Impulse

Music Connection 07/17/00
This is the kind of music that will not rock your world; just make it a more soothing place to live.

Product Description
AC-type pop with lots of exotic world music flavor.

Impulse

Impulse,Effusion,Abet Music,Tranquil acoustic-pop with lots of exotic world music flavor.

Average customer rating: Masterpiece Coltrane does it again! Rookie Coltrane Listener Deeply moving... Indispensable to all music listeners

A Love Supreme John Coltrane Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Jazz | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music $7.99 and Under | Prices | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Kind of Blue Birth of the Cool Mingus Ah Um Time Out My Favorite Things ASIN: B0000A118M Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

1. Acknowledgement
2. Resolution
3. Pursuance
4. Psalm

Amazon.com

A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and the Byrds), while initiating a series of volatile, unruly prayer offerings, including Kulu Su Mama, Ascension, Om, Meditations, Expression, Interstellar Space. From the urgent speech-like timbre of his tenor, to the serpentine textures and earthy groove of Elvin Jones's drumming, Coltrane's suite proceeds with escalating intensity, conveying a hard-fought wisdom and a beckoning serenity in the prayer-like drones of "Psalm," where Jones rolls and rumbles like thunder as Garrison and Tyner toll away suggestively--all the while Coltrane searches for that one climactic note worthy of the love he wants to share. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews:

Masterpiece.......2007-06-26

There is nothing I can add to what has already been said about this recording. Simply amazing and will always withstand the test of time.

Coltrane does it again!.......2007-06-11

This is one of the top 5 albums of all time. Coltrane is on fire, McCoy is on fire, Jimmy Garrison is on fire, and Elvin is murderous. Out of all of tunes, my fav is Pursuance. It's passionate, has a hard bopish-avantgarde feel and yet it still swings. Out of the park!

Rookie Coltrane Listener.......2007-05-26

For years my very good friend who prides himself on being a music aficionado and "snob", much like Jack Black's character in High Fidelity, has been raving about John Coltrane and a "Love Supreme". I however, have been firmly encamped in the classic rock, blues and pop of the 50's, 60's & 70's. I always felt the jazz style that Coltrane and others of that genre played, was way above my head. Though I appreciated the musicianship to the degree I could, I didn't particularly care for it. I didn't "get it".

But now as I reach the half-way point in my fifties, I wanted to force my self to listen and try to see just what it is about Coltrane that so many folks find extrodinary. So my friend recommended A Love Supreme. I listened and listened and virtually immersed my self in the recording until passages became familiar. Now I have a glimmer, an embryonic appreciation of the man's gift. I put it on for my 17 year old daughter and she loves it! It grows on you and I think maybe for the first time I'm experiencing what that type of jazz can do for you. Live & learn!

Deeply moving..........2007-04-20

This is a deeply spiritual album. It never ceases to move me in some way everytime I hear it. It feels so real and authentic that if you're not careful, you may shed a tear of joy or two. It's just one long suite, made by Coltrane after he kicked his heroin habit and found his soul and God again. It's not often one describes a jazz album as moving (Miles's Sketches of Spain is the only one who comes to mind), but there's really no other way to describe this wonderful, transcendent, beguiling album.

Indispensable to all music listeners.......2007-04-08

Like "Kind of Blue" this is a recording accessible to all listeners, resisting facile classifications (fusion, jazz, modal, musician's music, general public's music, etc.). Coltrane's Promethean questing sweeps up and includes the listener, taking him or her through the hero's journey, which concludes on an affirmative note of thanksgiving and peace. Moreover, the musical motifs are in themselves memorable, satisfying the listener's need for a musical stronghold in which to ground the spiritual thrust of the extra-musical religious-spiritual meanings.

Of the recordings after "A Love Supreme," "Transition" achieves a similar visionary ascent, though much of the recorded documentation of Coltrane's last two years is likely to prove inaccessible or at least less engaging to the average listener. It's music "in" but also "of" the moment, a record of pain and anger, protest and revolution, carrying an unmistakable political subtext that frequently overwhelms the main musical text.

Arguably the most influential instrumentalist of the past 50 years, Coltrane left the listener plenty of choices, should the recordings after "A Love Supreme" prove unsatisfying. "My Favorite Things" is the perfect antidote to the cloying soprano sax sound of Kenny G. (as is the soprano sax playing of the deeply expressive and moving traditionalist, Sidney Bechet). For every serious musician, however, perhaps the one recording by Coltrane that belongs at the top is "Giant Steps." Once a musician has mastered the dominant-tonic movement of popular harmonies, the next essential step is learning how to negotiate the "Giant Steps"/"Count Down" harmonic movement that Coltrane introduced. Before learning the theory, however, a listener needs to experience the stunning freshness that is its musical result. With the motivation, the theory is likely to be realized far more efficiently and effectively.

Average customer rating:

My Favorite Things: Coltrane at Newport John Coltrane Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pilgrimage Change The Trio of Doom Live Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969 Cornell 1964 ASIN: B000QFAG2Q Release Date: 2007-07-03

Tracks:

1. I Want to Talk About You
2. My Favorite Things
3. Impressions [#]
4. Introduction by Father Norman O'Connor
5. One Down, One Up
6. My Favorite Things

Average customer rating: Classic quartet on fire Music for musicians Disappointed with the announcer and tunes cut off Hard work but worth it. classic 'trane

One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note John Coltrane Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 Live at the House of Tribes The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 ASIN: B000B0QOJA Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

1. Introduction And Announcements
2. One Down, One Up
3. Announcements
4. Afro-Blue

Tracks:

1. Introduction And Announcements
2. Song Of Praise
3. Announcements
4. My Favorite Things

Amazon.com

Having recharged his legendary status on 2005's spectacular Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: At Carnegie Hall, a previously unheard "lost" recording from 1957, the late John Coltrane solidifies his refreshed standing with a new generation of jazz fans with this exciting discovery by his own quartet. Recorded in 1965 at New York's Half Note club, One Down, One Up isn't as stunning a find as the Monk album. Its recorded sound, taken from a radio broadcast, is pretty raw and, whereas the Monk album represents a rare meeting of these giants, there are other live albums from the mid-'60s by the Coltrane four. None, however, are as good as this one, which finds the tenor and soprano saxophonist making magnificent mountains out of modal molehills through his relentless surrounding and reshaping of notes, never coming up for air. You don't listen to epic performances like the 28-minute title track, 23-minute rendition of "My Favorite Things" (his bread and butter tune) and 20-minute "Song of Praise" so much as immerse yourself in them. You simply need to experience them for their rising intensity and spiritual weight, for their earthy beauty, for the band's locking gears: pianist McCoy Tyner's ferocious hammered notes, drummer Elvin Jones' whirlwind figures, bassist Jimmy Garrison's eloquent lines. Thriving on melody, which he would abandon in the sonically assault live final phase of his sadly shortened career, Coltrane keeps listeners in the palm of his hand even as he pushes into unchartered territory. --Lloyd Sachs

Album Description

Coltrane and his legendary band--McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums--regularly played at downtown New York's Half Note in the mid 1960s. The group used the club's flexible set times to accommodate Coltrane's musical suites and far-reaching improvisations. As Half Note founder Mike Canterino said, "I just wanted the music and to let the guys go ahead and do what they want to do."

