Customer Reviews

The Hot Spot: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal together on the same album: Wow!... well not quite. The problem is that this eclectic combination was put together specifically to play a Jack Nitzchse composed movie score. As soundtracks go it's good - lot's of drifting, atmospheric playing that's ideally suited to building cinematic moods - but, out of context, a great deal of it sounds like what, of course, it is: the music without the movie.

On track after track John Lee Hooker puts in a tour-de-force of deep blues "groans" (so good that they're regularly sampled), Miles Davis inserts trumpet stabs to die for and Taj Mahal (supported by Tim Drummond, Earl Palmer & Roy Rogers) provides superbly earthy backings. But... after 13 often quite similar, low-key offerings it gets (dare I say it) a bit boring. So, why buy it? Well... it's an intriguing one-off mix of brilliant artists, it's great background music and, it contains three real gems: "Gloria's Story" (featuring some beautiful solos from Miles Davis) and the virtually identical "Bank Robbery" & "End Credits" where the group let rip with some wonderfully burning jazz-blues to provide an insight into what treats could have been on offer in a less constrained situation. A lost opportunity but worth the money all the same.

I BOUGHT THIS CD ON A PURE WHIM, NEVER HEARING OF THE MOVIE AND HAVING NO IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT. WHAT A GREAT SURPRISE. THE CD FEATURES JOHN LEE HOOKER ON VOCALS, TAJ MAHAL ON GUITAR, MILES DAVIS ON TRUMPET, ROY ROGERS ON SLIDE, EARL PALMER ON DRUMS AND TIM DRUMMOND ON BASS. THE CD IS A COLLECTION OF SLOW BURNING SULTRY MUSIC THAT COMBINES BLUES AND JAZZ AS ONLY MILES DAVIS COULD PLAY. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE, BUT DENNIS HOPPER DEFINETLY KNOWS HOW TO THROW A BAND TOGETHER. GO AHEAD, BUY THE CD, INVITE OVER THAT SOMEONE SPECIAL, OPEN A BOTTLE OF WINE, DIM THE LIGHTS AND FIND THAT HOT SPOT. A GREAT FIND!

When the movie came out, a modern film noir, the stand out features to me were the script and the music. Here I'll talk about the music. What superb contempary music that fits well in the with long summer days as the human drama the unfolds before the eyes. The vocals, by John Lee Hooker, gives a painful objurgation at human nature. The cool/blue horn of Miles Davis gives a solitary notion of a individual human struggling with his passion and greed. Add Roy Rogers and Taj Mahal guitars' accretions too this poignancy, you have a melancholy that is aggraviting existence. Even Track #11 "Murder" seems a delight blow to the conscience.

I'd been looking for a CD of this sort for ages with no success. When I finally saw the film "The Hot Spot", my problem was solved. The film itself was not brilliant, but nor was it as bad as some critics suggested. However, I thought the music was simply superb. You probably have to be a fan of the sort of blues played by John Lee Hooker to agree. I bought the CD the following day, and rate it one of the best I have ever heard.

I BOUGHT THIS CD ON A WHIM NEVER HAVING SEEN THE MOVIE OR HEARD THE SOUNDTRACK. IT TURNS OUT TO BE ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES. THE CD FEATURES THE VOCALS OF JOHN LEE HOOKER COMBINED WITH THE SULTRY TRUMPET OF MILES DAVIS, THE SMOOTH SLIDE GUITAR OF ROY ROGERS, ACOUSTIC GUITAR OF TAJ MAHAL AND THE DRUMS OF EARL PALMER. THIS CD FEATURES A TRULY STELLAR LINE-UP. THE MUSIC CAN BE DESCRIBED AS MOANING BLUES MIXED WITH HEAVY JAZZ INFLUENCE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THAT RIGHT LATE NIGHT CD, THIS IS WELL WORTH THE PRICE. HECK, NOW I MIGHT EVEN HAVE TO GO FIND THE MOVIE. 5 STARS!

This is a very special record, with a unique combination of styles. Some arabian sounds make it very exotic. Perfect to hear late at night, and dream in a very special atmosphere...

I wrote a review of this CD on here 3 years ago. I loved it then, and I love it now. Looking for something else, I came across it today at Amazon.co.uk,... If you blues-loving Americans have anything else to buy across the pond, add this CD to the list. Even with import duty it'll save you a dollar or two on buying it in the States, if you don't pay a fortune on freight. Quite why an American CD is so much cheaper in the UK than in its country of origin is a question Amazon might like to address sometime. I'd love to know the answer!

The Hook is as rural as dirt roads and bare feet, Miles as city as charred brick and a rusty fire escape. Who'd think that Hook's blues and boogie-woogie combined with Miles' caressing jazz could be anything other than oil & water? Surprise, this was the result. It's been on my heavy rotation at home for weeks.

The Hot Spot: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

this is a miles rarity a soundtrack to a film with dennis hopper but miles plays with hooker and hopkins all over the album and he loved playing the blues.

this was the music he said he heard walking back to his grandfathers farm back in arkansas coming from the church down in the woods. this is davis and hooker playing the blues together!

Miles Davis' trumpet combined with J L Hooker's mumbling and groaning Delta-Blues? Plus Taj Mahal... What a strange idea! Than again, Miles loved strange musical mixes...

I guess in a contemporary film noir this might work very well (I don't recall seeing the movie) and, indeed, at times it even works well as independent music, but basically, it's much more of a pleasant background music for blues fans...