Reviews (page 7 of 8)
God god awful
I like this in theory but I'm not going to listen to it again
Is not longer available on Spotify, was unable to listen to it
Finally, my prayers for one of the insanely weird and inaccessible albums from the low rated list have been answered! This is jazz on acid. Not acid jazz, jazz on acid. It does bother me that Coleman himself is not included, and I would cut this album to make room for one of his, but I would cut other albums first. It’s just insane and brimming with energy, too, especially the drums and sax. I can tell why people dislike this one, but I love it.
I mean I guess I should have known punk jazz was a thing. Music like this feels like it's to be experienced, and not enjoyed. Two drummers in a band is always intense, and on this album just the beginning of chaos.
this is one of the worst things i've ever listened to in my life
well, they tried something different and while it's not particularly good or enjoyable, it's still a way more interesting inclusion in the overall 1001 list than the ninth fuckin' Neil Young album or whatever. I liked how about 22 minutes in, the album got much more listenable. I could swear I heard bits of the hawaii five-o theme in there too... interesting. favorites: I'm not currently looking at the track list but I think it was called like feet music or some shit? what the fuck haha
Crazy and infuriating, but occasionally a nice melody or rhythm shines through. I was expecting more spy music. YT link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHB5LLPQ3s
I had no idea what to make of this! Not really my thing tbh... chaos total chaos! Sorry I still don't get jazz
I just think it's complete nonsense. NONSENSE NONSENSE NONSENSE.
Interesting and weird, but the novelty wore off after about 5-10 minutes. Still, happy to know that this exists. I would have never known if not for this book.
- Hey! The first album I've gotten that I'd literally never heard of before! It's also not available on Spotify! This is a deep cut, is what I'm saying. - John Zorn is a name that's familiar to me, but I've never heard his music. Ornette Coleman I have delved into on occasion, though he's an artist whose work I tend to respect more than love. - So, as an experiment, I thought I'd try to reconstruct the tracklist of this on Spotify with Ornette Coleman's original recordings. See how they compare with Zorn's covers. Spotify's missing a couple of the Ornette tracks (like Feet Music and Space Church), but putting together the stuff they DO have, the playlist is about 1 hour 45 minutes. "Spy Vs. Spy" is 41 minutes. Zorn really must've cut these compositions to the bone. - Here's a good thing I'll say: the drums are immaculately produced. They just THWACK in a really satisfying way. - Here's a negative thing: this is just noise to me. I truly don't get it. I accept that it's probably going over my head, that Zorn may be operating on a level I just can't comprehend. But 15 minutes in this is just a bunch of sounds. Every track is the same. There are no dynamics. Everything is at a 10 all the time, in chaos, in volume, in speed. I'm sure some people like that! And that's great! But oh boy am I finding it unpleasant. - I'd be interested to know the reasoning behind putting this in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. I mean, I'm guessing the answer is "a bunch of people who contributed to the book like it." But a quick glance at its Wikipedia shows little critical activity; 2 reviews, one of which seems to have a lot of qualms with it. It doesn't seem to be a particularly revered classic. Though I'm not a free jazz aficionado, so maybe I'm wrong. - Okay, "Ecars" and "Feet Music" are good. There's like, a groove to these, kinda, if you look really hard! It's not a lot, but it's enough to ground the chaos and give you something to latch onto. - Okay, so this actually picks up a lot in the back half. Instead of trying to obliterate any sense of melody and rhythm, Zorn and crew start allowing for moments of tunefulness to offset the chaos, and it makes the whole thing a lot more interesting. - Still not really my thing, but a very interesting curio nonetheless. Glad to have listened to it, even if I liked it more in theory than practice. - Great fucking album art.
I fear I'm going to sound like I'm damning with faint praise here, but I'd most likely take this over another 60s/70s generic psych-pop album. It's got a fire under its ass, that's for certain. After the initial shock wears off, and you really pay attention, you can tell these songs are just... songs played at 3x the speed. Fast. Almost a reckless abandon to it all. It's cool, it's a total freak out. Favorite track: "Peace Warriors"
It was an interesting listening experience, and I didn't hate it, but I don't think I ever need to listen to it again.
Honestly just bizarre. Not really something I would listen to normally but kind of glad I listened to it this time. Added to playlist: not on Spotify
not my kind of jazz
idk this shit wasn't even on spotify lmao
traumatising deja vu
3.6 - On the syllabus of some college "Jazz Appreciation" seminar, I imagine this record would be assigned as an optional listening activity. There'd be an asterisk next to the title with an explanation that the university owns only one copy and it's shelved within some forgotten basement archive. If I had taken this course, I'd treat this optional assignment as an opportunity to suck up to my professor during office hours ("Professor, how do I make sense of this album within the free jazz movement??") The first half of this record sounds like violence - like watching a conveyer belt full of live puppies being dropped into a meat grinder, or experiencing a high-speed train derailment upon an active volcano. Somewhere around the middle, the vibe relaxes to a frantically-paced bebop. I think I actually like this?
A jazz combo falls down the world's longest flight of stairs, then sets up and starts jamming on the mezzanine.
Damn even if it's bot easy to listen that i love it
Pretty chaotic energy in this one, not a lot to love for me personally aside from some generally nice drum action
crazy
Weird as hell but strangely infectious! Don’t know what it says about me that I preferred this to any other jazz album I’ve had generated for me in the past 10 months, but I did. It’s fun and interesting and made me want to wiggle like a worm.
Whoa. Undeniably frenetic, chaotic, manic. I wasn't sure if this, 494 albums in, would be the first album I couldn't sit the whole way through (Roots by Sepultura was the only other contender). However, once it calmed down, there were some redeeming features. The later tracks were pretty listenable to, the experimental nature of them notwithstanding. I can understand the shade being thrown the way of this album, and whilst I probably won't listen again, I am glad I experienced it.
Literally just noise
Because I had to go to YouTube to listen to Spy vs Spy, this ended up being a hilarious listening experience: Every 7 minutes or so, the completely uncommercial free jazz squall on this record was interrupted by YouTube ads, as if to say, “This atonal jazz nightmare acid trip was brought to you by 1-800-FLOWERS.” There was also a commercial for schizophrenia medication, which felt like an extremely cynical attempt at targeted marketing on YouTube’s part.