The importance of these influential performances has grown throughout the years as musicians--especially saxophone players--passed around bootleg and lo-fi copies taken from the 1965 radio broadcast. It was a time when Coltrane was pushing his musical boundaries, and one can hear the evolution of his style on these recordings. As his son Ravi Coltrane says, "You can hear everything that came before and begin to hear where the music was going."

The music captured on One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note features the songs "One Down, One Up" (perhaps the highlight of the collection), "Afro Blue," "Song of Praise," and "My Favorite Things." The unparalleled performances showcase a band filled with fiery passion and a master at the crossroads of his musical path.

One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note features liner notes from journalist and author Ashley Kahn, who wrote A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album as well as the upcoming The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records. Also included is an essay by the CD's producer, Ravi Coltrane.

Customer Reviews:

Classic quartet on fire.......2007-04-14

If you are new to Trane this might not be the place to start but then again, understanding the enormity of his musicianship is part of the essence of knowing Coltrane's music. Personally, I have beeen listening to Coltrane since he was alive and thriving and pushing the limits of jazz. What you will find on this gem is exactly that, pushing the music, jazz music specifically, beyond the usual perceptions. His legendary solos are captured here and one highlight of this disc is the extended version of the lovely and unique interpretation of "My Favorite Things." Coming in at over 22 minutes this beautiful song allows Trane to express the things he couldn't on his album of the same name. The driving drum beats pounded by Elvin Jones, the extended solos and lingering piano work of McCoy Tyner and thumping, solid bass of Jimmy Garrison are perfect companions to the relentless notes coming out of Trane's horn. His improvisation is a lesson in the technique of going out there and bringing it all back home. Melodic yet challenging, Trane's vision is never more eloquent than on this song. Your jaw will drop. The grunts and groans of the musicians, the silence of the crowd probaly from being in awe in the presence of greatness and the erruption of fans apreciation will put you in the Half Note some forty-three years ago. This is the classic quartet at it's height. The extreme "One up ,One Down" opens with Garrison reaching out for your ear as the quartet slowly fills in and goes beyond the limits of comprehension as to how long a song can be stretched. Coming in at nearly 28 minutes any musician can benefit from listening and a casual or rabid jazz can only marvel at the stamina, endurance and intensity of Trane's classic quartet and omnipotent horn. The spiritual quality of Trane's music is expressed in "Song of Praise", which is about as intense as it can get. I can only imagine the concentration, admire the effort from afar, many years since that night in New York but I can feel his energy anew with the release recently of this priceless masterpiece from the vaults. The individual songs each have their own attraction but the complete performance is the way the disc should be appreciated; it is a study in the complex world of jazz outside the paradigm. The announcers voice and breaking up of the music offers a glimpse into the real world of performance where the breaks are barely long enough to wipe the sweat from one's brow; Trane and his quartet must have been sweating profusly and barely had enough time to quench their thirst before entertaining again. If you are a jazz fan you will love this disc. If you are a Trane fan you will experience nirvana listening to him blow again. This is recommended for any serious music fans collection; Trane lives on as his legacy continues to grow.It doesn't get much better than this.

Music for musicians.......2006-12-07

I personally like this tipe of jazz. I enjoy hearing endless variations that are accompanied by some kind of joy de vivre, when one almost feels the energy and music booming from speakers, moving your whole mind and body in the rhytm. After the song is over, you are often lost and it takes some time to regain ones composure. On the other hand, there are people who find this kind of music particularily nagging and painful. They are not willing to give any chance to artist or the song involved, and music just flows past them without touching them.

But something bothers me with this record. It feels like Coltrane is somwhere else, although his instrument is still there and plying. For me, it's like hearing perfectly performed practice for fingering, perfect but still somehow rutinely done. There are flashes, where you can hear Coltrane snap into it, and music becomes more powerfull and gains colour, but this is over in such a short time that this feeling of non-existance remains. Like it has never been there.

Bear in mind that this is the record which you will have to grow into. For which you will have to learn how to like it. It will go one piece at a time, but if you grasp the sense, then the full enjoyment will be prsent, and you'll return over and over again.

Disappointed with the announcer and tunes cut off .......2006-10-29

I was really annoyed by the announcer stepping all over the best parts of some of the solos but even more annoyed that the best tunes are cut off probably only half-way into the tunes. Just when Trane starts stretching out, the announcer comes in and the songs are cut. Get the Village Vanguard recordings first. I saw Pharoah Sanders do a version of My Favorite Things at Blues Alley for over an hour and it was a spiritual experience that will never be equalled. I hate to think of what I missed with these recordings... it's depressing.

Hard work but worth it........2006-08-22

If you like the later, freer, more open works of John Coltrane then you will absolutely love this album. It is hard work though, and not for the uninitiated. It requires a decision to engage oneself with this incredible musician, to open your spirit and allow his music to effect, move and change you. If you are jumping in to John Coltrane for the first time, I do not suggest that you start here. May I suggest earlier works like 'Soultane' or 'Bluetrane' as jumping in points.

classic 'trane.......2006-08-07

the sessions at the half note present the classic coltrane quartet at the height of its powers. this version of afro blue rivals the cut on "live at birdland."

Average customer rating: FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! An absolute must for Coltrane lovers

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Love Supreme Collection: 1947-1972 Ella & Louis (Stereo SACD) John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman Sketches of Spain ASIN: B0000DZ3GW Release Date: 2004-11-16

Tracks:

1. They Say It's Wonderful
2. Dedicated to You
3. My One and Only Love
4. Lush Life
5. You Are Too Beautiful
6. Autumn Serenade
7. They Say It's Wonderful [Stereo Version]
8. Dedicated to You [Stereo Version]
9. My One and Only Love [Stereo Version]
10. Lush Life [Stereo Version]
11. You Are Too Beautiful [Stereo Version]
12. Autumn Serenade [Stereo Version]

Customer Reviews:

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!.......2005-06-14

A wholesale improvement in sound quality when played back in SACD mode over the impulse release. Other than some tape hiss, terrific presence and very much a "you are there" quality to the sound. Hartman was a fabulous singer and Coltrane is at his best doing ballads. If you like romantic jazz with up front vocals and sax, this is a must have disc. I own about 2000 CDs. This is in my top 10 favorites.

