Customer Reviews

Still Life (Talking)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of Pat Metheny's best. I have the original CD release and have used it as a reference when auditioning audio equipment. The original recording really is great. So what could the studio possibly do to improve it when remastering?

Apparently the studio thought that it was important that this recording sound good when listening to it in the car, because they boosted the average sound level by compressing the loud parts. Sure, when comparing the two versions with the volume knob at the same setting, the quiet parts of the remastered version sound clearer and more distinct. But that's because the quiet parts are louder. Unfortunately for the remastering engineer it's not possible to make the louder parts louder, too. The result is the loss of dynamic range, and occasional clipping. 5 of the 7 tracks hit the maximum level on the remastered CD. Only 1 does on the original.

So what about those quiet parts where the remastered version seems to sound clearer? When the volume level is compensated for the difference in average levels, the original sounds almost identical to the remastered version in those quiet parts. Too bad -- the original is just as clear as the remastered version and has greater dynamics. If you want compression, a lot of consumer playback equipment has a compression circuit, often called "loudness". That will make the quiet parts louder so just about everything is the same volume, which should be great for listening in your car.

I'll be keeping the original and flipping the remastered version.

I am not a big fan of Pat Metheny -- I don't know much about his other CDs, but I have to say that I absolutely love this one. The song Last Train Home is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. There is just something about it that takes my breath away. The same can also be said of the other songs on the disc as well. I highly recommend this CD.

To say that this is a landmark album is not, in my opinion, an overstatement in any way. This album was pivotal for PMG. It marked their departure from the stricture of ECM's somewhat repressive "get in, lay down the tracks and get out" recording practices and their debut on David Geffen's label. One of the first and few jazz bands to record for Geffen, PMG were catapulted, almost overnight, onto a much larger stage to rave reviews and sold out tour dates. If I were to voice a criticism of this album it would be that it just isn't long enough. This is the musical equivalent of the perfect summer sunset at the beach. You just don't want it to end. It's just that good!

It is 1987 and once again, nearly a decade after my conversion as a Jazz fan with the first "Group" album, I am rendered speechless and I feel a chill run down my spine. Just like the first time that saw Vincent van Gogh's "Irises" in a museum instead of a book, I am amazed. From the anticipatory departure of Minuano to the mystery and sensuousness of "So It May Secretly Begin," through the Evocative chugging, throbbing emotion of "Last Train Home" then the controlled blast of "Third Wind" and eventually settling down to the last flickering embers of "In Her Family." The experience was visceral and revelatory. I instantly replayed the entire album. I've been hitting the replay button on this one now for over twenty years. It is still the only album that I must listen to at least two or three times before I can move on to something else. I defy you to listen to this album once and not be compelled to hear it again immediately, if for no other reason than simply to listen, in shear amazement, to the blistering (yet somehow cool and understated) solo of "Third Wind." I'm listening to to it now as I write this and once again the hair on the back of my neck is standing up. This band is so tight it almost makes your ears pop!

I still play this for my few uninitiated friends who love to make fun of that "jazz stuff" that I listen to. I crank the volume as my captive listener is assailed with yet another of my "crazy jazz tunes." They smile and nod wearily. They indulge me as they would an overly enthusiastic child, but slowly, as Pat's irrepressibly buoyant and joyful fret work begins to cast it's melodic spell (you can almost hear him smiling as he plays) a change starts to come over them. Lyle's shimmering piano solos transcend their patronization. Paul Wertico and Steve Rodby loosen their resistance with their tight rhythms. Armando Marcal shakes the bones of all those wonderful percussive toys and David Blamires and Mark Ledford contribute their remarkable vocal work... and then... it happens; I watch bemused as the once reticent listener, almost against their will, begins to be seduced by this wonderful music. I watch as their toe or finger starts to tap, their head starts to bob slightly, almost absentmindedly and then, as "Last Train Home" rolls into the station, it's all over but the shouting. Forget about it... By the time "In Her Family" comes to an end I'm indulging their new found enthusiasm for jazz with a smile and a nod.