This album will make you feel like a normie. If you didn't think you had limits, meet your maker. Bold move of Zorn to start off with the 3 most chaotic tracks where even after so many listens, I can barely discern any rhyme or rhythm to anything anyone is doing, not just as a collective team, but even on their own. After that, however, gets a bit more accessible and you can start to see the appeal. I think "Enfant" is an excellent example of how all the instruments interplay with each other. Zorn was heavily inspired by the short rampant nature of hardcore, and it certainly shares the spirit, often feeling like it's releasing tension and emotion, not necessarily for the sake of itself. There is melody to be found here. There is purpose, and there is teamwork, but it's rare yet welcomed with open arms. "Feet Music" for example has very gothic undertones with its slow and heavy drum beat and dark mood. I don't think this album does what it aimed to achieve very well. I do find much of it to be failed improv, and I think the only reason why I'm biased toward certain tracks is just because I could make a groove out of it, and I wouldn't appreciate them as much alone. Yes, Zorn is a very talented musician and there's a lot of genius here, and since it's not repetitive by any means and full of noise, I'm sure you could train your ears to like this record, or at least if you're used to Zorn's style in general. But at that point, it feels like you're sucking up to him more than he deserves. I do believe this is a good example of avant-garde jazz to experience, and thus a worthy entry on this list, although Naked Gun would certainly be a better candidate for allowing mainstream audiences to understand the appeal a bit better. But the effort and talent is there, and I can't give it too much shit, especially since I can find new things to like on each listen. Favorites: Good Old Days, Enfant, Cars, Feet Music, Space Church
20 Minuten Kakophones Saxophon, dann teils melodisch/rythmisch interessant.
if jazz and punk had an illegitimate bastard child - this would be that bastard child
Chaotic speed jazz. I dislike.
have to find version off spotify
It was not music. The only cool thing is the album title.
Utter garbage. Sounds like a middle school band warming up. Nobody is listening to anyone else, they're just trying to make the loudest noise. That's not music. It's angering. Someone needs to confiscate Zorn and Berne's saxophones. Those poor instruments are being abused and need to be saved. I had to break this album up across three days just to get through it because I could only handle about 15 minutes of the chaotic noise before I had to take a break. I hate this. I hate every minute of it. I hate that it's on this list and I hate that I had to give it my time.
Very avant-garde stuff, the description as jazz from the perspective of hardcore punk is very apt. I think this was more fun for the artists to make than it is for listeners to sit through. I added one more star because they are clearly virtuoso saxophonists.
unbearable listen 🔥🔥🔥it’s cool but it’s just a bunch of covers. if you’re going to subject me to free jazz at least give me ornette coleman himself and not some dick rider i’ve never heard of.
I have no idea what to say. This was utterly unlistenable, super speed jazz grindcore. Just ... an to the senses. But unlike some of the albums on this list, it definitely isn't boring. It's sort of shockingly awful, and there is a lot of musical talent making it this terrible to experience. I will actively avoid hearing it again for the rest of my life. But at the same time I'm glad I gave it a once listen. It's impossible to rate but let's go with 3/5 because it's interesting.
Despite the fact that I like Ornette Coleman, I was set to not like this album, since it's difficult to reinterpret the work of such a distinctive artist. I think what makes this album really work is the drums, which help bring focus to the chaos of each song. The drums thunder throughout and it makes everything seem much more coherent. I will say that the tone on the bass can be a little muzak-y for my taste, but it doesn't do much to harm the overall sound of the album 4/5
The scorching hot tomato from my toasted sandwich burnt my mouth whilst listening to this. I don't know which experience I enjoyed more. I don't mind the whole wall of noise thing, within the context of a song. But not for 40 relentless minutes. I know people say art needs to be challenging at times, but you wouldn't go to a restaurant because it had a challenging menu. You go because the mojitos are nice.
Can't listen 1
It’s cool stuff that I’m glad exists. Works especially well for things like soundtracks. But listening to a whole album all the way through is a bit much
Highlights: "Broadway Blues," "Space Church," "WRU," "Ecars" It's some combination of Coleman's craft and the way the giant room echo multiplies the heavy dueling parts that save this from provocateur saminess. It can be exhilarating, but maybe not groundbreaking by 1989. It's more expository of something groundbreaking. Again -- again -- where is Coleman's Shape of Jazz to Come on this list? Albert Ayler? Sun Ra? What is it about these editors that they have to filter jazz taste through rock and pop tie-ins? It's just insulting to their readers.
This album is the soundtrack to a panic attack. It's as if a bunch of incredibly talented jazzbos got together and all played their instruments as loud and fast as possible without any regard for what anybody else was playing. Everyone is good at what they do, but doing it together is just an assault on the ears and it makes me very anxious. I could barely get through this one.
Jesus christ no, why
I got through about half..I just couldn’t. Thrash drums and screaming sax in a way I can’t follow or ‘get’
Challenging, yes, but entertaining. The speed, intensity, and dexterity with which these talented musicians play is CRAZY. Not good BBQ music, sure, but I'm glad I heard it and would be open to hearing it again.
No nyt oli kyllä kunnon jazz mäiskettä :D Aika helvetin kaoottista mutta silti kyllä oudon hyvä
Unable to listen - not available on Spotify. Rated on expectation.
This is either genius or awful and I am not smart enough to decide which. So I guess the question i need to ask myself is... did i enjoy listening to it? And again, I don't really know how to answer that. The first track was like a worldwind of noise, i felt like my brain wanted to leave my head, not sure if it was in a positive way or not. Then a few tracks in at 'Good Old Days' there was a run of somewhat enjoyable and melodic noise occurring for a while, which eventually just mushed up into one big lump. I feel like I've become less intelligent after listening to this. I am questioning what melody is, what music do i actually like? IS this music? Is this noise? I just don't know. Am I better having listened? The album isn't on spotify or amazon music currently, so i had to find it on youtube, i may not revisit this again, is that because of what it sounds like or because it's not handy to stream? I just don't know. I don't know anything, i don't know how to rate it, i don't know if i like it? is it a 1 or is it a 5? it can't be a 3, because it is not middle of the road. As someone born with a heart defect, i could imagine having a heart attack while 'Word for Bird' played. I think I'm going to give it a 2/5, but it could be a 10/5, i just don't know anymore
Interesting because it has bright moments but overall is a little busy for my tastes
Ich mag Jazz, aber dieses Album hat mich nicht abgeholt.
Ninguna canción disponible en Spotify. Imposible calificar
Even this was a bit out there for me. I’d have preferred just an Ornette Coleman album.
Preferred the game.
Waaa… I braces myself for this record being often at the bottom of the rankings but whoa this actually blew me away. Death Metal but jazz … the drum sound is earth shatteringly awesome and amidst the swirling chaos is order and precision. Not for everyone I guess but I loved it.
Well that was something. plus ca avancait, mieux j'appréciais. highlight Feet Music. But hey, drugs were implied for sure 4/10
Two alto sax, two drums, one bass: John Zorn + Ornette Coleman = awesome!
Wow. I couldn’t find on Spotify or Apple Music. Tracked it down on YouTube. When I started I thought someone was playing a joke on me. Sounded like a cat fight. I listened a while longer and by another 20 minutes I started to think it was brilliant. Then about 10 minutes later thought it was awful again. This one is a ride.
I like that you can at least hear the Ornette come through. Probably not revisiting this one.
Absolutely joyous.
I just didn’t get it.
This was very unique, and kind of awesome. The only way it is that, though, is knowing that Zorn and friends went in to record a jazz album as if it was a hardcore album. Otherwise, this is just a bunch of noise.
