Mean Street needs no introduction as a ripping opener, but the remainder here feels ultimately inconsequential despite the attitude remaining as growling as their prior efforts

Has a lot of the spirit and vigor that makes Van Halen I so legendary, just a lot less substance. The first two tracks could easily be slotted on in the former with little issue, but the rest of the tracklist is pretty uneven. Still, if you like when guitar goes +wheeeeeeew*, you’ll like this

Setting the stage in many ways for the Glam Metal wave (or, rather, plague) that would creep along rock going into the 80s, Van Halen stands several leagues above nearly all the Glam Metal phonies that would follow. This is Glam Metal in its hardest, most pure form- the vocals, the energy, and good God almighty, the *GUITAR*- all make for the Heisenberg-level Glam Metal record, the one all to follow would try (and fail) to live up to

A worthy contender for most elaborate Miles Davis work. That *opener*- countless artists would give just about anything to make a track as sprawlingly epic and multi-faceted as Great Expectations. Although these are technically all just leftovers, there's absolutely no way you'd know that while listening- all four of these pieces sound just as mulled over and carefully constructed as any of his 'main' material

On the Corner manages to rival Bitches Brew as being Davis' most unkempt, wild, and outright whirring releases- all unfettering compliments in the scheme of his discography. The Jazz elements are all wonderful here, obviously- but the Funk, Psychedelic, and even other influences like Raga + Soul make this among the man's most colorfully creative works. Though it borders on an hour, it feels *much* brisker, all thanks to the vibrant instrumentation and never-teasingly creative ... read more

Feels a bit more ‘fusiony’ than Miles in the Sky, though still a far cry from the two full-fusion masterworks to follow from here. Still, it’s the better half of the brief transition from acoustic Davis to fusion Davis. Plus, the title track is absolutely an essential

Though this is considered Davis’ first foray into Jazz-Fusion, but you’d be forgiven for not really picking up on it because, well- it hardly sounds like it. There’s the occasional electric piano, and the longer song lengths here would become a sort of standard for his works moving forward, but in terms of sonic direction? This is definitely not In A Silent Way, that’s for sure. If you’re a fan of Davis or particularly frenetic jazz, you’ll like at least a ... read more

Davis’ final acoustic offering is a colossal one. Not neccesarily in length, but in firepower- every composition here, even the weaker ones like Madness, act as a sort of ‘Tour de France’ of Davis’ career to this point and what’s made him such a powerhouse in the world of Bop + Modal/Cool/What-have-you Jazz

Doesn't have as many stand-outs as ESP or Miles Smiles, but still another great late-60s showing from Davis. Masqualero is the star of the show here if you ask me

You'd be smiling too if you were Miles Davis- I know I would. Up there with Sketches of Spain and A Silent Way as his strongest 60s works- Footprints in particular sounds like a spiral oscillating between an upwards and downwards trajectory, and it's a thing of *beauty*

After a few offerings of diminishing return, E.S.P. sees Davis working to a high caliber once again. The opener is one of his best 60s cuts and among the best openers of his career, with the following Eighty-One and the Herbie Hancock assisted Little One striking a similar level of quality as well. Though the remaining tracks are comparatively on the weaker side, it still stands to reason that E.S.P. is a sort of unsung hero in Davis’ discography for setting his sound back on the right ... read more

It's pretty immediately clear why Davis wanted to keep this one tucked away in the vault, as this is the only Davis record (at least at this point in his career) where the performances just feel... off. The horns feel overbearing, *far* too overbearing for how delicate and smooth the arrangements are designed to be. You can't hold this against the man due to his protests concerning the album's release, to be fair

The title track is pretty defiant, but otherwise another piece of Davis' (comparative) early 60s-slump

Similarly to Steamin', perfectly fine and listenable in every sense of the word, but not as challenging as you'd like/expect from this period of Davis' career

Whereas I said that ‘Workin’ is the best of the “With the Miles Davis Quintet” series, I’d feel equally comfortable pinning Steamin’ as the weakest of the bunch. It’s still in the green, which is to say it’s some mighty fine jazz- just a lot less evocative than the other parts of the series for my buck

It’s ‘good’- in the same way that a plain cheeseburger from McDonald’s is ‘good’, but compared to the broader world of food? It’s vapid, meaningless, and substance-less. I’d much rather something sound ‘bad, but with a purpose’ than just ‘good’

The transition to the 60s saw Miles Davis losing not even an ounce of creative firepower- in fact, it seems the opposite is true. Sketches of Spain stands as one of Davis' most elaborately composed and grandiose series of pieces, starting with the sprawling epic of an opener that is Concerto de Aranjuez before unraveling into four more pieces of crescendoing (and de-crescendoing) complexity

My pick for the best of the “With the Miles Davis Quintet” series (Cookin’, Relaxin’, and Workin’). For starters- *that starter*. It Never Entered My Mind is, I would wager, the best of his compositions to this point in his career, outranking anything on even the previous Kind of Blue- I think there’s a chance it could be the best cut of his entire career. That’s a truly unimpeachable feat. The rest of the record, granted, has a steeeep bar to measure ... read more

A super fun leftover that does feel somewhat like Mahashmashana (especially lyrically) but also has a fervor and energy to it that makes it stand out to most of what FJM has put out in the past. Super cool

I hinted at this on my Miles Ahead review, but Big Band Miles Davis really just isn’t one of my favorite permutations of his. So much of the implicit charm and careful intricacies of his more subdued works are lost with such a robust, bombastic sound. That said- if big band or broader, grander jazz is your thing, this will be too, no question