An absolute must for Coltrane lovers.......2005-01-01

As a saxophonist, I have been a Coltrane lover for twenty years, and have avoided any vocal contamination of his and other jazz greats' works. All of that changed when I listened to this album! The polished intensity of Coltrane's tenor sax blended with the baritone crooning of Johnny Hartman make this one of the most romantic albums in jazz (and that is saying something).

Johnny Hartman, while a star in his own right, has never has inspired me as much. And while, "A Love Supreme," released a year and a half later in 1965, is arguably Coltrane's greatest work, "John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman," is more intimate and at the same time, accessible for the listener. The struggle to describe the radiance of divinity and reverence is replaced by the more tangible themes of a human's trials and triumphs in love. If you only get one album to share with your sweetheart, this is the one to get!

Average customer rating: Spellbinder Spellbinding Quirky, but I like it Formidable. Wonderfully eclectic sensibility; unique and deeply moving playing

Spellbinder Gabor Szabo Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Hungary | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Sorcerer Bacchanal/1969 Macho High Contrast (Dig) Femme Fatale ASIN: B000AMJEJG Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

1. Spellbinder
2. Witchcraft
3. It Was a Very Good Year
4. Gypsy Queen
5. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
6. Cheetah
7. My Foolish Heart
8. Yearning
9. Autumn Leaves/Speak to Me of Love

Customer Reviews:

Spellbinder.......2007-04-03

This CD does not in any way convey the excitement and dynamics of the original vinyl recording. This made the listening experience somewhat frustrating, like trying to catch the rainbow. But Gabor is, after all, Gabor. For those who dont know, he is a lyrical guitarist, with a unique style. Four stars for the content.

Spellbinding.......2007-01-09

Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo had a unique style that some forty years later still helps him retain a place in the lexicon of jazz. The title track "Spellbinder" features heavyweight musicians, Ron Carter on bass, Willie Bobo on percussion and the man with whom he cut his jazz teeth, Chico Hamilton on drums. The hypnotic rhythms are sustained throughout the driving song while Szabo's gypsyesque jazz guitar weaves a pulsating spell on the listener.There are a few standards here that Szabo gives the gypsy treatment to including "Autum Leaves" but "It Was A Very Good Year" is just sublime."Gypsy Queen" is a free flowing song that remindes Szabo of his days watching the gypsies dance by the firelight. The result is a mystical song that was caught on tape by the genius of engineer Bob Thiele who while the band was warming up in order to get in tune and a rhythm decided to roll tape. The result is a spontaneous jam that was named later and now part of the lore surrounding Bob Thiele. In this song you can hear the influence this song and style had on Santana, especially on his classic earl works. Some songs are time warps that should have been left in the time machine."Bang Bang"(Sonny & Cher)is a pop song given the jazz makeover but falls short with the accented lyrics sounding like they belong in a smuggled low budget Eastern-bloc movie. Dionne Warwicks "Yearning" features more singing that is really not Szabo's best musical quality."Cheetah", inspired by the N.Y disco of that era is a free flowing song that recalls mods and mini-skirts. This disc gives testament to the lyrical expression and distinctive style that was Gabor Szabo. Recommended for jazz enthuisiasts and purists alike who like music from a different era on occassion.

Quirky, but I like it.......2006-10-10

I don't know what possessed me, but I bought this album without knowing a thing about Gabor Szabo. I'm glad I did, because I have it on all the time. I find it incredibly moving. I especially like "Witchcraft" which I had never heard without the vocal before, and it's charming. Szabo's vocal on "Bang Bang" is quirky and engaging. All in all, I find the album both adventurous and mellow, and I recommend it.

Formidable........2006-07-16

Gabor Szabo had a unique and distinctive sound, love it or hate it , he influenced many successive jazz guitarists among them George Benson and Lee Ritenour. George adopted the 'clangy' metallic sound on many of his very early records and in 1976 covered a tune originally done by Gabor. (i.e."Breezin" which was incidentally written by Bobby Womack. Thanks for the reminder "theta"!)
Gabors Eastern mystical side caused him to try and emulate the sitar and to combine that sound with gypsy angular scales.I think he succeeded very well and although today he may sound dated to me he sounds unique.
It's true that his choice of tunes was a little bubblegumish but then back in 1968 even Leonard Nimoy was making records and even Joe Pass did a tribute to The Rolling Stones!
"Gypsy Queen" sums up Gabors style. Carlos Santana regards 'Spellbinder' as one of the greatest guitar albums ever and almost worships Szabo.
Back in 1970 i purchased some Gabor Szabo albums but didn't understand this mans direction until many years afterwards.
It's a cause for stumbling among many listeners today. Unless we can be transported back to 1968 we will find it difficult to appreciate the music contained here.
If you find the tunes here on this CD a little too light and wish to really hear Gabor Szabo cut loose and blow your mind try purchasing Chico Hamiltons "Man From Both Worlds" CD ...OR Gabors "In Contrast" CD where he teams up with the legendary Bobby Womack himself.

Wonderfully eclectic sensibility; unique and deeply moving playing.......2006-04-10

Take a Latin rhythm section and add a Hungarian immigrant with formal musical training and a love of Jazz and Gypsies. Then place in a recording studio in 1966 with a producer with the courage and deep pockets to let the music happen largely unplanned. Now add a touch of genius and a sprinkling of bad taste and you have Spellbinder. I have to say that I can easily forgive the vocal because it is so charming. It really is disarmingly silly. And the overdubs are out of place. BUT Spellbinder and Gypsies Queen are well worth the price of admission, and most of the other tunes are very moving as well. This is one of the most enjoyable, spontaneous and heartfelt guitar albums of the 60s. No, Gabor Szabo is not Jimi Hendrix or Johnny Smith. Let's say he is to Hendrix or Smith as Scriabin is to Brahms. It is a wild and magical trip complete with an occasional Hungarian guttural. Relax. Close your eyes. Let it happen. Take the trip.