You t was fine but I’m not really that into jazz. It all sounded the same to me
I've never had an album give me literal anxiety before. Like what the hell did I just listen to. That being said, this album is either a 1 or a 5, and there is no in-between. Screw this, I'm giving it a 4. Does it sound like children messing around with random sounds and bashing on drums? Yes, yes, it does. Jazz is awesome.
Ecars, Feet Music, Broadway Blues, Zig Zag and Mob Job. The last 5 songs are great but the first 10 is a cluttered piece of a trump diaper. Two sax and two drums do not sound good.
pros: aggressive drums, second half adds interesting sounds to the noise. I did need to hear this. cons: first half sounds like random noise, the good parts are too short except on good ole days. songs with good parts: good ole days, feet music, broad way blues, space church, zig zag, mob job
Didn't know this kind of hardcore jazz existed but I'm a big fan. Love the drums and overall chaos. Enjoyed the whole album but the first ten songs were my favorite. 4.5/5 FS: Good Ole Days, Enfant
Hard to enjoy this style of freeform jazz. It is very complex. I like it more than many other albums on this list though. 2.5/5
I found this fascinating but there's little chance I'd ever re-listen :)
As much as I want to be hip enough to do so I cannot handle noisy jazz
Not enjoyable
That was certainly something
This shit is off the hook. Amazing guitars. I actually like this better than Ornate Coleman.
Dna
When art is so confusing only a few people enjoy it then it’s hard to consider it special. You shouldn’t have to be a jazz or music scholar to understand what is going on here but it seems that way. The free jazz composition of playing impromptu may work with one person playing at a time but when multiple people with the same instrument do it then it sounds like this chaotic mess that it is. Call it what you want but enjoyable is not one of those words. 1.7/10
Yeah I hate John Zorn
Avant-garde Jazz that was not my sound at all.
- Jazz on crack honestly - Couldn't find it on Spotify, L - Entertaining, but would definitely not go back to
- Frantic, aggressive, free jazz - Sometimes the dueling saxophones reach a nice groove, other times it’s chaos - Disclaimer: only listened to 30 minutes of it
Azz: sassofono e batteria per 41 minuti è troppo. È troppo anche per 5 minuti.
10am - too much 10pm - loved it This is not background music
This was pretty remarkable - I don't know that I'll listen to it regularly, but it was quite a feat to take one of the most experimental jazz performers and somehow make it even more out there.
Jazzy noise
More intense workout disguised as music is impossible. Pretty dense but also pretty special interest. 2.5
I....um...I....oh god it just keeps going, why? What did I do to deserve this. Am I supposed to hate it? Is is supposed to be some sort of test to see if I'll listen to the whole thing? It's clearly more abstract and important then Kid Rock, but I'm still going to have to hard pass on this.
Not a fan at all.
Jazz caótico. No se distingue del ruido sin más. Un 1.
Jazz rápido.
This was awful. It sounded like a group of people who have never played instruments before went into a room and tried them out. There is no reason for this to be on this list. If I could give a lower rating, I would.
I kind of knew what I was getting into here, I've dabbled in some of Coleman's more well known albums (The Shape of Jazz To Come, Free Jazz, This Is Our Music etc) and once owned a cassette of Zorn's Naked City from back when I used to just read the reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin and buy music sight unseen (sound unheard?) Some of those albums turned into discoveries of some all time favorite bands and artists. They Might Be Giants self titled debut and Camper Van Beethoven's Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart are couple of examples, Naked City really isn't. I liked some of it to an extent but it really wasn't my thing. The Coleman stuff though I can honestly say I've enjoyed over the years, I'm no expert but free jazz doesn't just sound like a bunch of noise to me as it apparently does judging from many of the reviews here. Maybe the negative reviews lowered my expectations a little but I did enjoy this. Am I gonna put it on during a party? It would have to be the hippest party I've ever been to so probably not but if a couple of like-minded friends came over to toke I might see what they thought.
0/5 They say that "Those who can do, and those who can't, teach." This guy should have been a teacher. It was such auto-musical-erotic-ego-stroking-bullshit. Even Spotify wouldn't host it, and they have every Pitbull single!!!! 🤣
Jesus fucking Christ what a pile of runny horse shit. No wonder it isn't on Spotify: IT'S NOT MUSIC!!!
Interesting jazz album. Liked the layering of saxes.
Phew that is some intense trumpet screeching. And the drumming. I'm exhausted just listening to it. I can't say I'm a free jazz aficionado but I can see a place for it in 1950s Otto Preminger films.
Oef, deze was vrij pittig om te luisteren. Wel heel ongestructureerd en chaotisch. Toch ook wel cool bij vlagen.
Good jazz
Ikke tilgængeligt
I like John Zorn, but why this album? Why not Naked City or Bar Kokhba? Anyway, it was delightfully chaotic and pleasantly unpredictable. "Good Old Days", "Enfant", the playful "Ecars", the romping "Feet Music" and the epic finale of "Mob Job" are my favs here. 4 Oh's out of 5 Yeah's
Truly a heartbreaking album. Story goes that a recording room filled with Jazz musicians were about to record and all suffered fatal heart attacks. They immediately started to blow air into their instruments and flail around near the drums trying to signal to the people outside the recording room to call 911 for help. Unfortunately, the sound engineering thought this was Free Jazz and kept recording. This album is a product of that fateful day.
Nope
I had to put this off for a few days - it came up at the weekend and there were too many people around the house for me to listen to it without having to explain why exactly I was listening to *THAT*. It's full on, that's for sure. The opening track in particular is really quite difficult to get through. It does get a bit better after that - a bit like how the pain from a dental abscess declines once the antibiotics kick in a bit. That's unfair. There are some decent moments on here and the sax players certainly know what they're doing. Most of those moments come when no one's thinking too hard about drumming I imagine. I doubt I'd listen to it again, but it's not entirely without hope and, hell, it's better than My Bloody bloody Valentine or T Rex, so it's a three.
Not on spotify
Well, that was certainly an experience. I've never heard of John Zorn or Ornette Coleman before, and I'm not a big jazz listener, so this album was pretty much lost on me. I did enjoy a few of the songs though: "Good Old Days," "Feet Music," and "Broad Way Blues" were the standouts to me, and everything else pretty much sounded the same. This album was different from the few other jazz albums I've encountered on this list, but it just wasn't for me.
I want to give this less than one star. Ouch.
TIDAL didn’t have Spy vs Spy but I listened to his top tracks and love it. Brought visions of the pink panther.
Chaotic, frenetic, and unable to finish the album.
Maniacal in the best way. Not for everyone but I'm glad this was on the list, I've got a new avant-garde jazz catalog to dive into now.
