Customer Reviews

Motel

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

 

 

The Bad Plus really shined on their follow-up These Are the Vistas, which received a modicum of attention and probably deserves more. On this earlier release, originally (and possibly still) on a Spanish label, some of the grooves are mellower than the peaks that Vistas reaches - but, then, maybe that's why they were called vistas. Motel was the place they stayed on the way to the peaks, and will interest you once you've experienced the vistas - but perhaps not if you, like the band, go to Motel first.

Clearly an 'early' Bad Plus, but nonetheless a very interesting album.

The music is not yet as compact as on the albums they've recorded after this one, but all the Bad Plus ingredients are already in it. If you haven't yet got an album from this trio I would recommend you 'Prog', their latest one.

The Bad Plus has better CDs (as for example suspicious activity or prog). Too hard in some areas where they are possibly abusing of their style. Clearly: I like this trio very much, but really there are better CD from them. In case that you have money for ONE CD, better go for suspicious activity or other previous ones (or why not trying some CD from "E.S.T. -Esbjörn Svensson Trio).

Motel is The Bad Plus on a small label, and without producer Tchad Blake. The sound is thus more traditionally jazz, though the songs and playing are the same. The smaller sound is an advantage on songs that require a more delicate touch, though you give up a little on the louder songs. The songs themselves are a mix of originals and pop covers, and some of the songs reappear later in The Bad Plus's discography. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was an idea too good to restrict to their first CD. "1972 Bronze Medalist" is almost a march, and shows up again on "These Are The Vistas". The other originals are pretty good, and "Scurry" and "Love Is The Answer" complete the CD in fine form. Fan of The Bad Plus should consider this one, and people turned off by the heavier production of their later discs should also consider it.

The "Motel" disc was originally released by a Spanish record label in 2001 with UPC code 75866133302. This disc is obsolete and out of print. It has since been rereleased as "The Bad Plus" by Fresh Sound New Talent records (aka Absolute Distribution S.L.) of Barcelona Spain in 2004 with UPC code 8427328421072. Most of these factory sealed cds have a UPC sticker on them covering up the FSNT bar code. The sticker displays the "Motel" UPC code, as well as the FSNT-107 product code. The rereleased "The Bad Plus" cd by Fresh Sound New Talent can be purchased from AbsoluteDistribution dot com for 12 Euro. Many Amazon sellers have been incorrectly listing this disc as the 2001 "Motel" release when it is in fact the 2004 "The Bad Plus" release by Fresh Sound New Talent records. If you remove the bar code sticker, you'll see that it is in fact 8427328421072. The track listings and recordings are identical on both discs. I hope this clears up the confusion surrounding this item.