starrynight

People always say that A Kind of Blue leads people to listen to other jazz, but I wonder how true that actually is? How many people have it as their only or one of their few jazz albums, and maybe like it a bit but not hugely but will reassure themselves that it's a classic because of passed down 'wisdom' through the years.

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non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

Howard the Duck

my first Miles is actually Birth of The Cool intrigued to get his other stuff - i only got Kind of Blue 2 years ago, even though there was massive hype about it and i found the hype unjustified

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Guybrush

I think Kind of Blue possesses a subtle beauty that I find hard to describe. The flowing, subtly shifting keys and melodies, the laidback delight of listening to it. Put it on, lean back, close your eyes and relax and it's just bliss. Every musician in that perfect line-up does a great job. I think it's a very nice change of pace compared to his hard boppers from earlier in the 50s.

Of course, if you don't like it, you don't and that's hard to argue with.

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Something Completely Different

Howard the Duck

it's too much "easy listening" for me

i'm not surprised if it was primarily responsible for making jazz an accessible commodity and stuff like "soft jazz"

i mean i play modal jazz but i put in some caustic atonal notes here and there

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Guybrush

Are you suggesting that this is what Miles should've done on Kind of Blue?

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Something Completely Different

Howard the Duck

yes, some sort of challenge to the ears would be nice

which is why i like the "unlistenable" stuff he put out in the early 70s

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

Guybrush

I have a problem getting into the list mentality. Some if not most people are so eager to figure out which one out of a bunch is better and rank them according to usually very vague criteria. I like Miles Davis fusion experimentations on albums like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew or A Tribute to Jack Johnson. But I also greatly appreciate Kind of Blue. Instead of focusing on which is better and instead of complaining about Kind of Blue not being edgy enough, why not just try and embrace all of it?

Some days I might be in the mood for Bitches Brew. Other days, I might prefer Kind of Blue. I don't feel a need to rank them and I appreciate that he made different sounding records.

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Something Completely Different

Howard the Duck

i go through phases

first it was the "cool jazz" period

then his last few "hip-hop/electronica"

then his jazz-rock fusion

then his avant-garde

then his 3rd Quintet near-fusion

now i'm into his wah-wah'ed trumpet, raucous noise live period

never really liked his "modal jazz" period - i think Monk did a better job with "Brilliant Corners" for that kinda thing, even if it's not really "modal" in theory

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Malaise is THE dominant human predilection.

s_k

Which is very practical if you want to introduce people to Jazz.
I like "Kind of blue" but I see your point.
I've always preferred Kenny Dorham's Quiet Kenny for that reason.
It's still a pleasure to listen to, not too hard on the ears, but it's a bit more challenging than Kind of Blue .

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Have some music recommendations!

Urban Hat€monger ?

I guess I should include mine in this thread being the threadstarter and all...

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
My friends Dad was a massive Beatles fan and would listen to this in his van when he would take us places all the time. He died when I was in my early 20s so I guess the last time I heard this would have been in my mid - late teens in the early 90s.

2. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Like 2 songs off this, bought this for next to nothing around 10 years ago so I guess that was the last time I ever played the whole thing.

3. Revolver - The Beatles
The only Beatles album I'll play by choice. I think the last time I heard it was when I included it in the Urban 100, so around 6 years ago.

4. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
Bought it around 5 or 6 years ago, found it a bit boring, never played it again.

5. Rubber Soul - The Beatles
See Sgt Pepper

6. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
I seem to remember about 3 or 4 years ago where we did this Mods review albums suggested by other Mods. R-T suggested this album so I listened to it then.

7. Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling - The Clash
I have a thing about listening to double albums at work (Yesterday it was Tago Mago) and I listen to these two albums quite often, I would easily have listened to them sometime in the last 3 months.

9. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
According to Last FM I last played this album on 1st December 2006, which was a couple of days after I saw Primal Scream in London, I seem to remember buying this in Gatwick airport on the way home to make up the numbers in a buy 3 for the price of 2 thing they had going.

10. The Beatles ("The White Album") - The Beatles
Had this bought for me for my birthday, also for that birthday I received Radiohead's Amnesiac album when it had just came out so that should date it for you. Never played it the whole way through.

11. The Sun Sessions - Elvis Presley
Never heard it, wouldn't mind though.

12. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Downloaded a torrent of Miles Davis stuff around 5 years ago. Think I played this once around that time. Not really a jazz person but I prefer On The Corner & Bitches Brew.

13. Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground
If I ever listen to The Velvet Underground it's without Nico, not heard the whole thing but the bits I have heard put me off.

14. Abbey Road - The Beatles
See Sgt Pepper

15. Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Whenever I listen to Hendrix I usually put on Electric Ladyland, Axis Bold as Love, The BBC Sessions or a live album, I hardly listen to this album for some reason. The last time I would have heard this was when I was uploading it onto my hard drive when I first bought my computer (23rd Jun 2007 ... thanks again Last FM)

16. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
Bought it the same time as Blonde On Blonde (last listened 23 December 2006 - Last FM)

17. Nevermind - Nirvana
Mid 90s at least. didn't even listen to it when I included it in the Urban 100

18. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
Never

19. Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
Never, Will probably end up checking it out in the future.

20. Thriller - Michael Jackson
One of my best friends at school was a massive Jacko fan, in fact his whole fucking family were. When you went to their house as you walked through the front door you were greeted by a massive mirror with Jacko in his Billie Jean gear in such a pose that it looked like he had been impaled up the arse with a wooden stake and whenever I went around there he'd always listen to the Thriller album so much so I never felt the need to ever listen to it again. I'm guessing this would have been around 1988/89.

21. The Great Twenty-Eight - Chuck Berry
Never even heard of this album until today.

22. Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA

Yeah **** off.

23. Innervisions - Stevie Wonder
I love love love love love this album.
In fact I listened to it at work yesterday

24. Live at the Apollo - James Brown
Owned 2 & 3 for years, only got around to getting the original very recently. Not had chance to hear it yet.

25. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
Used to work with a woman who would play their greatest hits over and over and over and over and over again.
She never married.
I wonder why.

Oh Rumours?
Never heard it, never want to either.

26. The Joshua Tree - U2
Another friend at school, this one totally obsessed by U2, played this to death at his house when it came out and for the next subsequent 3 years. so last time I heard it would have been around 1990. Saw the same guy for the first time in 20 years at a rock festival in the summer. He was almost in tears at how awful they were at Glastonbury and how much of a parody of themselves they had become.

27. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 1 - Robert Johnson
Listened to the Complete Recordings around 5 or 6 years ago.

28. Who's Next - The Who
Never really liked this album much but it has a couple of decent songs on it. Like Are You Experienced I last heard it when I put it on my new computer in the summer of 2007.

29. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
If I want to listen to Led Zeppelin I'll put on LZIII or Presence. Hardly touch this one. I'm guessing sometime in the mid 90s was when I last heard this.

30. Blue - Joni Mitchell
The only time I'll ever listen to this is if some hot chick happens to have it on at the time I'm about to plough her.

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