Do yourself a favor, after you turn this off go look up Ornette Coleman and listen to his stuff. It's really good and his stuff should be on the list. It's a terrible oversight if he is missing.
~this album was not on Spotify so this review is for their album Road Runner (For Accordion) by Claudio Jacomucci~ Honestly pretty confused by this one, when I look at the artists albums list on Spotify they all are labeled as being by another artist. Regardless I chose this one because it sounded the most interesting and I was actually very impressed to hear a full concert from an instrument that mostly gets played by drunk novices around a campfire
Technically good and interesting but way too noisy for me. Can’t imagine what mindset I would have to be in to choose to listen to this again.
This was crazy but I liked it. Never heard of thrash jazz before!
The art of improvisational jazz where each musician plays whatever the fuck the want at their own pace abd taste and somehow manages to keep it fresh amd interesting because of the what the fuck is going on here? what are they doing? What are they thinking? The this sucks intrusion woth the wait no this sounds different and so random its good and I can't really know whats up or whats coming in the next interval. A ugly beautiful thing not many can pull off
If I wanted to experience a bunch of guys just absolutely whacking their instruments for 40 minutes, I would go to PornHub.
This is obviously a very challenging album, and is right on the very edge of what music can be. But isn't that kind of the point of jazz? World class musicians testing the boundaries of what can be done. For the most part I'm just impressed, and when the melodies come through in the second half I'm tapping my foot. Give me some experimentation over the generic slop that the majority of this list is any day.
Maybe the worst jazz yet
🙉
Bit of an endurance test, but pleased to have listened to it through
Man, I alternated between love and hate, appreciation and disdain, and too many other thoughts during this album. Honestly, I feel it should be a 1 or 5, and I can’t figure out which.
01) W.R.U. - 1,0 02) Chronology - 1,0 03) Word for Bird - 1,0 04) Good Old Days - 1,5 05) The Disguise - 1,0 06) Enfant - 1,0 07) Rejoicing - 1,0 08) Blues Connotation - 1,5 09) C. & D. - 1,0 10) Chippie - 1,5 11) Peace Warriors - 1,0 12) Ecars - 1,0 13) Feet Music - 3,0 14) Broad Way Blues - 3,0 15) Space Church - 1,0 16) Zig Zag - 1,0 17) Mob Job - 1,0 TOTAL: 1,32 (13/100) Current ranking: 736/738 How can this even be called music? When the commercial started I thought for a second, this finally sounds ok, and then I realized I was listening to it on YouTube...
Started out hating it at the beginning, but got used to all the cacophony that it got a bit interesting at the end. Probably most liked 1 star album :-)
Deso pas mon style
This is #day468 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here we are, back to square one: album blocked on Spotify, not available on YouTube Music, so I found a random YouTube upload with the full thing. It's been a hell of a day, literally. Russia's missile strike killed 34 civilians in the neighboring city of Ternopil; a direct hit on an apartment block, a couple of the top floors gone in a flash. With all that in my head, I finally put this record on. Frantic, relentless, an absolute jazzcore... Even though it's hard to follow what's going on here most of the time, I'm oddly inclined to embrace it. Now I need to check out some Ornette Coleman. Wow. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day469.
I hated some bits of this, maybe most of it, but I actually enjoyed other bits of it quite a lot. "Ecars" was pretty great, for example. But on the whole, pretty hard listening.
Would not play.
Free jazz, punk and thrash The disguise
Frenetic madness with structure; I need to check out more Ornette Coleman apparently!
It wasnt even on spotify anymore and had to look it up on yt. Listening to is was definetely an experience, but not a good one, though im happy I tried
Absolutely unhinged. There's so much going on it's even hard to describe, this is pure emotion translated to music.