Had to get this from someone
This is fucking mental, I love it. The longer it goes on the more I love it. Hilarious that I got this the day after Adele. Obviously it starts off sounding like a jazz band falling down the stairs, but then you adjust. Kind of glad for the Spotify fail as it forced me to listen on headphones, and you can really pick out the intricacies. Can't tell because YouTube smooshed it all together but the song I think is Good Old Days is absolutely banging. Several more bangers later on but I've fully lost track by then. Thrash jazz, fuck yeah baby!
Well well well, this album! I knew a little bit about it going in; namely that it sounds like a high school band warming up, turned into an album. I can understand why anyone would shut this off immediately. The chaos was anxiety-inducing for me at first; I felt uneasy as I pulled out of my driveway and started my commute. But hear me out...it actually gets better. The chaos winds down; a couple instruments start playing together, and something resembling music rises from the ashes of the first 10 minutes. I started wondering if the initial chaos was simply to make you that much more grateful to hear actual music, that it sounds amazing by default? You might not like having freezing cold water dumped on you, but you would love it if you'd just been pulled out of scalding water. I can't hate this album for that. It's an experience I'll surely remember!
Just pure chaos idk who sits down and listens to this I'm sure its technically impressive but damn its genuinely headache inducingly unlistenable.
Listened to part of the album. I thought it was just noise, definitely an acquired taste.
What a cacophony of insanity, which seems to never slow down the whole way through. And now of course I’m curious about the original, which somehow inspired this remake.
oof not for me
Que coño es esto Turbio y raro,el disco no se puede escuchar,pero he buscado cosas de este señor y es mu raro todo. La resaca no ayuda (PSP)
Lolol!! I'm not sure what kind of mood you'd need to be in to listen to this. You couldn't need to concentrate because it takes over as a wall of sound. I guess it's interesting to listen to to spot any patterns or rhythm in the total chaos. Maybe you could use it to unwind tension or anger?? Weirdly enough there's a Radiohead track "The National Anthem" that ends like this so I guess i has influenced others?
I was dreading this but it was actually really good. Idk why it’s so poorly rated.
Not in Spotify
This is really wild. Not something I can see myself listening to regularly but I dig it. Super chaotic and punky which is an interesting take on jazz that I haven't really delved into much. I love the drumming in particular.
Whoa, that's got some real frenetic stuff on it! I definitely appreciate what the artists are doing here, but it's a bit much for my ears.
Well well well...Once you make it past the opening onslaught, there's a lot to like here. It's certainly unusual and definitely intentionally off-putting. It's interesting though, would definitely listen to it again, not very often though. Looking forward to reading some of the other reviews for this one!
Not on spotify, not going looking.
John Zorn is a criminal for this, a massive musical terrorist unchained
This opens with an absolute cacophony of noise. And it really doesn't get better... but you do get better at listening to it.
Absolutely anxiety inducing less than a minute in. He certainly is doing his own thing and I—kinda—like it, but also I one hundred percent understand how someone wouldn't. It sounds like every musician was given sheet music for the song and told to just get through it as fast as they fucking could. I don't think I'll ever listen to this again, but it was surely interesting to hear what thrash and jazz would sound like together. In that sense, he did a great job, but music is no good if you can't enjoy it and I can't imagine where this could be enjoyed or who would ever seriously put this on. The timing of the drums rarely match up with the brass, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't done particularly well on this album. Also gets a tad repetitive. It looks like people are really hating on this album and all I can say is that I get it, at least more than most people it seems. 3/5
This is some "in your face" - jazz music. The start was hard to get through, but once you get there the songs get better (or you get used to it). This is far too experimental for me, but I enjoy this more than listening to any hiphop album we've had so far. 2.5/5
I guess the motto for the first half is that art isn’t supposed to look/sound nice, it’s supposed to make you feel something. Very interesting album, love that we had it, probably won’t listen again.
CHAOOOOOOOOOOS, not in a good way
The first half is a solid 1, way too much noise. The second half of this album was just listenable enough to appreciate the musical ability and earn an extra star but is was very close.
Way too experimental for me but has some nice moment every once in a while
Jesus Christ.
Possibly the worst one I’ve listened/been subjected to so far
Some people said listen to the end and you would be surprised. I was. It is surprising this ever got released, ever got onto this site and I ever had to listen to it. Not least until the end. For the UK people amongst us, this is the joke band from Jazz Club on the Fast Show.
Bottled insanity. Not sure whether I like it, but I'm damn sure that it exists in the world. That someone said "how about Ornette Coleman...but hardcore?" and then executed this notion has helped me to love the human race just a little more.
Not supported on spotify
Avant-garde experimental jazzy is never good.
Difficult one to like. Free Jazz is so unlikable to the average user. I have no clue if this is good or bad....
Andy told me not to listen to this and I trust him
Absolutely ferocious, one of the noisiest projects I've ever heard. The drums in particular sound fucking mega. I love that it's so relentlessly aggressive for the first 22 minutes and then just suddenly pivots to the swaggering groove of Feet Music, then just back to 100 again
very mediocre experience - free jazz is fine by me as a genre, and I appreciate its value - but this is all over the place. too tame in parts, and too wild in others. there’s just so many more free jazz albums I’d rather listen to than this.
Buckle up you chuckle fucks we are headed down to the fifth layer of hell as we experience anger in music form. Normally I like jazz but not in the context of being held captive in the sunny resort town of Guantanamo Bay in the off season. I can only imagine the sort of people who would intentionally subject themselves to this with enjoyment would own an assortment of gimp masks and the number one item on their to-do list is a bit of dick and ball torture.
I'll just start by saying, there are no innovations of thrashcore and grindcore, I mean wtf!! lol On the other hand this was not as terrible as it may have been, it has its moments and you can hear the commitment to their music even if it’s pretentious and not that good. I'll give it a couple of stars because I was able to finish it lol. That feet piece was a nice rest in the middle of the storm. Who of you uploaded the record to YT and then blocked the comments? lol
93 / 1069 It grew on me, deserved a second listen. Went from half a star to 3.5. A lot going on, very interesting, need to check out some of his other stuff.
Jesus fucking christ. I like me some Jazz, I like me some punk, I like me some experimental music. But the three combined?!? This should be interesting! Despite being 17 tracks and each song having an average of about 2 minutes, this thing flies by in a heartbeat. I can't follow the music for shit, even with regular jazz i face this problem. But this gives me a good laugh. It just sounds like one big flurry of let's play 100000000000 notes in a second and sound as ugly as we possibly can. Ecars sounds like an actual jazz song though, thumbs up. I appreciate the effort, but yeah, this ain't my bag. Key tracks: Word For Bird, Peace Warriors, Feet Music, no just kidding, I just like the titles. 4 out of 10
a jazz band but much more violent than normal jazz
Lopetin kolmannen biisin kohdalla
Hengästyttävä pläjäys. Vaikea saada noin kompleksista setistä ite irti, kun musa ottaa susta kaiken irti
wait, why does this fuck? I would NEVER listen to this in my car or anything like that, but it's a cool piece of shit.
