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Miles Davis - In A Silent Way CD (album) cover

IN A SILENT WAY

Miles Davis

 

Jazz Rock/Fusion

4.28 | 852 ratings

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Grumpyprogfan
2 stars "In a Silent Way" has an incredible lineup of young musicians and the album might have set the world on fire in 1969, but I just don't get it. Sure, the musicians are doing something new that has never been done, i.e., infusing electronic instruments with jazz, but it sounds like nothing more than a long-tired jam. The first track "Shhh/Peaceful" is a repetitive ditty that revolves around one chord. Yeah, you read that right. One chord. Miles makes his appearance around 1'45" into the song, the bass guitar keeps repeating the same few notes through the entire song. The entire song! My god, the patience that Dave Holland must endure. The band keeps flailing along trying to make something special out of this one chord song, but it doesn't happen. I can't take much more, and by ten minutes into the eighteen-minute most repetitive song ever - I'm done. Please make it stop!! There is nothing earth shattering about this, except maybe the jokes on you for listening to a song this long that flounders endlessly.

The title track is next. Oh no! For four minutes it seems to be another one note song. The same note even? It does move a bit after four minutes, but then the same note is played over and over by Dave until 8'20". What did Dave do to deserve this? Ugh! So, there are a couple more notes thrown in for about 40 seconds - back to one note riffage - then back to the previous riff. At 11'40" the bass changes some, and then at 12'40" we go back to the same riff we heard at 8'20". Miles' solos are good but not good enough to drawn my focus away from the three riffs that make up this song. At 15'38" a guitar part is introduced that is totally removed from anything played before, and Dave, once again, is playing his one note - being faithful to that one note - hanging on to that one note - forever just one note. And "In a Silent Way" ends.

Ok, so I don't understand what the fuss is over this and why this is hailed as a masterpiece. This isn't essential to anyone's record collection. If I heard this when it was released, I don't think my reaction would be any different. For me this is a very repetitious record and if that's your gig it's in abundance here. Me, I like music that evolves, that is unpredictable, and I don't find any of that here.

Grumpyprogfan | 2/5 |

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