This 6 CD set comprises the entire Miles Davis On the Corner and Get Up With It Albums. The set also brings one track "Ife" from Big Fun.
When you combine "Calypso Frelimo", and "He Loved Him Madly" from Get Up With It, and "Ife", you're talking 90 minutes of music immersion.
If you're not into droning funk and experimental sounds, you might not understand this music.
I am of course into it, and find it to be 90 minutes well spent. The main reason to get this set is for the 3 hours of rare unreleased music. These are mainly out-takes from the On The Corner and Get Up With It sessions.
Much of this studio music went unreleased at the time, but was played out to great effect on Dark Magus, and the Japan 1975 concerts Agharta and Pangaea. "Chieftain", "Turnaround," "U-Turnaround", "Hip-skip", "What They Do", and "Minnie" are worth the price of the box in my opinion.
The Turnaround tracks are confusingly named, as "U-Turnaround" is also known as "Turnaround Phrase" I think? Oh Well, it's got a killer funk groove.
Whatever you call the Turnaround tracks, they can be heard live on Agharta around the 22:00 minute mark on "Prelude".
Bill Laswell used it to shape "Agharta Prelude Dub" on the Miles remix album Panthalassa that Laswell did back in the late 90's.
I marvel at how experimental and ahead of its time this music is. A boat load of electronic ambient musicians were influenced by "He Loved Him Madly", and "Rated X". The ladder sounds like some club-dance techno thing, we're talking 1972!
Guitarist Pete Cosey is probably the biggest unsung hero on all of Miles' 72-75 music. The "Cosey Band" as it's affectionately known, was one of Miles greatest bands, that's not hyperbole either. The late Cosey with his secretive alternate tunings, was one of the most original sounding guitarists of all-time.
Cosey shines bright on the 30 plus minute "Calypso Frelimo", I love the Get Up With It tracks: "Billy Preston", "Honky Tonk", and "Mtume" are all great contemporary feeling tracks that were ahead of their time.
"Red China Blues" is irresistible, a commercial rock and blues number, that sounds great in the car turned up loud. "Honky Tonk" also puts you in the same frame of mind.
I have owned this unreleased music for 10 years, and the other music for nearly 20, I am still gleaning something new from it. I think in all my years of music listening, Miles' electric period like none other, never gets old.
I don't know why or how it seems different every time I listen to it, it just does. The Complete on the Corner Sessions may be the best of all the metal box series Miles Davis sets. It's definitely the one I like the best
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