This is one for the books my friends.

i owned this music in both the original CD and cassette formats. however, i was willing to spend $15.99 to check out what this "remastered reissue" is all about. the result was astounding. i listen to most of my music with a Bose system in my vehicle. the difference between the original CD and the reissued CD is significant. first off, the "width" of the music seems to be wider, deeper. an analogy would be like, the original CD produced a listening effect as if you are listening the music in a small room, good music and rich music nonetheless. however, the reissued remastered CD produces an effect as if you are sitting in a concert hall, much wider tha deeper in terms of the acoustic dimension.

Secondly, a lot of the little notes (the percussion, the cymbals) that did not come thru' in the original CD all came out beautifully. if you are a devotee of acoustic elements in jazz, you will be very much rewarded to be able to hear all these. and you said to yourself, "gee, i did not know they played those little notes before."

by the way, i already purchased the Letter from Home CD which has the same high quality results per this review.

This CD was my first introduction to Pat & the PMG & from the very first track Minuano (which has become a standard encore item at most PMG concerts) the lyricism, compositional excellence, guitar virtuosity and superb musical arrangements of the man shine through like a beacon. These features are also highlighted on (It's Just) Talk & Third Wind & in essence these three tracks showcase modern ensemble jazz at its best. One of the really great things about PMG albums is the space Pat allows his other band members, often on multi-instruments, to really shine (one thinks of Mark Ledford playing trumpet & marimbas & then singing all in the opening piece). Lyle May's contributions on keyboards (& to the writing of most of the compositions) should also be noted.
Finally, although this album maintains interest throughout & really has no fillers (& never descends into the maudlin, over-produced schmaltz that to my mind tarnishes Speaking of Now), track 3 (Last Train Home) is sufficiently "easy listening" to not only be frequently heard as background music in elevators & shopping malls but give me a not too compelling reason to knock off a star (ok, make that just half a star!)
Definitely a good place to start one's exposure to Pat/PMG with the follow-up album (Letter From Home) also easily fitting into that category.

A dear friend of mine was kind enough to lend me a copy of this CD. With my friend and I being fellow musicians, it stands to reason that we both have a deep love and passion for music. In a recent discussion, we were talking about Pat Metheny, Jean-Luc Ponty among others, and it was there that he lent me a copy of Pat Metheny's Still Life (Talking). From the moment I inserted it into my CD player I was taken away to a beautiful musical landscape. Such songcraft, such sentimentality and musicianship. A true measure of what music is supposed to be. Minuando (Six Eight) is a wonderful beginning to what is a beautiful crafted collection of music, and my personal favorite Last Train Home is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It was even used in an Amtrak commercial sometime ago. (There's a piece of trivia) Thank you Mr. Metheny for bringing us music as it was meant to be. Delivered from the heart and hands with love, craftsmanship and teutonic musicianship.

I've owned the orriginal recording several years ago & gave it away to a person after the Katrina aftermath. When i purchased the remaster a few months ago & played it back on my home stereo system, I was blown away by the quality of not only the recording but also all the details not heard in the original. This remaster is not only recomended by myself but for all who love music in the purest form. I am anxiously waiting for "The Secret Story" remaster to add to my current Pat Metheny collection. If you're a seasoned or novice PMG fan, don't wait, buy this remaster soon & you'll listen for yourself how beautiful this recording is.

Without a doubt "Still Live" (talking) is one of Pat Metheny's really greatest albums/CD. Pat along with his group at the time, including his gifted piano player Lyle Mays just knocks this one right out of the ballpark. The incredible melodic, rhythmic, complexity of this musical collaboration is nothing short of life-giving reinforcing stimulus. Pat, and Lyle's playing on guitar, and piano are one of the great collaborations of present day music, similar to the best recordings of Keith Jarrett their music spirals to incredible heights. This is one of those "must have" recordings that belong in your Jazz collection. Buy it, listen to it in your home, tap the table, dance, and chant with it, but just don't get too carried away when driving, as 95 MPH is illegal in most parts of the country.

I highly respect and deeply enjoy Metheny's music, but some of his albums have included songs i didn't particularly appreciate. This album contains pure enjoyment - every song. There's no one like Metheny. I bought this album on cassette when it first came out. I've since bought it on CD and listen to it today with as much awe as when I first heard it.

My favorite PMG recordings: Travels, The Way Up, We Live Here, Still Life Talking, Letter From Home. Pat Metheny is the only jazz musician of our generation who has attained the stature of Ellington or Miles Davis. Still Life Talking, fine wine that it is, ages wonderfully.