No idea how to review this. It was challenging, which is no bad thing in itself. I can hear some things in there, but don't have enough technical knowledge to really understand what I'm listening to. I read up a bit. It was a good learning experience, and I thought there would be more on the list that challenged, rather than just disappointed. I genuinely liked the exercise of listening, but I'm left with zero idea how to give it a mark out of five. It's beyond my ken.
haha, woah
Nur Jazz und Instrumente *Trompete gar nicht mein Fall
This is good. I hear it’s supposed to be punk jazz, designed to piss off the purists or whatever, but I honestly came away from it with pretty similar feelings I’d had when I first heard the Ornette albums. Side one was full throttle, side two occasionally offered a very slight easing of the intensity. Obviously this isn’t jazz for a dinner party, but it is a successful musing on and fitting tribute to the work of an artist who stands with the absolute cream of the art form.
What goes through my head as I am studying for my complex analysis, differential equations and Fourier analysis exam =D
#763. What's worse than jazz? Insane jazz. 2/5: jazz
I don't care how technically proficient this is. I dont like it.
Not sure why, but I really gravitate towards these worst of the worst, super low rated albums on the 1001 albums list. As of 09 December 2025, ‘Spy vs. Spy’ sits as the 10th lowest-rated album on the 1001 Albums Generator, and as usual, this ranking wildly undersells it. In fact, it’s quite an exhilarating ride. It’s like Free-Jazz meets Metal, meets Trout Mask Replica meets Grindcore. When your brain and ears finally acclimatise to the sheer, frenetic assault and the whole thing clicks, you begin to hear and understand the interplay between the instruments and appreciate the controlled chaos underneath. It’s like a light-bulb moment. From that point on the album becomes a breeze. ‘Spy vs. Spy’ is a genuinely thrilling experience.
Well, I hated it.
Screeching sax, Dikshit no like
Not the kind of thing I’d normally listen to, but the instrumental was insane on this.
This was all very 'Tom and Jerry', and I'm blown away by the talent that the individuals who put this together have. Sad that it's not on Spotify but hopefully one day it will be. The album as a whole was incredible and so very well done, although I can see how it's not for everyone
An experiment in cacophony that succeeds
Meh
This was pretty nuts, I like it, a mixture of frantic freeform and more constructed jazz, maybe not for everyone but I would seek a physical copy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A previous reviewer described this as the sound of a jazz orchestra falling down some stairs and i can't beat that for accuracy. I would rather listen to this than average mid 90's college rock/britpop so its an excellent addition to the list.
jesus fucking christ god damn blast beats everywhere There's some crazy rhythmic/drum stuff going on that I don't think of when I think "jazz" (like the blast beats) and it would be really sick if it was explored more but the saxophone wailing is so fucking relentless. Don't get me wrong I can get behind full out chaos if it's being used in juxtaposition. 6 minutes in - can this be over yet? I GET IT. Is there more to say?? Just to be even more annoying they put a big ass reverb on the whole drum kit during Enfant. Intentionally obnoxious shit drives me bonkers, it reminds me of the twerpy kid in school who repeated the annoying phrase over and over because he knows it bugs people and he wants attention - this is why everyone makes fun of jazz. 15 minutes in and I just loudly exclaimed "UGHH" to no one. Imagine being the poor engineer who had to sit through these sessions? The drum reverb is killing me hahahah Woah Ecars actually feels slightly different (one notch more coherent) Feet Music - okay lets fucking go!! Actual discernible melody and harmony!! Performances felt a little one-note to me... get it? cuz there's a million fucking notes!!! 1/5 obviously. Truly torturous. My initial reaction to this is "this doesn't need to exist." But that's a knee-jerk reaction based on my preferences and is unfair. The longer I think on that (and the longer I was subjected to this record) the more I change my mind, surprisingly. I just don't understand it, I think is what it comes down to. Obviously there's a lot of noise music out there (and most doesn't require one ounce of the technique this monster does). So I KNOW there's a point - and maybe a lot of music I love has shared roots with this type of stuff, I just have a tough time seeing it. I'd be happy to get some more insight on this, more than happy to be proven wrong about any of it, but anyone rating this higher than 1 has some explaining to do.