Nothing against Jazz, but this is just Drums and Sax on speed. Utterly horrible. 1/5
Would love to hear the author's justification for this one.
No thank you. Album cover fucks though.
This is not what I had planned for the weekend.
It's strange to hear Napalm Death and grindcore in general being cited as an influence and inspiration for a jazz artist tribute album. It's also interesting that the folks at 1001 did not choose any Ornette Coleman albums for their list, despite his winning the Pulitzer prize for music. So I took a listen to some of the original Coleman tracks that John Zorn covered. They are much more listenable, and needless to say, much longer.
Ornette Coleman's brand of free jazz can be described as "challenging" to listen to. Having John Zorn, the self-proclaimed enfant terrible of American avant garde and improvised music cover Coleman's work is sure to raise eyebrows. I'm surprised that 1,001 included this album from him, I would have thought they would have added something a bit more accessible such as his brilliant The Big Gundown which covers the music of the legendary Ennio Morricone, or even The Naked City. Both of those albums showcase the brilliance of the musicians and are less cacophonic and dissonant. If you're a bit adventurous and interested in something more experimental I would suggest giving those a listen. I note that this is one of the lowest ranked albums on this site, and understandably so because it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But if you dissect the music and listen with an open mind what they've achieved is pretty impressive. There are only 5 musicians here, but the two sax players, two drummers and one bassist create a holy hell assault on the senses. This is not my favourite Zorn album, but since its probably the only entry from him, I'll give him an extra point for audacity and originality so he gets three stars.
it's too hectic for my taste, but i can tell theyre talented.
I like the same. But this is too frantic for easy listening. I appreciate its existence but won't be listening to it much more to be honest
To much for me
John Wick in a pig farm.
A challenging listen. Part genius, part endurance test, part Stockholm Syndrome, part jazz band falls down staircase.
find the tune, win a prize
It’s jazz
This is chaotic evil!!!
First half is nearly unlistenable. Second half is a bit better, especially \"Feet Music\". Not my style at all.
Spy vs. Spy confirms my long standing belief that there are very few Zorn albums that are easy to listen to. This is some blistering avant-garde jazz, played at tempos that would make the most talented hardcore punk band blush. However, this just isn’t as well executed as other Zorn albums like Naked City or Kristallnacht. Not bad, but there is better stuff in this lane.
3/5. Saw a description of this album that was “jazz in the form of hardcore-punk” and that is the most accurate one I could find. It’s honesty fairly enjoyable and interesting but not a repeatable listen without feeing like your head is gonna explode.
I know this is one of those lowest rated albums, so pretty keen to hear just how shit it is lol. Ok could only find a few songs on YouTube, and yeah it's pretty anti music. 2/5.
Didn't hate it like I thought I would. There are plenty of moments where you can actually grasp a tangible melody. It all sounded fine - sort of standard fare for jazz records by this point. But there are definitely times where it is all a bit much. If they got rid of the ridiculously high tempo or the two drums playing it once, it just would've been more enjoyable. Also having a very painful earache before and during listening was not particularly helpful either. I'll give a 3 but it could easily dip into the boundary above or below for me. A decent record.
Completely insane. Compelling, true, but almost unlistenable. 2 stars.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Abrasive
1. Where are the jazz police when you need them?
Typical not-quite-chaos of OC, hard to listen to
Aaaarghhh! Kill me now!
Dit is een van de ergste dingen die ik in tijden heb gehoord. Dit is muziek om door in een gekkenhuis te belanden. Ik kan werkelijk niet geloven dat iemand dit als beste album indient.
I found this baffling, intense, gut wrenching, and cool as hell
Not on Spotify, big L because it sounded cool
what did i just hear
Chaos! That's the first thing that comes to mind during the opening track of Spy Vs Spy, an aural assault that continues through the album. It reminds me of before band class when everyone blows on their instrument independent from one another, trying to drown each other out. If you made a movie about a character that goes on an extended bender, then their life spirals out of control, freaking out until they die, this would be the "music" for that soundtrack! I was going to stop listening during the first track, but the masochist in me kept me from turning it off. Bad decision!
No
Some of this isn't godawful, but most of it is.
Pretentious. Artsy. Crap!!!!!!!
Couldn't make it past 14 mins.
yikes. if this is considered jazz then i am not a fan. this sound was worse than nails on a chalkboard. this is not music 🤨🤨🤨
what the fkng hell was definitely down for some cool jazz, not this absolute and utter mess. Would - or could - have been amusing if there was one 45 second passage like this to start the album, then it settled into something listenable, but it does not - it's a chaotic violent garbage plate of musicians who might know their jazz but they play it like they've been on coke for 48 hours and in between have been fed pixie stix. Or the creatures from the movie Gremlins but sped up to 16x the speed and insanity. What an exhausting disaster. I tortured myself and made it through. This is unquestionably in the small runoff for worst albums I've ever heard. 1/10 1 star.
Un asalto a los sentidos y es como si el jazz fuese pasado por una trituradora metálica
this is pretty chaotic for me but giving credit where credit is due, these are talented musicians
Not for me
This was intense! Interesting and exciting but 40 minutes of it may be just too much at once for me. 3.4
Mad. Avant-garde jazz that I admired more than I loved..
Sounded like a jazz band falling down the stairs.
When my mom complains that all jazz sounds made up, this is what she must be referring to. I love it
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Unless it’s in the ambience to fill silence I just don’t care for jazz so no Favourite song: Didn’t have one
First time listening to avantgarde jazz.Even though it is not my style I enjoyed it. Great find.
"The album itself approaches free jazz from the perspective of hardcore punk, particularly taking note of the contemporary innovations of thrashcore and grindcore." aka a bloody racket.
8/10
Good album.
It sounded like a bunch of 1st graders got released into a room full of jazz instruments and were graded on who could make the loudest noises. There were moments of harmony far and few between, I will slide this though as a 2. Could only find this album on YouTube.
This was really uncomfortable to listen to. Feels like an "emperor has no clothes situation" so kudos to Zorn for getting away with it but it's a big "no thanks" from me. To make things worse I just listened to a Jimmy Smith album so my jazz expectations were too high for this noise. I am having a medium good time trying to imagine someone who actually likes this album and is trying to tell me how their favorite song goes. I can picture the panic in their eyes as they let out their third squeal in ten seconds and realize exactly how untenable their position is.
Well, I made it through the whole thing! I skimmed some of the reviews beforehand and was understandably apprehensive haha. At first, I found it a little too chaotic for my liking. The energy was always super intense. The album grew on me, though. Either that or the second half of the record is actually more digestible to the average listener. "Good Old Days" and "The Disguise" were really great. So was "Feet Music". The rest I'd either actively avoid or just wouldn't go out of my way to listen to, but this is far from the worst album on this project.
