Live-Evil [Enhanced, Limited Edition, Live, Original recording remastered]

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 29, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1970
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Limited Edition, Live, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AH1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,339 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #66 in Music > R&B > Funk > Jazz Funk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This is where Miles Davis turned funk into jazz, rock into soul, and chaos into Beauty. With a rotating cast of bands featuring keyboardists Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, guitarist John McLaughlin, percussionist Airto Moreira, saxophonists Gary Bartz and Wayne Shorter, and myriad other explorers, Davis kept up with the times...and surpassed them. He rocked harder than Sly, got funkier than J.B., and turned jazz inside out, slicing the music open till blood spilled on to the floor. More focused than Bitches Brew, which is all the more surprising since it's actually a piecemeal recording from various dates and venues--some in the studio, some on stage, but all very much l-i-v-e. --Robert Wilonsky

Product Description

DAVIS MILES LIVE-EVIL (2 CDS)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Fusion of Rock and Jazz October 23, 2000

By Scott McFarland

Format:Audio CD

There was a certain style of extended riffing that became known as "fusion" ... other artists such as the original Soft Machine were able to fuse rock and jazz in entirely different ways ... Miles and his band did it in an entirely different way from anyone else on this release.

The bulk of this album (85 minutes or so) was recorded at the Cellar Door in D.C., in late 1970. The band is tight. Jack deJohnette is kicking up dust in all directions, Keith Jarrett is at his most pointed and soulful, and guest star John McLaughlin is playing the type of brilliant solos that Miles was presumably hoping for.

"Sivad" is a killer groove piece, but "What I Say" is even more impressive. It's 20+ minutes of rolling groove placed on top of a highly aggressive beat. It's timeless energy music and Miles does some of his best soloing on top of it. Sides 3 and 4 are more deliberately formless, they're big rolling jams that don't go anywhere in particular. But Side 1 and 2 make this must-have.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Sounds December 7, 2000

By Thomas Magnum HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Live-Evil is one of the deepest and darkest albums Miles Davis (or anyone else) has recorded. Recorded either live in the studio or on stage at the Cellar Door in Washington, D.C., Mr. Davis and his band are in a wicked state of mind. The title is a palindrome and the song titles "Selim" and "Savid" are Miles Davis backwards. That is appropriate as Mr. Davis turns his fusion work inside out. Mr. Davis gets underneath the grooves and turns them inside out, exposing their underbelly. "What I Say" is a great example of him mining for sounds undreneath the surface. A truly complex and ambitious piece of work that you will find yourself putting on and on again.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars no words do this music justice April 19, 2000

By dj

Format:Audio CD

OH MY GOD! The first time I heard this album, I was speechless. It still has the same impact on me every time I hear it. It is jazz, it is funk, it is soul, it is r&b, it is avant-garde, it is blues, it is hip-hop. But "Live-Evil" extends far beyond any feeble attempts at categorization...IT IS MILES! Every musician should aspire to create music so enduringly fresh.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Live Tracks August 12, 2002

By Julio Martino

Format:Audio CD

The previous reviewer is wrong when he says the muscians on this albumn are not jazz musicians. Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, John Mclaughlin and Gary Bartz were (and still are) some of the most techincally accomplished musicians around. Only Michael Henderson, who plays bass on this albumn, had no previous jazz experience. All of the above are playing at a career best on this album.
I'd say this albumn is better and more focused than Bithces Brew and includes some of the best fusion music Miles ever played. 'What I say' is a highlight for me; surely this must be one of the most angriest, intense tracks ever recorded. Finally, Miles' playing is on top form and he plays with amazing confidence and speed. If you've listened to a couple of Miles Davis's electric albumns and you like what you hear; then get this.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I love portions of this... Buy the Cellar Door Sessions Instead May 4, 2006

By Talking Wall VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

I owned Live-Evil on Lp when I was younger and though this CD remaster is fabulous, it still sounds like a mish-mash of material. I'm not crazy about the stuff recorded with the Brazilian chap, these little minature interludes between the tracks compiled and condensed from the Cellar Door sessions sound out of place and out of tune in places. Now that I've heard these a few times, I'm usually pressing the skip button to get to the next live track. I'm not sure what Teo Macero was smoking (gimme some of that) but there are some HORRIBLE edits in the live material. The feature review claims this is more focused that Bitches Brew. That is sheer nonsense, this release is horribly disjointed due to those annoying little interludes with the Brazilian chap. The tune selection is about as schizophrenic as it could get.

