"He Loved Him Madly" is a bit of an epic, and rightfully so. Even though "Calypso Frelimo" is almost as long on the album it still doesn't seem as "epic" as "He Loved Him Madly".
I have to beg to differ as (as is probably clear from a few of my posts here) 'Calypso Frelimo' is a personal favourite of mine, and for me most definitely epic. Just to take the build-up in the slow section, from the ominous whistling (we've wandered away from the crowd into some back street), through to Foster picking up the beat, to the moment when Miles leaves the keyboard for the first trumpet solo - just dramatic, riveting. And please don't ever listen to this piece without making it to the second trumpet solo, after Foster takes it down at 25.30, it's the big payoff. But before I just come across like a sad obsessive, surely we're ready for that trip to the East?
Don't get me wrong, "Calypso Frelimo" is awesome, I much preferred it to "He Loved Him Madly". What I meant by it not sounding as "epic" was "Calypso" didn't seem like it was 32 minutes long. "Madly" does. As for taking that trip to the East, hell yes! I just got this badboy from Amazon today, double LP version of the June 19 '73 Tokyo soundboard...my kid will love it, my wife will say "Don't play that when I'm around!": https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0733DSHST/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Absolutely it's worth buying- especially if (as I was) yer looking for a cheaper alternative to Dark Magus, Agartha etc. It also helped that I consider it to be a fantastic performance in its own right. I don't believe there's any great improvement in the sound quality or anything- it's still the raw soundboard recording pressed onto vinyl, but the quality is great, nice packaging...get it!
Thanks, then I'll order it today. I've managed to get all Electric Period on records from 70's but I definitely need more
Hi guys, we will soon delve into Agharta/Pangæa, after which there are some stray compilations and other tidbits that we will deal with during the “long hiatus”. Stay tuned.
Agharta / Pangæa originally released on CBS Sony Japan, 1975/1976 Recorded live at “Festival Hall”, Osaka, Japan, February 1, 1975. Features: Sonny Fortune, soprano, alto sax, flute; Reggie Lucas, electric guitar; Pete Cosey, electric guitar, percussion; Michael Henderson, electric bass; Al Foster, drums; Mtume, percussion. Penguin Guide to Jazz: It bears repeating: Miles's trumpet-playing on these bruising, unconscionable records is of the highest and most adventurous order, not the desperate posturing of a sick and cynical man. The use of a wah-wah pedal—routinely interpreted as a sign of creative failure—is often fantastically subtle, creating surges and ebbs in a harmonically static line, allowing Miles to build huge melismatic variations on a single note. The truth is that the band, Fortune apart, aren't fully understanding of the leader's conception; Henderson ought to be on the case by this stage but he tends to plod, and the two guitarists are apt to get off on long, spotlit solos that are almost laughably tame and blustery when set alongside Miles's knife-fighter reserve and reticence. A re-run “Maiysha” and long edit from the Jack Johnson theme (miscredited on the original release of Agharta) underline the importance of the two underestimated earlier albums, Live–Evil and Get Up with It. The idiom scarcely touches any longer on European norms, adding Stockhausen's conception of a “world music” that moves like creeping tectonic plates (“Pangaea” and “Gondwana”, the other great slab of sound, are the names palaeo-geographers give to the primeval super-continents) to Afro-American popular forms, though it should be pretty clear that Sly Stone has by this stage been left as far behind as bebop. “Gondwana” is the most coherent performance on either album. It opens on Fortune's suprisingly delicate flute and proceeds trance-like, with Miles's central trumpet episode bracketed by shimmering organ outlines and sullen, percussive stabs. It is difficult music to cut into slices and wrap. Key centres are only notional and deceptive; most of the rhythmic activity—unlike Ornette's Prime Time bands, which were revving up around this time—takes place along a single axis, but with considerable variation in the intensity and coloration of the pulse; the solos—like Weather Report's—are constant but also inseparable from the main thrust of the music. There is a growin appreciation of these admittedly problematic recordings (which were originally considered worthy of release only in Japan) but time will tell how significant they are in the overall trajectory of Miles's music.