Average customer rating:

The Impulse Story Gato Barbieri Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Argentina | South & Central America | International | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Latin Pop | Latin Music | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Latin Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Chapter Four: Alive in New York The Impulse Story 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Gato Barbieri The Impulse Story Que Pasa ASIN: B000F8DT9G Release Date: 2006-06-06

Tracks:

1. Nunca Mas (Complete Version)
2. India
3. Encontros (Complete Version)
4. Latino America
5. Gato Gato
6. Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado (What A Difference A Day Makes)
7. Viva Emilliano Zapata
8. El Sublime
9. Milonga Triste
10. To Be Continued

Average customer rating: Killer 2-Disc Reissue!! It will make you wish for a quick and painless death ;-). Slab of Evolution WOW...too bad they didn't last Death Metal Has A New Name

Consuming Impulse/Testimony of the Ancients Pestilence Manufacturer: Roadrunner Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Thrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Effigy of the Forgotten/Pierced from Within Slowly We Rot/Cause of Death Slaughter in the Vatican/The Law Focus The End Complete/World Demise ASIN: B0000C0FIL Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

1. Dehydrated
2. Process of Suffocation
3. Suspended Animation
4. Trauma
5. Chronic Infection
6. Out of the Body
7. Echoes of Death
8. Deify Thy Master
9. Proliferous Souls
10. Reduced to Ashes

Tracks:

1. Secrecies of Horror
2. Bitterness
3. Twisted Truth
4. Darkening
5. Lost Souls
6. Blood
7. Land of Tears
8. Free Us from Temptation
9. Prophetic Revelations
10. Impure
11. Testimony
12. Souless
13. Presence of the Dead
14. Mind Wrap
15. Stigmatized
16. In Sorrow

Album Description

UK twofer combines the Dutch death metaller's 1989 albums, 'Consuming Impulse' & 'Testimony Of The Ancients', both are unavailable domestically. Roadrunner. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Killer 2-Disc Reissue!!.......2007-04-03

Consuming Impulse- A pinnacle in death and thrash, this 1989 release, however dated it may be, is one of the strongest efforts by any band in the genre. Every track is killer and will tear the heads from the unsuspected. My personal favorites are "The Process Of Suffocation", "The Trauma", "Chronic Infection", "Defy Thy Master", and "Reduced To Ashes".

Testimony Of The Ancients- A solid, albeit dissimilar in many ways, follow-up to 1989's Consuming Impulse. This album is very similar to Atheist's Unquestionable Presence. The instrumental intros to each song are somewhat unnecessary but those can easily be skipped. A very different album than most in the genre and a true case of Pestilence's constant ability to push the envelope and redefine what metal is and can sound. Not for everybody but those with the right kind of ears will be pleasantly surprised with what they hear. Out of print for too long, this along with its predecessor, was reissued in a two-disc set by Roadrunner in 2003.

It will make you wish for a quick and painless death ;-)........2007-01-24

I honestly didn't know what to review for this since the reviewer below already did a better job and couldn't have said it any better but I'll try my best. Both these albums from Pestilence as you may know are classics and are true death metal masterpieces, Pestilence's music is a combination of death and faster speed and thrash style riffs. It was released during the time period of the early 90's when more influential death metal bands started arriving, I'm glad that roadrunner dicided to release these two awesome cds from their vaults and its like getting two albums for the price of one so its a bargain. Inside the cover you'll find some liner notes telling you about the history of this prolific band from Holland (O.k. I wouldn't exactely say prolific since they only had a few albums released!).

The first album Consuming Impulse is my favorite of the two mainly because it sounds more raw and aggressive it's as if each track is trying to prove something and its unrelentless brutality creates an amazing wall of sound. The whole album is flawless and to me it seems difficult to choose a favorite track but I have to say that Suspended Animation was great and they incorporated a synthesizer during the middle to make it sound more wierd and evil as if it was a gothic horror film, it doesn't sound cheesy infact it helps the song sound better as the riff later uses the same sound as the synth to make an awesome headbanging track. Another highlight would be Chronic Infection and Out of the body which flow together very well and is very atmospheric. The singers vocals sound very twisted like a tortured soul and he sounds almost like John Tardy from Obituary so he sounds inhuman as he starts growling DEIFY THY MASTEEEERRRRRRR!!!!! yeah this is an album that has definitely stood out among the rest of the death metal groups and you will hear this immediately upon first listen that it was ahead of it's time so its very essential and heavy as hell.

Testimony Of The Ancients was slightly different as it has a more clear production, the band couldn't move into a more brutal level so they searched to gain in intensity rather than in brutality. They came up with the lyrical contents that include H.P. Lovecraft and a sci/fi concept which was very clever instead of the usual death and gore type lyrics that death metal is usualy known for. Each track cuts with an interlude this is usaualy a wierd sound effect, the songs have a classical and jazz influence to them but still sound as brutal as the first album, for me the highlight of the album was Prophetic Revelations with its slow and sludgier sounding riff in the beginning of the song which sounds like a grinding machine I loved it infact this whole album is pure brilliance with lots of wailing guitar solos, the other great songs are Stigmatized (which will make your neck snap from all that headbanging), Twisted truth, Lost souls, Land of tears and Testimony. What else can I say YOU NEED TO GET THESE TWO ALBUMS FROM PESTILENCE NOW! STOP READING THIS REVIEW!.

Slab of Evolution.......2006-02-03

Feeling nostalgic, I recently ordered this set, the jewel of Roadrunner Records' "Two from the Vault" series of two-for-one reissues, and now I can't seem to get it out of the CD player.
The package collects 1989's "Consuming Impulse" and 1991's "Testimony of the Ancients" by Pestilence, Holland's superb answer to the first wave of real death metal. The forerunners of the genre were spawning in Florida and England but "Impulse" was regarded as something of a landmark at the time, in large part due to the tortured vocals of Martin Van Drunen, who was also posing as the group's bass player at the time. By his own admission, Van Drunen had been hired as the lead vocalist, but as Pestilence had no bassist at the time, they handed him an instrument and told him to play. His inexperience resulted in guitarist Patrick Mameli playing all the bass lines on "Impulse" and its rawer predecessor, "Maleus Malefecarum." By the time of the release of "Consuming Impulse", Van Drunen had become a true vocal maniac, somewhere between Jeff Beccera of Possessed and John Tardy of Obituary, comparisons I certainly don't take lightly. He screams like his shorts are on fire throughout the album, giving distinctive character to the violent riffery of Mameli and newly recruited second guitarist Patrick Uterwijk.
The musical backdrop combines thrash-metal aggression with a burgeoning technicality that would come to full fruition on later releases. In a few spots on the CD, Mameli and Uterwijk step out of typical death metal confines by blending seperate rhythm guitar parts for a deeper web of sound, most notably on the fan favorite "Out of the Body." They also suggest their later prog tendencies with the quirkily timed opening riffs of "Echoes of Death." A personal favorite, lyrically and musically, is the eerie, keyboard-tinged "Suspended Animation", probably the most interesting sci-fi scenario on the disc. Van Drunen and murderous drummer Marco Foddis trade off writing lyrics for the album, touching on many standard themes of horror, religion, pollution, etc., and while neither was an ace with the English language yet, "Suspended Animation" could be the synopsis for a Twighlight Zone episode.
Van Drunen hits a vocal peak toward the end of the album with "Deify Thy Master", a shrieking fit that seemingly had him puking blood on the studio walls. Throughout the CD, producer Harris Johns is able to use what is obviously a low budget to its fullest, with every sound pounding from the speakers like it has something to prove.
Fast forward two years, and one lineup change has morphed Pestilence into an almost completely different band: Van Drunen, shockingly, has exited from the band, joining Asphyx, and with no way to properly replace him, Mameli steps into the role of guitarist/vocalist with admirable gusto. "Testimony of the Ancients" sees a stylistic shift beyond just the difference between the voices of Mameli and Van Drunen: the CD feels almost like a concept album, with 30-second interludes of samples, melodic guitars, and keyboards courtesy of Kent Smith (who provided similar creepy moments on Obituary's "Cause of Death" album)in between each song. The lyrics, now almost exclusively penned by Foddis, have improved substantially and tell tales of conjuring demons from pits of lost souls amidst revelations of Lovecraftian alternate universes and such. Mameli's diction is clear and concise; it's possible to understand most of what he says without consulting the lyric sheet. Overall, his sound is most easily compared to "Leprosy"/"Spiritual Healing"-era Chick Schuldiner.
The production is squeaky-clean Scott Burns all the way, with the drums settling back into the mix rather than pummeling your face off, and a nice, pleasant studio crunch in the guitars not heard on the earlier albums. The biggest step forward musically is the selection of the riffs themselves. Each riff on the disc is memorable and easy to follow, even in the most technical sections. Pestilence had truly learned how to write good songs by this point in their career. Foddis' English is tremendously improved, and his lyrics (as well as those of Mameli's sole lyrical contribution on the title track) are actually RHYTHMIC, falling in catchy, tribal cadences, particularly on "Twisted Truth". There is a stony, bendy hook riff on "Prophetic Revelations" which acts as a super satisfying intro and outro, melting through a moaning porn sample into Mameli's "Testimony", which is direct, simple, and absolutely superb. The band goes full-on prog metal for sections of the closer, "Stigmatized", which paves the way for Pestilence's final studio record, "The Sphere", a CD that pushed them to another level of technicality before the group disbanded at a creative impasse. Finally, a noteworthy contribution is made to the CD by then-Cynic bassist Tony Choy, who frankly isn't given much of a chance to spread his wings except on the bass solo "Soulless." Choy would miss out on the chance to play on Cynic's sole offering, "Focus", but would later become a full-time member of Atheist after guesting on this disc.
I can't say enough good things about this set. If you don't own it or plan to own it, you suck.