On Nem Um Talvez, one of those little interludes, there is a point where it sounds as though Miles has been playing his horn slightly off mic and then suddenly turns and blasts this one note right in front of the mic. The singer is slightly out of key here making for an extremely uncomfortable moment for those who's ears can appreciate staying on the note! From an engineering perspective, it sounds wretched and amature-ish to me. Note to those who "love" this stuff: This emporer was wearing no clothes at this particular moment.

While I'm a big fan of McLaughlin's work with Miles, it doesn't do much for me here. I'm thinking the band is probably better on the Cellar Door Sessions on the sides where McLaughlin is absent. His playing doesn't sound particularly thoughtful here, it sounds like he's just playing licks as fast as he possibly can.... I hate to be irreverent since so may people love this release, but the guy sounds pretty sloppy (on this session)to me (I'm a life-long guitar player. I'm no John McLaughlin but I know sloppy playing when I hear it).

Gary Bartz and Miles's playing is amazing and I really mean that. The improvisations are about as hot as it gets. Jarrett, Henderson, and DeJohnette provide an incredible foundation to all that is going on here.

Airto! Mmmmmm. Not so much. I get tired of Airto trying to whack, pull, bash, shake, and tinkle everything he can get his hands during every second the tape is rolling. Dude. It's ok NOT TO PLAY once in a while. His whistling during the opening track while Miles solos is just plain annoying. He starts wailing like some Porteguese fisherman who has a big crab attached to his big toe by the claw that is chowing down on his foot. "Waaaa la duh luh duh de laaaagggggghhhhhh! Waaaaah duh luh luh du luh laaaaaaaagggggh!" This occurs in a couple of the pieces, even smack dab in the middle of one of Mile's incredible solos. He also has the annoying habit of shaking those sleighbells of his while some of Jarrett's more intense improvisations are in progress. It's very distracting. He keeps shaking this thing that sounds like a box of Good-n-Plenty... Theatre size! Much of what he plays sounds totally out of rhythmic context. Some might find this energetic and exciting but I find myself wishing Airto would just STFU most of the time. Contrast this to Airto's playing on the recently released "It's About That Time" Live at the Fillmore, March 7, 1970. Airto isn't so intrusive on that recording. I do like Airto's work with Santana and Weather Report. I just find it obnoxious and annoying on Live-Evil.

Jarrett's playing is amazing but I can't stand those nasaly little shrieks of joy he makes when he feels he's played something very cool. Surely they could have edited that stuff out. Really irritating. He made an entire career out incredible playing accentuated by those nasaly, joyful shrieks of his.

The artwork selected for this release (though painted by a white Swede who converted to Islam) is overtly rascist (turn it over) but then Miles always did have a problem with lumping all of us white folks into the same group of "white, blue-eyed devils". I love Mile's music but this was a particular annoyance. Judgement coming from a man who fathered illegitmate children in all corners of the globe and all points in between is just ridiculous.

Yeah, this review reads like I hate this disc but I don't. This really is one hot band! But there are some problems with the interludes and the inclusion of an unrestrained Airto. I love Mile's music from this period. I pull Live-Evil out and play it once in a while and enjoy large portions of it. I pull out his other material such as Bitches Brew, Tribute to Jack Johnson, Big Fun and On the Corner far more frequenly. As far as I'm concerned Live-Evil is for the complete-ist and I am a complete-ist. Maybe the Cellar Door Sessions is better? I don't know and I'm not going to spend $90.00 to find out. Maybe I'll find a used copy on Ebay? :)

Postscript: I did manage to pickup a new copy of The Cellar Door Sessions without having to take out a second mortgage on my home. It was work every penny of the $60.00 I paid for it. If you like the live material on Live-Evil then you really want to get hold of a copy of The Cellar Door Sessions. It puts all of the musicians in context, including Airto. My criticism of him did not stand up when I heard the complete performances. The perception that he plays constantly is a product of the cruddy edits that Teo made to the performances to create this mess called Live-Evil. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No band is this tight! It just is not possible! August 11, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

How is it that John McLaughlin was not a part of the full time band? He just sat in on these recordings...he just came in and sat with the band for a week during the Cellar Door sessions. That is amazing. The band is so tight you just can't believe that the musicians were always coming and going, especially McLaughlin whose guitar work is unreal. This is one of the best live albums ever recorded because their is no difference between the studio sound and the live sound. Davis knew this, he wanted a live album because he knew the power and character of the band was most apparent live. This album is incredible, I have never heard anything like it. I am genuinely intimidated by the perfection and innovation. No album has ever sounded like this, all subsequent jazz-funk-fusion recordings seem like mere echoes from the power and precision here.