On the subject of the two different mixes of Agharta: This came up earlier, now is the time to talk about it. I remember stumbling upon this topic in the early days of the internet—it the first time that I heard the notion of mastering and consciously read about what a big difference it makes. This was a heated debate bordering on hysteria, if I recall correctly, but there was general consensus, in that the Japanese CDs and LPs sounded way better, punchier, more present, and the US/EU versions weak in comparison. However, little did I know at the time that the terminology used was absolutely incorrect; people talked about mastering when in fact they meant mixing. A mix is a different version altogether of an album, which has thus been mixed differently from the source tapes, highlighting other instruments etc. None of this can be done in mastering unless one meddles with the sound beyond an acceptable level. It does take a bit of training to distinguish between different mixes and different masterings. Anyway, years later I found out on myself by listening that there were indeed two mixes of the album(s) (I am not so sure about Pangaea anymore, but I believe all of this applies to it, too). For the sake of simplicity, let's call them "Japan mix" (the original LP mixes) and "non-Japan mix" (the one that appeared on the first US and EU CD version). The Japan mix has added reverb (ambiance), and the guitars and the sound effects are more prominent. Generally, this is a very thick and dark mix, but it is also very creative, as it selectively highlights different passages and brings them to the fore. I also hear selective reverb on Miles's trumpet and a tasty, thick stereo reverb during the guitar solos and on the small percussions the guitarists play. A general playfulness is what characterises this mix. It is also more atmospheric. If you like to listen for small details, this is the mix for you. The Non-Japan mix sounds a bit tamer, although it is not without its interesting moments for fans of these albums. If I would describe it in only a few words, I'd say it is closer to what an excellent soundboard recording would sound. It is pretty straightforward and does not selectively highlight instruments, it is more like a straight presentation of the concerts. The drums are louder in the mix and have more clarity, due to the fact that much less reverb has been applied, if at all. But in general, the midrange is kind of lacking in this mix, and this might be why most people prefer the original one, along with the fact that since all instruments share the soundstage equally, the music sounds unvolving after a while. After all these years, there still isn't a definitive piece of writing on the internet that acknowledges that these are different mixes and explains how they came to be. I don't even know when the second mix was made, and by whom. If any of you have more details or can point me in their direction, please do so. Also noteworty: a Japanese disc does not guarantee you get the original Japan mix; I used to have a late '80s 2CD from Japan that contained the non-Japan mix. So beware. My go-to's at the moment are the Japanese DSD-mastered mini LP CDs. Here is a version of the non-Japan mix, for reference. If you have a version of the original mix, the easiest portion to do a comparison is the guitar solo at around 13:00. The original mix contains crazy stereo effects on the guitar track, the non-Japan mix below has no extra effects at all.
I've been listening to both Agharta and Pangaea a lot last weekend. I think they stand among the best Miles Davis releases (particularly the original Japanese mixes, which are superior in my opinion). They might sound a bit challenging at first, but once you get into their atmosphere, you don't want the music to stop. Amazing albums.
I have the bluspec releases (jewel case) and they also include the Japanese mixes: Miles Davis - Agharta Miles Davis - Pangaea
Ah, Agharta/Pangaea. I believe I mentioned how a couple of weeks ago my four year old -who seems to love Miles' electric music for some odd reason, no fault of mine- kept me up until almost three in the morning playing the aforementioned June 19 '73 Tokyo tape and Agharta and Panagea until I finally forced him to go to bed before he made me put on Dark Magus as well Anyway, listening to Agharta and Panagea back to back...Jesus Christ. Some of the heaviest, most intense music I have ever heard- the sound Miles and the band lay down here, especially Pete Cosey with his wall of guitar effects and the Synthi A, is just mindblowing. First time I heard those albums I thought they were pretty hard going; now I find myself wishing I had a time machine so I could go back and see one of those shows in person.
I think the "non-Japan mix" was on the U.S. LP of Agharta that was briefly in print in the 70's. But I'm not certain of it.
Not unlike with Dark Magus, I'd love to have Agharta and Panagea on vinyl but I'm leery of those Four Men With Beards pressings...thing is, looking on Discogs, any Columbia pressings -U.S. or Japanese- are so g-ddamned pricey (by my standards) that I might not be left with any other options...
I have both versions - Four Men With Beards and Japanese original pressings of Agharta/Panagea/Dark Magus and I can't say that 4MWB is noticeable worth or something.