Doesn't exist on Apple Music
This is an extreme musical example of the Marmite principle - and I wanted to slather it all over my morning bitterly toast, then lick the knife. Granted, you can’t listen to this all day, everyday: it’s an assault on your brain and ears which doesn’t leave you much choice other than to turn the volume firmly down then rip off the knob or jump right in and let the chaos wash over you. But. It’s chaos built on a foundation of incredible talent and musicianship. Two saxophone, two drum kits and a bass guitar all improvising and able to remain in some Free Jazz hive mind state. Most of the album is so perilously on the edge of descending and unraveling into an inaudible dirge - but they some how keep enough tension between them to keep walking along the tightrope. However there are also examples of more traditional harmonies and jazz rhythms (Ecars, Feet Music & Mob Job) to show that these are a group of musicians right at the top of thier game. And fuck me, rather this than Oasis, The Manics or The Stones. At least they won’t die wondering “What if…?”
You can hear the effort that goes into making these sounds with those instruments. As a counter-point as to what music 'is' vs. 99% of material on 1001's albums, i think it's inclusion on the list is justified. Sure it's not easy listening, but bloody hell do I wish I could thrash a drum kit/sax/trumpet like that.
The incessant pitch of the alto sax took me back to a time filled with undiagnosed PND - I won't be listening again no matter how talented the musicians
Sounded like if a saxophone played the drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket
Had some moments when it was less manic, but this is way too avant-garde for me
This gave me a stroke...
Ghastly.
I see what they were doing and its value to the world of music as a whole. Punk jazz does seem like it'd be cool. Honestly though it sounded like 40 minutes of a raccoon playing on a trash can lid.
Really not a fan. Couldn't make it all the way through.
1 star for not being on spotify also FUCK THIS LMAO I LOVE JAZZ BUT THIS IS AN ATROCITY
You know what? Fuck you. 3 stars. After reading some of the more informative reviews here and putting this LP in context, I'm willing to give it a decent rating for being completely different than anything else I've heard on this list. While the first half is an absolute auditory mess (and I would bet more than a few of the people here don't even listen for more than 5 minutes), the back half shapes up into some pretty energetic improv work that had my toe tapping. It may not be an easy listen and it does take some understanding, but at least it's not another tepid Britpop or Bob Dylan album
Meh
Bat shit crazy but wonderful
Bonkers, but joyously so. I'm so glad I found this!
I'm glad that someone made this and it exists. I don't ever want to listen to it again. There's something about it, like when you go to an art gallery and see some pretentious shit and think, "My toddler could do that." But there is some subtle difference. This is the musical equivalent of Tate Modern finger painting.
Initially I wasn't going to listen to this as it wasn't available on Spotify, and I couldn't be fussed with YouTube ads, but was persuaded to I'd give it a try... and wow! On the surface it's audacious, annoying, violent, batshit bonkers, some kind of avant-garde post-punk jazz! But within that utter chaos there's something beautiful, a raw talent. The more I thought about it, the more affection I felt towards it. 3.5
Can't find this easily on Amazon. I'm not going to spend all day looking. After reading about it, this seems like one of the author's pet albums. I don't care even at all. Would give it 0 if I could.
Not a fan.
I guess it deserves credit for conjuring images of the series I used to read in MAD Magazine. But it sounds like a big jazz band conducted by Animal from The Muppets with Animal playing every instrument. At the same time. Without any overdubbing.
It’s like if porno music was angry while high on crack cocaine. Oddly enough, I’m kinda about it.
The drums sound like bullets firing out of a sub machine gun and the trumpets sound like finely tuned squeaking dog toys. I couldn’t differentiate the first three tracks from each other I didn’t mind the fourth track until the last minute then the album continues to fuck up for the remaining half an hour. Maybe like two minutes of this sound would’ve worked at the end of some heavy jazz rock album to send the album off on a confusing bang but 41 minutes is painful. Jazz and punk are both at the opposite ends of the musical spectrum really there’s no similarity between the genres so it doesn’t work; but I appreciate the album and the sound it’s trying so hard to achieve not enough to save it from a 1/5 though which completely deserves to be in the notoriously bad bottom 10 albums.
My parents did it
i mean, i'm impressed by it and its left a mark on me, but fucking hell that is an assault on the senses. stressed me out but still better than any country music and john fucking lennon.
John Zorn has made a work of genius that will transcend the ages. I went into this record completely blind and naive to what music could truly be. This damn incredible soundtrack feels like it has taken my aural virginity. My ears are bleeding for the first time, but it feels so good. My darkest desires have been set in motion, like a runaway train about to meet an explosive crescendo at the bottom of a rocky ravine. My windswept hair has Zorn's semen brushed through it and his dick is hanging out of my slack jaw as I listen in complete awe and adoration. I lust as it slithers its way into my psyche, into my trousers. If I could, I would marry this record so hard, that it would think that it's been fucked sideways by its own grandchild in the back of a station wagon heading 1000 miles an hour into the centre of the sun.
I really enjoyed this! Of course, by enjoyed, I mean I tolerated it. By tolerated it, I mean I'd rather have all of my skin chipped off with a cheese grater, whilst my dad mixes lemon juice with his own urine and pours it onto my raw, skinless body. All the while piranhas bite away at my feet, the piercing shrill of a whistle is blown in my face relentlessly and a montage of my worst ever erection moments is broadcast on giant TV screens to every major city in the world, than ever listen to this ever again.
This is the sound the world makes around me when I have an enormous hangover.
Very much not for me. I can appreciate the talent of the music, but cannot listen to the full album. Sends my ADHD into overdrive.
Noise ?
Yeah, this ain't it, chief.
kansikin jo kertoo, että saksofonimelujazzia. ei toimi mulle.
Tässä on yksi hyvä puoli: rummut eivät swengaa, minkä takia musiikki ei varsinaisesti ärsytä. Itseasiassa ne hakkaavat melkein kuin hardcoressa. Toisaalta torvet kuulostavat erehtymättömästi avant-garde jazzilta, mikä on huono homma. Yhden hitaamman, blues-pohjaisen biisin melkein ymmärsin, koska sen pieni koukkaus formalismiin teki tämän musiikin ylemmyydentuntoisesta ironiasta hetkellisesti lähestyttävämpää. Ansaitsisi ehkä plussan ykkösen perään.
1/17, 6%
First track - is nuts Second track - is also nuts
I hate jazz music
This album is TERRIBLE!!! I personally enjoy listening to most forms of jazz, but free jazz is where I draw the line. The only interesting thing about this album is the cover art.
Its either a 5 or a 1. I do not know what to do with this.
This was a violent assault of unending frantic insane noise. 2 drummers and 2 saxophones competing to be heard over each other. Making it through this was a miracle, though there was a slight tuneful reprieve around 24 minutes.
Fuck off John Zorn. It's not big and it's not clever.
It's loud, it's obnoxious and it's unsettling. But isn't that the point of jazz? John Zorn pushes the Avante Garde sound of jazz to the limits where it almost sounds like heavy metal - again, isn't that the point of jazz? To experiment? Spy vs. Spy is a great symphonic, catastrophic wall of noise that somehow flows into a very good album. 4/5.