WOW...too bad they didn't last.......2005-02-07

These guys are unbelievable. I picked this up with the Gorguts "Considered Dead/The Erosion of Sanity" double cd and I must say, they are both worth the 18.99 price tag. Roadrunner is trying to resurrect what made them the label they were before 2000. With the "Two from the Vault" releases, they are releasing two cds for the price of one, mainly old school death metal that made them successful. The thing that gets me is they let some 20 bands go and signed all Nu-Metal when the movement was big. Now that it's dying, they realize no real extreme metal bands (Cradle of Filth doesn't count, if black metal or supposed black metal as they are got any more mainstream it would be sick) want to sign to their label because of the crappy treatment.

Anyway, the music is great, the production is top notch, and listening to Martin van Drunen pre-Asphyx is a blast. Get them.

Death Metal Has A New Name.......2004-11-07

Pestilence is not just any death metal or prog metal band. They're a mixture of both, and I am super lucky that Roadrunner records was able to combine the group's finest albums, "Consuming Impulse" and "Testimony Of The Ancients", together in one package. Both albums are great, especially "Consuming Impulse", which has headbanging classics like "Out Of The Body" and "Dehydrated". "Testimony Of The Ancients" is as good, since "Twisted Truth" and "The Secrecies Of Horror" are some of my favorites. This is a true classic, and if you don't have both albums already, buy this. No penny will be wasted.

Average customer rating: Coltrane's Sound Again All of her work is cosmic too much drums! She still has it Worth waiting for

Translinear Light Alice Coltrane Manufacturer: Impulse Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Impulse | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Journey in Satchidananda Ptah the El Daoud Universal Consciousness In Flux Karma ASIN: B0002SLWZM Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

1. Sita Ram
2. Walk With Me
3. Translinear Light
4. Jagadishwar
5. This Train
6. The Hymn
7. Blue Nile
8. Crescent
9. Leo
10. Triloka
11. Satya Sai Isha

Amazon.com

The Detroit-born Alice Coltrane was John Coltrane's last pianist. Now, nearly 40 years after his passing, she's released a studio recording that continues her husband's investigations of Eastern and Indian music. Drummers Jack DeJohnette and Jeff "Tain" Watts and bassists Charlie Haden and James Genus provide the Traneish tempos, while Coltrane's sons Ravi (tenor, soprano) and Oran (alto) offer coloration on horns. Mrs. Coltrane's complex piano forays are complemented by her otherworldly Wurlitzer organ and synthesizer effects. Along with new compositions like the title track, she delivers new versions of her own works, such as "Blue Nile" and "Sita Ram" (from Ptah the El Dahoud and Universal Consciousness respectively), as well as her husband's classic, "Crescent." Her reverent readings of the African-American spirituals "Walk With Me" and "This Train" prove how deftly she can combine the oldest music in the world with the newest. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Coltrane's Sound Again.......2006-10-02

There are a number of remarkable aspects of Alice Coltrane's first recording after a 26-year hiatus. First, how beautiful and vibrant she looks at sixty-seven, amazingly, better with maturity, than she ever appeared, to my eye at least, in her youth, in her thirties and forties! And of course the playing, which is, as would be expected, extraordinary. What I did not quite expect was how Trane's inimitable, multi-faceted sound reincarnates through the incredible playing of their two sons Ravi (tenor) and Oran (alto). I must admit, there was one section, reminiscent of the track Naima from a late sixties set released as "Live at the Village Vanguard Again", with Alice on piano, that brought tears to my eyes. The way the echoes from the past interplay with the present is really one of the finest elements in the recording. The preference here is for the moody and the contemplative Trane, rather than the free, often frenetic outside playing which characterized the Coltrane family's recordings of the late sixties and early seventies. One remembers that few played a ballad as beautifully as Trane, and that energy is reflected here, and seems more appropriate to these times. Archie Shepp once told me: "Never stop listening to Trane." Now, over a quarter century later, I find myself enthralled by the Coltrane sound once again. A family which always knew the difference between good and great. An instant classic!

All of her work is cosmic.......2006-04-12

It is so good to see one of such indepth awareness of sound and
space continue to keep alive not only the legacy of her husband but her very own legacy as well. Alice Coltrane is definitely a
force to be reckoned with. every album i have heard including this one is cosmic! i am so proud of this beautiful soul of a
woman and the music she creates is healing and enlightening.

too much drums!.......2005-03-11

Too much drums especially on the head medly Leo. But good music for making sandwiches.

