Rahsaan: Complete Mercury Recordings [Box set]

Rahsaan Roland Kirk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Original Release Date: December 11, 1990
• Number of Discs: 10
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000047B7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #387,508 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

ROLAND KIRK Rahsaan (1990 German ELEVEN CD set featuring the complete recordings for Mercury between 1961 & 1964 also including the talents of Jaki Byard Elvin Jones Wynton Kelly Horace Parlan Charlie Persip & many more complete withfifty six page illustrated booklet all housed in a 6" x 5" x 3" picture slipcase box)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's your Call..., October 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rahsaan: Complete Mercury Recordings (Audio CD)

The problem with these large, expensive box sets is that by the time you'd consider buying it, you're a big fan and have most of the contents, then it's a decision on whether to be an obsessive completist or not...This set contains amongst its 11 disks at least 3 super-great albums (We Free Kings, Domino and Reeds and Deeds) and two masterpieces (Rip, Rig and Panic and I Talk With Spirits). You could buy these separately as they are still in print. So what else do you get? Well, the Live in Copenhagen album which is out of print. This live recording swells to 2 cd's of great music in the box set, some of the best of which was never released. You get some very pleasing singles that never appeared on albums as well, not to mention the "bonus" disk of a good performance at the Newport Jazz festival. About the only downside is the last half of disc 9 which covers the Latin album that is out of print and probably should remain so; and disk 10 which is devoted to some dreadful Quincy Jones stuff that is hideously dated and only features Kirk as a sideman. Despite these two exceptions the set is a solid 5 stars, just too much awesome stuff here. Of course there are the obligatory alternate takes that are not a necessity. So, you can buy 5 individual albums and kick yourself for missing out on everything else once you're hooked, or you can buy the box...it's your call.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Kirk, the underrated genuis, August 7, 2000

By 

Douglas Groothuis "Douglas Groothuis" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rahsaan: Complete Mercury Recordings (Audio CD)

Roland Kirk could play several wind instruments at once and could be quite a showman. He was also highly eccentric. However, he was not a gimmick master, but an authentic jazz orginal (ask Charles Mingus), who was as deep into the music as one could get. Kirk was an inspired soloist on several instruments (one at a time or several together!), a master of circular breathing, and developed a style of playing flute in which he sings through the instrument. This was copied by many afterwards (remember Jethro Tull?), but Kirk pioneered it--and did it better than anyone else!

This set features much of his early work and is generally outstanding. The pieces where is he backed by Elvin Jones on drums are exceptional. Some of the Quincy Jones material (where he plays pop tunes) seem to put Kirk out of his element. The live recordings (about two CDs worth) have rather poor fidelity.

Today, August 7, is Kirk's birthday. He died in 1977, only in his early 40s. He may have been blind, but he shed much light in the world of music. No one has yet appeared to match his originality or creativity.

Douglas Groothuis

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just pay the man and you'll be happy., July 1, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (washington, dc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rahsaan: Complete Mercury Recordings (Audio CD)

I can't add too much to the grammaphone review except to say that I looked REAL HARD at this cd for over two years before I bought it and never felt like my life was complete without it. When I did finally buy one used I realized that I should have just bought it when I first saw it 'cause that was two more years I could have been enjoying this GREAT Collection. Just get it now and don't make the mistake of waiting. Then get as many others as you can on atlantic and other labels and don't stop. Rahsaan is like no other.