The Complete On The Corner Sessions

While this admittedly would be superior were it to include the liner notes or the booklet entirely, it is a ridiculous, stupid-easy choice to make to buy this right here and now! At this price, iTunes should be going out of business. If, and that's a BIG IF, you can find this on CD or vinyl, the going rate I found was well in excess of $150 easy. This is a fantastic rip of the music into the digital format, so if you're ultimately in it for the music, there's simply no better way to buy this album. Sure, one might say that the warmth of a good needle gliding over silky 180g vinyl on a 4" slab of free-floating lucite turned by either direct-drive or belt (choose your favorite) put through a beautifully made tube amp and run, finally, through some custom Focal or B&W drivers with a self-contained sub on the side just can't be matched by the digital stuff, even with a similarly high-fidelity system connected to your iPod. However, I would probably disagree on this point when it comes to certain recordings, like this one. I've heard Kind of Blue & Duke Ellington's Jazz Party on vinyl and on an iPod, all played through the same amp & driver setup, and I honestly had a hard time distinguishing between the vinyl & the digital. In many cases, the vinylophile would be absolutely correct, but in cases like the ones mentioned, as well as with this album, the attention to fidelity in the original masters made them absolutely perfect for the digital media, just another way in which the visionary artists of the mid-to-late 20th Century were way ahead of the game. If you really want the physical album, on either CD or vinyl, then you should do what you must to own it. However, if it's the music you're after, the. Save time, money, and headache and buy the music here. It's brilliant, so why wait!

You haven't heard anything like this before and you never will again. The shapes, sounds, and colors presented throughout this composition is absolutley amazing. I got Big Fun on vinyl and this album contains a few of the songs on there but Big Fun is just a precursor to this joint here. The only thing is, I want a digital booklet or some type of liner notes before I pay 45.00 for it.

I agree with the iTunes company review about the album being focused on rhythm and sound, however I disagree that the album is something that is far ahead of his previous work and a totally new direction for Miles. What is expresssed and heard on this album is a unique framework of focused, intense rhythm and fiery melodic textures. This is not something new for Miles, but simply a logical progression in his artistic vision. If Miles with this album moved away from form too much, he would have gotten what Ornette Coleman has already done. If he focused on form too much, he would have gotten what he himself had already done. The music had no other place to go but where he took it. While imaginative and ahead of its time, this album was not a departure or new direction for Miles Davis; he only goes in one direction: forward. This is the essence of Miles Davis' music. We listeners are simply privileged to be able to witness the points along the way. Love him or hate him, there is no denying he was a true artist who was true to himself.

If you have "Get Up With It", "On The Corner", and "Big Fun" you already have a lot of the material in this collection, however there are some real surprises with never heard before cutting edge funk. This music was light years ahead of its time. One of my favorites is the unedited "One and One" which is totally different from the version on "On The Corner" – which is an extension of “Black Satin.” The smokin’ hot “One and One(Unedited Master)” comes off like a knife fight – dark, in the danger zone funk that settles into a groove reminiscent of Spanish Key but much edgier. “Turnaround” and “U-turnaround” are where Agharta “Prelude” came from. “Mtume (Take 11)” is better than the original, and features a nice sax solo. Other nice surprises include “The Hen”, “On The Corner (Take 4)”, “Hip-Skip”, and others. There really is a lot of great material here if you’re an electric Miles fan. I bought the box set, and the liner notes aren’t nearly as good as other collections. It’s worthwhile saving some money and buying this on iTunes.

buy the record! but dont do no irresponsible thing like give this masterpiece a one star rating! sheesh

Listen to Rated X it's haunting and funky at the same time.

Being a huge Miles Davis,especially his 70's music,I am excited about this boxset.I've heard most of this music in live form from certain albums but wanted to hear the studio versions.I can only imagine what other music Sony/Columbia still has that is unreleased.

The music is indeed transcendent, but I'd have to concur that one of the wonderful things about these Columbia Miles Box Sets and the detailed revelatory liner notes. Jazz releses less dependent on their liner notes such as the new Herbie or the last Wynton have had their liner notes included as pdfs on itunes, so I'm not sure why they have not been included on this one. Bob Belden's essays are notoriously good and typically comnplementary to the package. Consequently, this is one I'm going to have to go to a bricks and mortar CD store to purchase.

So this set makes you wonder what was running through Teo Macero's and MD's mind when they released On The Corner back in 1972 because the unreleased material from the OTC sessions is considerably more interesting than the album itself. One and One (Unedited), Chieftain, the Turnarounds and the Hen are all much more substantial and interesting that the album's original tracks. Truly some of the weirdest drugged-out jazz you'll ever hear. Intense. The rest of the unreleased material on the set isn't *quite* as strong--the sound moves away from percussive funk and the guitar moves to the front, creating a more rock-ish sound--but the material DOES reveal where so many of the "unknown" concert melodies from Pangaea/Agharta/Dark Magus/countless European bootlegs come from. And, still, the music is pretty great. Peace, Mr. Foster, and Hip Skip all sound like the were performed in one take, no overdubs, and provide an insight into the way the band developed its concert sound. Sound quality is great! My greatest criticism is--other than a few horn solos which were clearly enhanced in the final version--there doesn't seem to be anything substantially different between the "unedited masters" of One the Corner and Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X and the official album versions. Even their running times are very close. Seems like other unreleased material could've been added instead.

This is six discs worth of revolutionary Miles Davis electric period music at a fantastic price. I happen to prefer the unedited versions of all of his electic period stuff. The "In A Silent Way" and "Jack Johnson" box sets allowed us to hear the jams before the (admittedly primitive) 1970s edits which were applied for the final mixes. I considered dishing out about 2 1/2 times the money itunes is charging to get the deluxe metal spined set from Sony/Columbia, but why? You can get the information about these sessions on line, and what matters is the MUSIC. Sound quality from the downloads is great. Don't miss this!