She still has it.......2005-01-24

1.   Sita Ram 6:08
2.   Walk With Me 7:50
3. Translinear Light 9:50
4. Jagadishwar 5:47
5. This Train 6:06
6.  The Hymn 3:04
7. Blue Nile 8:05
8. Crescent 6:22
9. Leo 9:40
10. Triloka 5:08
11. Satya Sai Isha 5:40

Alice Coltrane, piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer
Ravi Coltrane, tenor & soprano sax (3, 4, 7, 8, 9)
Oran Coltrane, alto sax (6)
Charlie Haden, bass (3, 5, 8, 10)
James Genus, bass (2, 4, 7)
Jack DeJohnette, drums (1, 3, 5, 8, 9)
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums (2, 4, 7)

As you've probably heard, this is Alice's first album in 26 years. It has been called "comeback album of the year" by JazzTimes magazine, and is being hailed by many jazz critics as one of her best works. But how many comeback albums really come out each year? You can't measure a record by how long it's been since the artist last put out a release. However, that being said, Translinear Light is still a very good album. Alice plays some great renditions of old songs that her and her late husband used to play, including Crescent and Leo. She also plays a couple of songs from her classic early '70s albums. Most of the new material here is good, too. One of my favorite songs on the album is the title track, which starts as a ballad before moving on to an edgy, funky, latin-type thing. The old spirituals she performs ("Walk With Me" and "This Train") are wonderful. They fit right into the type of thing she does. But I didn't really care for the tracks on which she plays synthesizer, "Jagadiswar" and "The Hymn." I know that Alice has never been a new age artist, but "Jagadishwar" sure sounds like new age to me. I'm not saying that it's not good; I just didn't expect to hear it when I bought the album. But that's why they put a "skip" button on stereos. "The Hymn" is a duet with her son Oran on alto sax. Other than those two songs (which are short), Translinear Light is a good record. The last track, "Satya Sai Isha," is amazing. It is a chant led by the singers of Alice's monastery, accompanied only by Alice on Wurlitzer organ.

The thing that disappointed me the most about this record was the production. It was treated more like a smooth jazz album than an Alice Coltrane album. Everything sounds too glossed over and perfect. A lot of people will probably like that, but most of what I listen to is from the 60s and 70s, which was before the technology became so advanced to make a more "perfect" recording. To me it was sort of a shock because I barely ever listen to newer recordings. But to the individual listener, it's just a matter of what type of stuff one generally buys.

Overall, Translinear Light is a respectable album by one of the greatest and most unique musicians ever. Alice has a voice that is all her own. If you are a true fan of her work, you won't be disappointed by the music.

Worth waiting for.......2004-10-01

Those of us who are deeply grateful to Ms. Coltrane for the depth and sincerity of her music will listen to her newest work with great joy. I disagree with the other reviewer, whom I suspect would always prefer the more agitated aspect of her late husband's work over the serenity that Ms. Coltrane offers here. For shame dismissing the deeply felt and soulful melody of "The Hymn" as "new age" music! There are few living composers (or performers) who merit comparison with Ms. Coltrane, and this recording is no exception. She has a reason for playing "Leo" and "Blue Nile" on this record and if you will take the time to both think and feel, you will discover the meaning. It is very beautiful and it has nothing to do with anything so trite as measuring up to the past. If you know and love her work you will be very pleased to hear these meditative and beautiful compositions. As to Alice, her love is supreme.

Average customer rating: trully a classic The Cure For The Big C Can I Get A Witness? Amazing. Irritating Free Jazz Fans

Live In Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings Albert Ayler Manufacturer: Grp Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music GRP | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Love Cry Spiritual Unity Atlantis Unit Structures Interstellar Space ASIN: B00000DD1S Release Date: 1998-10-06

Tracks:

1. Holy Ghost
2. Truth Is Marching In
3. Our Prayer
4. Spirits Rejoice
5. Divine Peacemaker
6. Angels

Tracks:

1. For John Coltrane
2. Change Has Come
3. Light In Darkness
4. Heavenly Home
5. Spiritual Rebirth
6. Infinite Spirit
7. Omega Is The Alpha
8. Universal Thoughts

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

These stirring Albert Ayler performances were only sporadically available on LP two decades ago, making them highly sought-after items indeed. This two-CD set presents Ayler's Village Vanguard sets in all their rattling fervor (with remastering improvements), making 1998 a year when crucial pieces of this avant-garde jazzist's puzzle fell brilliantly into place. If anyone is recording music as fearless and commanding as this in jazz today, they deserve the spotlight. --Andrew Bartlett

Amazon.com

There really was no one like Albert Ayler in jazz during the 1960s. Sure, John Coltrane could play monumentally complex sax, only to jettison the learned architecture for a complete reversal of virtuosity in his last works. And Pharoah Sanders could haunt and beguile with mournful cries and yawps. But Ayler was altogether different: he took the scarcest of melodies--folk and church tunes, really--and elevated them to spiritual zeniths. These live cuts were once super hard to find, on a scattering of LPs released in the 1970s. Collected as a whole on two CDs, they are a thing of pristine, if boundary-testing, beauty. Ayler takes barely any time at all before wailing into his stratospheric cries on tenor sax, and his brother Donald follows suit on trumpet with nearly the same quick leaps. The extended band includes, at its largest, the Ayler brothers with a full string quartet (Michael Sampson, violin; Joel Freedman, cello; Bill Folwell and Alan Silva, basses) and drummer Beaver Harris. They play numerous, almost easily-recognizable melodies from their oeuvre, including "Truth Is Marching In," "Spirits Rejoice," and "Omega Is the Alpha." They also offer "For John Coltrane," recorded in early 1967 after Trane's untimely demise. Spectacular would be a simple way to describe Ayler's ensemble and his compositions. But it wouldn't be out of proportion to the music. There's a reason, after all, that new jazz scion Anthony Braxton refers to avant-garde jazz of the late-1960s and after as the "post-Ayler continuum." Ayler pushed and pushed. And succeeded. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

trully a classic.......2006-12-29

This along with spiritual unity and vibrations are some of the best recordings in the history of jazz. Live in Greenwich is the best example of this phase his development and has the perfect ballance between orchestrated themes and ferocious avant jazz interplay. This is trully a masterpiece of american music.

The Cure For The Big C.......2006-03-18

I know nothing about this guy(that's why why i love listmania-the discoverys),but in listening to these clips,me thinks many of the reviews here describing this as a revoloution & the second coming are missig the fun of whats going on here.this is some of the funniest flatulent sounds i've heard in along time,i'm laughing almost to wetting my self.Innovation for the sake of innovation-Blow Me.Humor is a rare gift in any field.i could see firing this up to cure my self of The big C.

Can I Get A Witness?.......2006-03-14

Astonishing 2-CD set, excellent value, good packaging (except for ugly cover) and outstanding booklet with notes from Nat Hentoff and Robert Palmer. Impulse! usually equals quality and this offering is no exception. Combining the live dates was a particularly good, and customer-friendly, idea.