Hi. I haven't contributed here for a while, but I'm enjoying this thread nonetheless. Just wanted to say that listening to Agharta and Pangaea end-to-end with a couple of cold beers is one of my favourite ways of spending a hot sticky summer evening. Just the best music ever. The reverb-or-not debate caught my attention a while ago when I realised I wasn't digging my CD of Agharta as much as I thought I should. Turned out I had the non-reverb (i.e. non-Japan) mix, complete with a whole chunk of unedited extra music (about 15 minutes) that didn't seem to go anywhere. I ended up finding the original vinyl in good (though not mint) condition at reasonable prices and that's what I've been listening to for the past 5 years. My feeling is that Miles and Teo didn't necessarily want to create accurate live documents so much as make great-sounding records. (Same with Dark Magus.) There was something strange and wonderful summoned up at these mid-70s concerts that just wasn't happening in the studio. Somewhere in the middle of Pangaea, Miles is leaning his exhausted frame against the organ and thinking "S*** I'll be glad when this set is over. Ah, it'll sound okay once Teo's carved it into shape and laid on some reverb."
I have the original US press of Agharta and have always enjoyed it. I would like to have the Japan mix but probably won't pick it up until I can find a copy not pressed by 4MWB
My old vinyl copy is in my mother's basement hundreds of Miles away. I must've listened to it thousands of times, dubbed it to cassette and listened on a walkman over and over. You'd think the sound of that copy would be imprinted in my brain, but after listening to the cd versions I'm not sure what corresponds to that old vinyl now. I have 3 different CD issues of Agharta/Pangaea: The Columbia Masterpiece 'fatboy' jewel cases The mid/late 90s SRCS-91xx Japanese The BluSpec SICP-xxxx Japanese I've only done a brief inspection of Prelude from each Agharta but I almost feel these are 3 different mixes. The BluSpec is clearly different from the other two: more reverb and just obviously a different mix. But the Columbia and the SRCS sound pretty different from each other, with the SRCS being very dry in comparison to the other two. There may be some limiting applied in the mastering of the SRCS. Do I need my ears cleaned? (I could post samples if someone wants to hear)
Do you have the Blu-Spec or the Blu-Spec CD2? Both have SICP-xxxx serial numbers. I have the Blu-Spec CD2. The differences I heard between that & earlier CDs (but not the Blu-Spec which I've not heard) I put down to the Blu-Spec CD2 technology but perhaps I'm wrong?
My copies are Blu-Spec CD2. I didn't know there was such as Blu-Spec. At any rate I have no doubt that the BluSpec CD2 is very different from the other two I own. What puzzles me is the difference between the Columbia and the SRCS. It might be that they are actually the same mix with different/more reverb applied to the Columbia. I distinctly remember buying the Columbia back in the day as my first cd copy and thinking it was quite different sounding from my vinyl copy. The vinyl must have been the Japanese mix.
I first heard about Agharta through an article written by Henry Kaiser in a guitar mag (Guitar Player?) where he recommended a bunch of albums that he thought were important to his musical development. Hearing Agharta was like a life-changing for me. Miles is in good form and at times kind of surprises me with how present he is; there's that great moment at 6:45-ish where he halts the band then starts again supertight with Al Foster. In general I don't think of 'supertight' as an adjective to describe Miles' playing over his backing band - he's mostly very loose most of the time. So to hear him be all James Brown and right on-the-one is just fantastic. Cosey is mind-altering on Prelude. That first solo sets my hair on fire. I think any aficionado of guitar soloing would be astonished by what he does here. Sonny Fortune is great throughout the album and Michael Henderson is one badass funk monster. Al Foster is tireless. I must admit that the first half (Prelude and Maiyisha) are the tracks that really do it for me and I just played them to death. The second half (Jack Johnson/Interlude - or Right Off, Ife and For Dave if you prefer) has its moments but it doesn't set my hair on fire. There's a pinging squeaking electronic noise that recurs through it that irritates me, unfortunately. And in general the energy levels peter out in the second half. Still, it's never less than good and there are some cool bits. I am still coming to terms with Pangaea, which is a stupid thing to say given that I've owned it for 20+ years. I need to give it a close listen and report back. My initial problem is an issue I generally have with listening to albums: if there is something off-putting about the opening track it ruins my mood for the rest of the album. In the case of Pangaea I'm really put off by Miles being too fatigued to keep up with the blistering tempo of the opening 'Turnaroundphrase'...I feel like he's being dragged behind the car on a chain. -------------------- I did create some clips from each of my sets of Agharta if people are interested in my posting them. However the last thing I want is for a war to break out discussing the different issues of these concerts!
Yes, I prefer Agharta for the reasons you've stated. I recently listened to Pangaea & it still didn't involve me the way Agharta always has done. It's interesting that Agharta was released in Europe & the US in 1975 while Pangaea didn't get a release outside Japan until 1990, so perhaps record company executives heard it the way we do.