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holy shit here we go this is awfully stimulating after listening to Tank Battles this is a walk in the park tbh it’s interesting, after a while it almost becomes ambient music… it’s something about our brains attuning to a certain level of stimulation so quickly. I found it actually reasonable as music for working. Had you presented this to me outside of that context, and asked if I would want to work with this on, I would say ‘fuck no’. but such is the nature of this 1001 albums challenge, we listen in whatever context we can manage certain times melodies do emerge and they are wonderful drums sound fucking huge and crazy for ostensibly a jazz record (product of the 80s) I wouldn’t listen to this again, but I didn’t hate it. I’m laughing inside mostly while listening to it. Is that the intent? Probably not, but it still makes it enjoyable.
Respect for the punk rock mentality, the full commitment, and the true originality. But harsh and discordant to the point where I won't end up listening to it many more times.
4 Didn't have it on spotify so I just listend to a lot of Ornette Coleman while I walked around the mall. Is this what spies listen to? DId not really feel like James Bond but I didn't hate it either.
Couldn’t review, not available on Spotify.
Absolutely mental. There was a bit around half way through where it resembled music. Not a good album but glad it was included on this list
This album is pure, high-octane chaos - and I mean that as praise. I wouldn’t call myself a jazz aficionado, but I know when I’m hearing mastery. Zorn takes Ornette Coleman’s compositions and detonates them: every note feels like a collision between precision and mania. The split-channel recording, where each horn attacks from its own stereo side, is a brilliant touch, as you can literally hear the duel. It’s an all-out assault of improvisation and control, technical brilliance and raw nerve. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but absolutely worth the ride.
A interesting selection, combining two genres of music that many would find unlistenable. I can enjoy the mix of Noise Rock and Free Jazz, but would have preferred that the source material be included on this list ahead of any interpretations.
I couldn't get through it.
Not for me.
An incredibly chaotic yet still somehow refreshing jazz excursion
It’s definitely jazz.
Puke. Noise.
Delightful
Mad!!
panic attack inducing music. sure there’s talent somewhere in this but good lord…couldn’t make it past the first track
The first album in the list I could not hear. It wasn't available on Spotify. I had to look up on other platforms and... Too experimental for my taste.
Look I knew what I signed up for when I started 1001 albums, I was going to get weird stuff, and I wanted to widen my musical palette. That being said, this is a no for me, this is not fun to listen to in any capacity. This is what people refer to when they jazz is pretentious and then they make fun of you for ‘not getting it’. I’m sorry no, there are better jazz albums on this list that don’t and I’m quoting family guy insist upon itself.
Two unavailable albums in a row....thanks to the people who make Spotify playlists with all the songs, I guess. This is super interesting, but not totally my vibe.
Wow, where to begin. I had low expectations from what I’d read, and they were not wrong. I have never let ads play through without skipping. It was the only reprieve from the torture that was that album.
(20/100)
So that was a very long, unpleasant 41 minutes! These guys were very talented and undoubtedly doing what they wanted creatively in mixing jazz with hardcore punk as they free-styled on their instruments. But it took about three songs (out of seventeen!) for everything to start sounding the same. There are a total of 0 albums by Warren Zevon on this list purporting to represent 1001 albums we all "must hear" before we die. But this ear-crushing cacophony made it. You do the math. Listening to this has given me a headache.
awful
Not without musical importance and definitely had some flourishes. I'm a noob when it comes to jazz but not quite my thing. Definitely more of a miss than a hit. At least it wasn't boring. 3/10
Mostly cringe with specs of enjoyable parts.