It's been said of Coltrane that he didn't so much play the music as "play through it" in order to reach a higher spiritual goal. One can also hear this in the playing of Eric Dolphy who, though quite technical at times, appeared to be constantly exploring, looking for that pure place. Pharaoh Sanders reveals the same struggle. But in the playing of Albert Ayler one finds the apotheosis of this approach.

Listening to Ayler is akin to witnessing old-testament revelation, he plays with the inspired intoxication and sanctified fury of a man who has not only been to the mountaintop and seen the Promised Land but already has one foot in it. You will never hear this music in an elevator for the simple reason that it would cause businessmen to rip off their ties, weep like infants, get on their knees and pray, and confess their countless sins of mediocrity and cowardice.

While Ayler certainly deserves center stage for his euphoric and completely original contribution to jazz, the other players fan the flames expertly. Brother Don, on trumpet, shares the vision and is no slouch. Both drummers featured, Beaver Harris and Sunny Murray, understand that Ayler generates such intense rhythm that timekeeping is not an issue; they are free to maneuver around the beat expressively.

Most intriguing of all is the use of strings. Ayler went with two bass players on both sets, also using a cellist and violin player on some tracks. This adds an unearthly and highly unexpected texture to the playing that works marvelously well. The stunning Michel Samson violin solo on Truth Is Marching In demonstrates that Ayler has surrounded himself with fellow musicians who completely understand his style and ambition. The result is a kind of rapture, this is what it sounds like when a soul catches a glimpse of heaven and starts its voyage home. Truly righteous music.

Amazing........2005-08-06

"Live in Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse! Recordings" brings together two Albert Ayler LPs, "Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village" and the posthumous "The Village Concerts", together with a track released on a compilation and one unreleased piece, all recorded in Greenwich Village in Manhattan between 1965 and 1967. Ayler by this point had totally codefied his music, and was still outside of any commercial influence, and the performances are nothing short of astounding.

These recordings find Ayler surrounded by sympathetic musicians, including his brother Don on trumpet, who totally believe in what he's doing-- the music is largely familiar sounding march themes played in harmony and unison by the two horns, supported more often than not by strings, with drumming abandoning timekeeping and instead coloring the music further. Improvisation is fierce, with both Ayler's reachign far beyond themselves-- their playing is clearly inspired. Honestly, just about everything on here is nothing short of astonishing in its beauty and power. Of particular note is "Truth is Marching In" from the first disc-- swelling as Don states the theme and Ayler plays counter and harmony to him while Michel Samson lays full counterpoint on violin and the rhythm section explodes. Also quite interesting is the piano and tenor duet "Angels" and "For John coltrane", again the only piece featuring Ayler on alto accompanied only by four strings.

The sound on these recordings is fantastic-- crisp, clear, and could have been recorded last year. The liner notes include essays by Nat Hentoff and Robert Palmer written for the original LPs most of this material was released on.

If you're new to Ayler, this may be a good place to start, certainly the performance is brilliant throughout. If you're not new to Ayler, you should probably have a copy of this, the material contained here is essential.

Irritating Free Jazz Fans.......2005-08-03

Sorry, Billy Willy, Camper Man is right. No one is responsible for your interpretations but yourself, so perceiving an intelligent, informative review to be a condescending swipe at something you enjoy is no one's fault but your own and probably betrays some insecurities you would rather not confront.

In any case, if you can't see that the majority of the free jazzers of the 60s and onwards are hopeless wankers, then there's really not much that anyone else can do for you. You have to realize that your perceptions are skewed for yourself.

And they are skewed. Attempting to dismiss music as captivating and timeless as 20th century classical is as ridiculous, if not more, than anything that Camper-man said in his review. It's downright comical to assert that someone could gain an understanding of atonal classical music and then be bewildered by a 60s Coltrane album. Give me a break.

Average customer rating: Great item, but attention! Stunning, and indispensible Essential Great for collectors This one is a no-brainer

COLTRANE The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings John Coltrane Manufacturer: Grp Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music GRP | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of John Coltrane (Incl: 7 CD's; 72 Pg. Hd.C. Book) The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings The Complete Blue Note Recordings The Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68: The Complete Columbia Studio The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane ASIN: B00000DHZ9 Release Date: 1998-11-17

Tracks:

1. Greensleeves
2. It's Easy To Remember
3. The Inchworm
4. Big Nick
5. Out Of This World
6. Soul Eyes
7. Miles' Mode
8. Tunji
9. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
10. What's New?
11. Up 'Gainst The Wall
12. Too Young To Go Steady
13. All Or Nothing At All
14. I Wish I Knew

Tracks:

1. You Don't Know What Love Is
2. Say It (Over And Over Again)
3. Vilia
4. After The Rain
5. Dear Old Stockholm
6. Your Lady
7. Alabama
8. Lonnie's Lament
9. The Drum Thing
10. Wise One

Tracks:

1. Crescent
2. Bessie's Blues
3. A Love Supreme, Part I - Acknowledgement
4. A Love Supreme, Part II - Resolution
5. A Love Supreme, Part III - Pursuance
6. A Love Supreme, Part IV - Psalm
7. Nature Boy (First Version)
8. Nature Boy
9. Feelin' Good
10. Chim Chim Cheree

Tracks:

1. Brasilia
2. Song Of Praise
3. After The Crescent
4. Dear Lord
5. One Down, One Up
6. Welcome
7. The Last Blues

Tracks:

1. Untitled Original 90314
2. Transition
3. Suite: Part I - Prayer And Meditation: Day/Part II - Peace And After...
4. Living Space
5. Dusk Dawn

Tracks:

1. Vigil
2. Untitled Original 90320
3. Dearly Beloved
4. Attaining
5. Sun Ship
6. Ascent
7. Amen

Tracks:

1. Meditations (Quartet Version): Love
2. Meditations (Quartet Version): Compassion
3. Meditations (Quartet Version): Joy
4. Meditations (Quartet Version): Consequences
5. Meditations (Quartet Version): Serenity
6. Meditations (Quartet Version): Joy (Second Version)

Tracks:

1. Works In Progress: Crescent (First Version)
2. Works In Progress: Bessie's Blues (First Version, Incomplete)
3. Works In Progress: Song Of Praise (First Version)
4. Works In Progress: A Love Supreme, Part II-Resolution (Alternate Take)
5. Works In Progress: Feelin' Good (Alternate Take)
6. Works In Progress: Dear Lord (Breakdowns & Alternate Take)
7. Works In Progress: Living Space (Breakdown & Alternate Take)

