Customer Reviews

Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set

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

 

 

An awesome collection from jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood. This is a band that always does its own thing, so the music here never follows just one style. Instead, we have a glimpse of the many facets of MM&W's writing; from the accoustic jazz reminiscent of their early work, to their unique brand of electric groove, to their somewhat minimalist experimental music and everything in between. The Radiolarians series gets better as it progresses, with Radiolarians III being the clear highlight. The Remix CD is hit and miss, but a worthwhile addition (some tracks are awful, but others have even more impact than their original counterparts, namely Free Go Lily and the second version of Flat Tyres).

The two vinyl LPs are a welcome addition, there's nothing quite like amazing music on vinyl. These records act as a greatest hits collection from the album, and it's an excellent selection. Also, the documentary DVD Fly On the Wall is entertaining.

Unfortunately, the boxset itself does not match the quality of the music. The CDs and DVDs all come in paper sleeves which are inserted into awkward slots in the main case. There are no liner notes to speak of. The vinyls don't have a plastic sleeve to protect them, only cardboard. Absurdly, this collector's set is not built to last. Worse still, the seller I bought the set from (importcds, who I recommend you avoid) provided the set with torn paper sleeves and multiple scuff marks all over the box.

Packaging woes aside, the Radiolarians Evolutionary Set is a great addition for any fan of the band.

I've been waiting for this since they started this project. It didn't disappoint. The DVD is great. And documents the writing stage, the tours, and in the the studio recording. It's a great fly-on-the-wall look at the band. The musics better then ever. A great buy.

I've been following this trio for a few years. When I lived in the U.S. I had the opportunity to see them playing a couple of times. What I really admire of them is their independence on everything.
Creating this box set on these days where everything is mp3, portable, fast consuming, etc,etc. was the best idea.
The 3 studio cds are amazing(radiolarians I,II & III). After listen to them I played "Explorarians" (live cd) and you can hear how songs change a lot during a concert. It felt like a 4th cd of the box set, not a live cd with the same songs.
The DVD is really interesting, you can see how the trio work their songs and how is the recording process. Plus a couple of song videos made by Billy Martin wich are insanely great!
Then you have a 5th cd, "remixolarians", wich turn out to be really easy to listen. I was afraid that this cd was the typical dj remixed-boring cd. But it's not. It's 100% experimental music.
What completes the box is two vynil discs with a selection of songs from the radiolarians cds.
I haven't had the chance to listen to them yet. But they seem to be really promising.

I say buy this! it's awesome! But remember, you are going to need a lot time to listen! It's a lot of music!!

Sadly, I recommend purchasing the individual CD's instead of this set. After removing the outer shrink wrap, I could see matt spots on the outer box where stray glue had dried. Inside, I found that each of the CD sleeves were creased and/or wrinkled near the corners, from the way they are held in the LP tri-fold. Some of the CD's had come unfastened from the tri-fold, and had apparently been floating around inside during shipping. Then, I discovered that the LP sleeves are so tight that they had both ripped along the edges, probably the very first time the LP's were inserted into them. I exchanged it for another set, but the new set was in the same condition (stray glue, bent CD sleeves, torn LP sleeves). So, the packaging seems deficient by design. If you have any plans on buying this as a collectible, think again.