Intense, demanding and thrilling, it is safe to say nothing else will sound quite like this on this whole project. There is something special when artists make something fresh from the sound around them and here two alto saxophones, two drums and bass make this ridiculous album which throws everything out the window whilst remaining compelling and exciting. It’s definitely challenging but there is something powerful in the emotional response of the listener, whether positive or negative. I think this might be a classic for the ages.
More noise than music for my taste.
Jazz instrumental. Disonante. Difícil de escuchar
Couldn’t listen to it as it is not on Spotify
Too experimental
Crazy, and a great, more contemporary example of jazz fusion, but a bit rough to listen to
Difficile d’évaluer la musique, parce que le mix est un vrai fouilli, principalement les deux batteries qui ont tellement de réverbération, que je ne distingue à peu près rien. La musique d’Ornette Coleman est généralement interprétée de façon très dense. Quand on ne distingue rien, ça fait une grosse bouette et on peine à imaginer que les musiciens s’écoutent et on est sirpri que tous arrivent en même temps à la fin des pièces. Point positif, il y a beaucoup d’énergie dans l’album. Ça recrinque !!
Wow. It's a blend of free jazz and hardcore punk. It's very original, very creative, quite an interesting idea and not badly executed. And I absolutely hate it.
Like the chaos , but didn't touch me A 3.
Can’t believe this made the top 1001 list. Top worse albums of all time maybe.
Really really chaotic like an episode of little bill
When I started this album, I thought that it was quite a tough listen (and it is) but as it went on I realised that it sort of forces you to listen to it and do nothing else but listen to it and once I did that I did end up enjoying it. It's clear that the various musicians are incredibly talented. 2/5 Absolute chaos. Definitely not for everyone
😳
If you were to call an album punk/thrashcore jazz - this would be it. Like all good thrashcore music Spy vs Spy is a wild ride that doesn't let up. The frenetic pace of it all and, the fact there are two saxophonists isolated in each ear make it feel like you don't know which direction you're being pulled in, or really what you are listening to. At times it can feel like a noise explosion. I'm quite used to hearing thrashcore when it's coupled with metal music, however with the type of instrumentation used here it's something that is completely foreign and a little grating at times. Best: Ecars Worst: Peace Warriors Note: This album was not on Spotify at all, so had to resort to ol' mate YouTube.
Very surprising, it’s like they’re an instrumental jazz Slayer cover band. The 2x Sax and 2x drummers appear to be racing to finish the song first
Madness
Not available so gave it average rating
This is one of the lowest rated albums on the list and rightly so. Usually with an album like this I’d admire it’s uniqueness and experimentation but about 10 minutes in I just got a headache. Frantically playing the saxophone and drums is not enjoyable free jazz. Also with Otis blue I got a lot of shit wrong in my notes so: satisfaction was a cover of the stones, respect was another interesting track, and it’s just wonderful world not the Louis Armstrong song
12th July 2022 Listened while in the office, played life sized monopoly with Sav and Sal in the evening. At one point a fleet of police cars drove past the window with sirens blazing and I couldn’t tell if that was part of the music or not.
This is wild... its not good, but its a hell of an experience
6/10. I was expecting much worse for one of the lowest rated albums on the list. I liked it overall, but it is definitely a bit too frantic to comfortably listen to in the background, and I am not really one for actively listening to stuff without lyrics, so there's not really a good niche for listening to this, but it wasn't bad.
Interesting but not very listenable, though I enjoyed a few tracks. This definitely doesn't belong near the bottom of the global rankings. 6/10
I didn’t think I’d like this but it was good. Very jazzy but better than I’d anticipated.
VERY BUSY. Technically obviously a very strong performance, but overall just not very enjoyable to listen to. And music needs to be enjoyable to listen to
Me ha parecido un flipe. Difícil, pero flipante. Nunca he escuchado el Jazz como se escucha aquí. Brutal.
What the fuck is this garbage? Top 1001? No chance
You know what this isn't that bad once you lean into it. Not on Spootify but there's some good youtube playlists with the full album, and making it to the end is definitely an achievement. Kinda like reading Ulysses, but with more squonking.
Weird as hell and I think would be fun to see live but definitely not my jam
A song or two of this is good. You know, 3 to 5 minutes or so. But a whole album? The problem with free jazz is that because there is no structure, every song starts to run together. There is no contrast. By the time any song sounded different, I was about 20 minutes into the album. That's a problem. It's just... all over the place. Not something I need to revisit.
Spastic. I'm not sure I've ever heard jazz played with such ferocity. It's an interesting experiment - like someone thought "what if we tried to play jazz not like jazz at all"? I know of free jazz thanks to some earlier albums on this list and this album is like free jazz on speed; tempo cranked up a bunch of notches and like they're trying to hit the drums as hard as they can or play the sax as loud or whiny as they can. It is different, I'll give it that. Nice to know it exists but not sure I need to listen to it again - Good Old Days and Feet Music being two cool exceptions. I can see how the album is on this list for its uniqueness but it's not for me.
Shite
lo-fi death jazz beats to study/relax to
Whoa. Exuberant sonic assault. I mean, I'm pleased for them and all that they were able to have fun, but this just smacked me in the goolies. For half an hour.
Trumpet-jazz-noisecore bullshit
Brexit in audio form. Rating: 1/5 Playlist track: [None - not on Spotify (thank goodness)] Date listened: 03/05/22
Really annoying
Nice.
It sounds like someone gave some random people some saxes and drums and said "go".
difficult
Sounds like a mental breakdown. Did not hate it.
This is the first album that I found legitimately difficult to get through. I don't know enough about jazz to know why this is important or good. Frankly it just sounded like discordant, unpleasant noise and I would not care if I never listened to any of these songs again. 1 star, solidly the worst album we have listened to, and it would take something truly horrific to unseat this. Zorn should have stuck to coming up with lemmas.
Sad to say this one was really, *really* not my cup of tea. I would like at some point to listen to and learn more about jazz, as I think it's a diverse genre with a lot of cool music from the very little I've been exposed to. BUT this album really threw me into the deep end and then proceeded to drown me in the deep end. Near the end sometimes there was a melody I could grasp onto, but it wasn't enough. Maybe if I knew a lot more about jazz I could appreciate this, but I right now I can't.
idk if audio-induced epilepsy is a thing, but if it is, there should be a warning at the beginning of this album
I wanted to like it but it’s too hard for me
Very fast and chaotic start to an album. Tough to follow and a bit tiring to keep up with and listen. Difficult to enjoy listening to this.
No gusta
Listen...just because you "can" get together with a drummer and trumpeter in a fluorescent-lit office at 4 am on a tuesday, inhale a 1'' x 8'' line of [redacted], and have an epileptic episode into a saxophone until the room is drenched in sweat and [redacted], doesn't mean you "should"... Though I do appreciate that kind of explosion of sound is contemporary art, raw emotion tripping over itself in an avalanche of controlled chaos. I don't dislike it, but it does not bring great pleasure to my ears. Intrigue? Yes. Pleasure? No. Do I respect it? Yes. Do I want more? No.