Amazon.com essential recording

There have been many Coltrane compilations and box sets over the years since the saxophonist's passing in 1967, but this eight-CD complete collection of his quartet's studio recordings between 1961 and 1965 is the must-have. Jazz may be a music blessed with dazzling soloists, but few groups in its history seem up to perfectly matching the intentions of their leaders: Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, Bill Evans's trio of 1960-61, and Miles Davis's mid-60's quintet are among the few that immediately come to mind. Coltrane's quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Jimmy Garrison was another, a group so perfectly matched to his playing that it seems difficult to imagine him without them. Tyner, for example, immerses the group in restless chords and showers of single notes; Jones plays with stentorian power, yet tempers his playing with well-etched detail and a strong sense of melody; and Garrison anchors the quartet with drones and deeply rooted vamps. So powerful was the quartet's conception that even when ringers like Art Davis and Roy Haynes turn up on a couple of tracks, they, too, carry out Coltrane's aims, their individual differences worked into the scheme. On the 66 tracks included in this set (all now remastered) it's possible to follow the evolution of this extraordinary band from Coltrane's very ascetic approach on relatively straightforward albums such as Ballads and The John Coltrane Quartet Plays through devotional efforts like A Love Supreme and First Meditations on to Living Space and Sun Ship, those last moments before his leap of faith into the unknown in his last few years.

This quartet's music is marked with a seriousness of purpose that burst the boundaries of jazz, and with a display of authority rare for any music. Yet despite its exploratory passion, it was a music grounded in the blues and the distant memory of swing. Coltrane, always the seeker, had found his kindred spirits and poured himself and all he knew into these performances; and even those who never shared an enthusiasm for his music at least always recognized this much.

The final disc of the set contains seven unreleased tracks, including significantly different versions of "Bessie's Blues" and "Resolution" from A Love Supreme, and others discovered by Ravi Coltrane on his father's original reference records. (For those interested in the culture of the studio, it is fascinating to see that despite its apparent simplicity and the inevitability of its melody, a gem like "Dear Lord" began with the plague of several false starts.) Music spread across 18 albums has been collated and reassembled chronologically here, much of it not always easy to find: examples are the scattered gems "Vilia," "Dear Old Stockholm," and "Big Nick," as well as a version of "Greensleeves," originally issued as an Impulse 45 single. An essential set for understanding jazz at its highest level of achievement. --John Szwed

Customer Reviews:

Great item, but attention!.......2007-04-11

Music on this box set is perfect. I like it, mainly last five cd's. Coltrane's free and soulful jazz is superb. I love his music and his last free jazz" years especially.
I obtain this box set manufactury sealed with seal. But when I had opened this box set some cd's was lightly scratched. Maybe it is for terrible packaging of this set. Problem is to extract cd's from case.
But I already have experience with new factory sealed boxes (from different stores) which included lightly scratches cd's. Especially on Sony/BMG and Atlantic labels (for example Miles Davis box sets or Ornette Coleman set on Atlantic/Rhino). Give attention and verify what you are buying.

Stunning, and indispensible.......2007-01-10

Listening to Coltrane and his colleagues evolve from "Greensleeves" in December '61 to the First Meditations sessions in September '65, is to take part in one of the greatest human journeys ever recorded. The music is almost beyond description: dissonant, beautiful, violent, gentle, sad, exuberant -- a passionate and accurate reflection of the human condition.

A warning to the uninitiated: This is NOT "My Favorite Things," or "The Gentle Side." Coltrane is an acquired taste; he pushes the envelope hard and far.

So, should you buy this set? If you already have most or all of these recordings (see other reviews for the list), you probably won't want to spring for it. If you don't have them, however, it's a no-brainer: you'd have to buy (I think) 12 Coltrane albums, and a couple multi-artist compilations (if you can find them), to get all this material.

Want to hear the original albums? Much (but not all) of the information is provided in the suprisingly useful booklet (most reissue notes are mere blather; not so these), so you can rip the music to your player, and create a playlist that gives you the albums as they were issued. True, you're missing the original artwork and liner notes -- you'll have to buy the albums for that.

The package is OK, except for the annoying aluminum sleeve. Why couldn't they put the set in a simple cardboard slipcase?

The bottom line -- this is absolutely the best jazz box I own. It definitely goes to the desert island, perhaps even if nothing else does. John, McCoy, Jimmy, and Elvin: Thank you, and God bless you!

Essential.......2006-09-03

I won't use this space to review the incredible music of the John Coltrane Quartet. Completely unnecessary!

Some reviewers and commentators dislike the presentation of the pieces in the order of their recording rather than organized by albums. I think this is a minor quibble, especially considering that the transition from the LP-era to the CD-era has already "mixed things up" considerably. For example, the modern CD issue of the album "Transition" drops "Dear Lord" and adds two pieces from "Kulu Se Mama." "Dear Lord" shows up on "Dear Old Stockholm," which was not a '60s Coltrane album. "Living Space"-- a current CD-- did not exist then. Some Coltrane pieces ("Vilia" and "Dear Old Stockholm") were released on contemporary albums featuring numerous artists ("The Definitive Jazz Scene, Vols 1, 2 and 3"). The posthumous albums "The Mastery of John Coltrane, Volumes 1 and 2" do not at all appear on CD-- the pieces were diverted to other CDs. So, putting his works in recording order makes sense to me.

A few albums, such as "Sun Ship," the quartet version of "Meditations" and "A Love Supreme," do appear on this collection with all tracks together.

If you have an iPod and a Mac, you can "recreate" the original albums, in proper track order.

The boxed set is limited to studio recordings performed by the classic quartet (with a few minor allowances at drums and bass), thus two pieces from "Impressions" are missing-- you can find them on the Complete 1961 Village Vanguard set--and only two pieces from "Live at Birdland" are included, for example "Alabama." I wish they had made another exception and included the title track to the album "Kulu Se Mama," thus bringing that album completely into this set.

I do agree that it is a shame that the album covers and original liner notes are missing. And I am glad that I have the "A Love Supreme" CD separately.

Great for collectors.......2006-03-04

Being a jazz saxophonist and have always been influenced by Coltrane, this box set was worth checking out. Every tune is a gem! Everything from his ballads to Sun Ship and Expression are on here.

If you don't own it already, I would also recommend Coltrane buyers to check out Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings if you're looking for high amounts of Coltrane material.

This one is a no-brainer.......2005-11-16

The question is really, is this worth the money? Yes, it is. In fact, if you are just delving into coltrane for the first time. Don't buy an album, with Trane more than anyone else, there is no definitive album. So save up a little money, and start here. You may SAVE alot of money by starting with this.

International Music:

1. Inner Voices : Life in the Music
2. Irish and Scottish Favourites [Import]
3. Italy
4. IV
5. jahlovemi
6. Latin Party!
7. Le Meilleur-Best of [Import]
8. Le Meilleur de Françoise Hardy [Import]
9. Les Grandes Compositeurs, Vol. 3
10. Live 97-99 Mood [Import] [Live]

International Music

International Music