I appreciate the creativity, but is a lot of overwhelmingness for me. Here's how ChatGPT said to enjoy: How to Enjoy Spy vs Spy by John Zorn (1989): This album is a violent, uncompromising blitz of sound. It’s free jazz played at hardcore punk speed, and unless you’ve already built up a tolerance for abrasive, high-velocity chaos, it can feel totally impenetrable. But there’s real structure and beauty inside the firestorm—if you know how to approach it. ⸻ 🎯 What is Spy vs Spy, really? • It’s John Zorn’s tribute to Ornette Coleman, but reimagined through the lens of 1980s New York no-wave, punk, and avant-garde experimentation. • The lineup is two alto saxophones, bass, and drums, with most tracks played in simultaneous takes—they literally recorded two versions of each song at once and mixed them together. • It sounds like a jazz explosion happening in a mosh pit. This isn’t about melody in the traditional sense—it’s about energy, freedom, and confrontation. ⸻ 🧠 How to Listen Without Losing Your Mind 1. Accept that it’s not chill background music This album demands your attention, like a boxing match in a hurricane. If you’re looking for something to relax to, walk away. But if you want pure catharsis, this is it. 2. Focus on the rhythm section first The bass (Mark Dresser) and drums (Joey Baron) are insanely tight, even when it feels like the saxes are tearing reality apart. Lock into the pulse, and the chaos becomes clearer. 3. Don’t try to follow both saxes at once Zorn and Tim Berne are blowing over each other like two people screaming in different languages. Try following just one horn for a track or two, then switch. It’s like tuning in to a different conversation in the same riot. 4. Listen in short bursts Each track is around a minute long, and there are 17. It’s not designed to be heard straight through unless you’re already deep into this world. Treat it like tasting a flight of extremely spicy cocktails—small sips. 5. Approach it as protest music This is jazz-as-destruction. Zorn was reacting against sterile jazz education, smooth fusion, and even the academicized free jazz of the time. This is revolt music—urgent, pissed-off, and alive. ⸻ 🔥 Recommended Listening Path Start with these three tracks: 1. “WRU” – Short, aggressive, a microcosm of the whole album. 2. “Peace Warriors” – Ironically titled; it’s war. 3. “Feet Music” – One of Ornette’s grooviest themes; here it’s turned into a weapon. Then try: • Listening to the original Ornette Coleman versions of these same tracks. • Return to Spy vs Spy and notice how Zorn honors the themes while exploding them. ⸻ 🗝️ The key to enjoying it: You’re not listening for beauty—you’re listening for ferocity, interaction, and freedom. Once your brain adjusts to the onslaught, it becomes thrilling. If Black Flag and Coleman had a baby and raised it on espresso and amphetamines, this would be it.
wtf that's just crazy
That was... busy?
Erikoisuudestac+3
It wasn’t available to stream
What a terrible day to have ears
pretty sick actually i like that chaotic jazz shit
Experimental jazz. Whoo boy.
A tough listen, pops sqwarks, arhtyhmn, I’m missing something.
I do love when the sax goes crazy, and the drums sound so big and un jazz like it makes the whole thing seem like a nightmare. But the shtick gets pretty old about halfway through. Plus, it's an Ornette Coleman cover album and yet there's no Ornette Coleman. Seems weird
I was previously familiar with Ornette Coleman but not John Zorn. I can sort of see the appeal of this in theory - it's a very interesting mashup of genres. I would even go so far as to say that it works, for a few tracks. But a full album of this is way too much. This could work as an album if alternated with some palate cleansing between the tracks. As it stands, it's a relentless assault on the ears. I could see a track here or there working within the context of something larger (particularly the track "Blues Connotation" which stood out in a good way), but this is not good as it is. I could not get through all of it and would not listen again.
This felt like a Mob Job, but reminded me of the Good Old Days.
Not sure what to say besides its not something I would buy
Musical masturbation for guys who think they’re cool…played by guys who probably got their asses kicked a lot. Insulting to the ears, and insulting to the listeners on this exercise being forced to even acknowledge its existence. More like shit vs. shit. If only there were 0 stars.
Not on Spotify so I almost gave up. Found on YouTube but couldn’t listen very long. Gave me anxiety. I bet these guys are pretentious as shit.
No. 0/5
the amount of stuff going on genuinely makes it less free than other free jazz, awesome crazy dance music!
I couldn't listen to the album on Spotify. However, I found the description interesting. I might have liked it. Maybe I'll get around to listening to it later.