Explosive. Noise rock fused with jazz. Very energetic, very upbeat, very experimental and free. The album does not really have any sort of direction or flow, but it is fun to listen to and keeps me on the edge of my seat. At times it can seem like a battle of the bands between the two saxophonists, and at others they synergize well; I prefer the latter. A great showcase of talent here and it is good to hear something so experimental.
This is not at all my cup of tea, sounds like the stuff pretentious jazz-heads pretend to like because they think it'll make them cool. It's pretty much just unintelligible nose. And don't get me wrong, I love some good free jazz or industrial noise, but it's gotta have soul, and that's not coming through for me here. On the positive side, the recording is pretty cool - drums are super full and deep, and I like how there's a different sax squealing in each of the stereo channels. Overall though, the original arrangements from Coleman are much better, I think I'll stick with those.
Couldn't find this exact album but listened to some other stuff. It was alright.
I like jazz, but I don't posses enough wisdom and genre understanding to find this album satisfactory. I couldn't find any pleasure in the cacophony of sounds, aggressive drumming in these interpretations of Ornette Coleman (original is much more like my cup of tea). However, in all this musical chaos it had some somewhat enjoyable moments, which corresponded with the band gaining (perhaps unwanted) harmony. Overall it wasn't a good album for me, but I understand the reasons to put it on the list.
Chciałbym serdecznie Panu Zornowi podziękować za podwaliny pod popularyzację hardcore'u. Jestem pewien, że świetnie to brzmiało zagrane na żywo, a artyści dali z siebie na scenie wszystko. Muzykę traktuję jako sztukę użytkową i tak też rozpatruje te albumy - ten się nie nadaje do słuchania w żadnej sytuacji, jaką byłbym w stanie wymyślić. Na płycie to po prostu nie brzmi. Earrape - Monsters Inc. ma bardzo podobny zamysł, a słucha się tego o wiele lepiej mimo tragicznej jakości. Dziękuję za ciekawostkę.
Przesłuchałem zarówno aranżacje pana Zorna jak i oryginalne utwory i nie ma porównania. Spy vs spy jest przesytem instrumentów, tempa i złożoności. > John, jak dużo chcesz perkusji? > Tak. Nie jest to zdecydowanie album do posłuchania przy kominku i lampce wina, a bardziej pasuje na scenie trash metalowej.
Najgorszy album jakiego słuchałem w życiu. Lubię hardkorowe rzeczy muzycznie z różnych gatunków. Nie chodzi mi nawet o brak melodii, tylko o brak jakiegokolwiek konceptu za tym idącego. To nie jest jakieś świadome łamanie zasad muzycznych, oni dmuchają w trąbki i trąbki pierdzą. Nie mogę oprzeć się wrażeniu, że wrzucenie tego do tego challenge'u przez autora to łechtanie swojego ego "hehe, ludzie nie rozumiejo, a to taki album cudny". No właśnie rozumiem - nie mam nic do tego że komuś się podoba. Ale mam coś do tego, że ten album na liście jest, mimo że to lista albumów z muzyki popularnej, a tego nawet nie ma na streamingach. Obecność tego albumu w tym wyzwaniu to splunięcie w mordę wszystkim cudownym albumom, których tu nie ma.
This was too stressfull
Nope. Now I have a headache.
Nope. Big nope. That's worse than terrible. Does he actually make a living from this crap?
A little tough to find online because it's not available on streaming but almost all of the songs are on Youtube and someone put together a playlist in tracklist order. This is so up my alley right now because I've actually been listening to a lot of Ornette Coleman recently while I write. He's an incredible jazz artist who essentially invented free jazz, where you deliberately play atonal notes and sometimes ignore the melody all together. (The album of his I've listened to the most is "Change of the Century" and it's a good intro to the style because it's mostly melodic jazz with some experimental stuff in the improvisations.) I think it's so cool that someone drew a line between free jazz and hardcore punk. I remember listening to the title track on "Change of the Century" and thinking, "This is crazy. This has such a punk rock attitude.” It still sounds wild in 2022 and must have been truly nuts in the late 1950's. But a lot of the songs that John Zorn and his band cover on this album are already so fast and chaotic that playing them even faster and louder and more chaotic turns them into more of an experimental curiosity than anything I'd actually want to listen to for fun. You have to be in the mood to be musically assaulted. Still, some songs really worked for me. "Good Old Days" has blasts of pure noise but breathes enough that you can follow the structure. (It was also one of the only songs I knew going into this so it was cool to hear.) "The Disguise," "Blues Connotation," "Ecars," and "Broadway Blues" stood out to me too. (Also, having two drummers is such a crazy, cool thing to do. I love that.)
So THIS is “death jazz”! It’s definitely an acquired taste, but I do love trying to pick up on melodies, only to be painfully wrong every time. The chaos almost puts you in a trance, and has a calming-ish affect…? But would also be good to put on loop if you were trying to torture someone…?
Pros: - Exciting free jazz! - While listening, I didn't realize that I had another chrome tab open that had a chess streamer talking in the background at a very low volume. She was talking about pawn promotion and when the songs finished I would hear that faintly and it enhanced the experience! - If you forget to grab a coffee in the morning, just put this on. It'll wake yo ass up! - In the big scheme of abstract music / modern music / new music, this is totally palatable. Cons: - While incredibly dynamic, I would love some dynamicity (had to google that to check) in the tempi! Let's get some slow jams in there. Misc: - John Zorn is a cool wild dude. One of my regrets from when I was in music school was not going to his music venue The Stone ever- which had an arrangement with my school program where we would get reduced/free tickets and then we would get school credit for attending a modern music performance. Friends went a few times and ended up meeting him, gah! the regret! - He's definitely a modern pioneer of free jazz, and the genre is so important to popularizing the idea that any type of music can be free and untamed. I'm speculating, but a large amount of people probably find it novel and/or interesting but maybe without seeing the value beyond a single listen through. But outside of that large amount there's probably a few people that find the concept of this kind of music really intriguing and love it. For that reason alone I think it deserves a place on the list. I genuinely feel that every musician who writes music has a little bit of a duty to do something new with their music that expands music as a whole, even if they are a 99% clone of their favorite artist, if they just do 1% of something new that allows a new younger musician to make something with that 1%, then that is fulfilling a duty to the worldwide community of music. John Zorn is probably more like 75% new ideas and 25% built on the backs of people like Ornette Coleman, so John Zorn is a real one.
This site needs an option for zero, or negative stars. So somebody recorded my middle school band, while we were warming up, and decided to release it as an avant grade album of jazz fusion's version of speed metal. This crap is the musical equivalent of a root canal being performed without any anesthetic.