Change Of The Century [Digipak] [Remastered] - Ornette Coleman

Advantages: impossible, delicious, juicy, choatic, hellish, revolting.
Disadvantages: it doesn't go on forever.

...For some reason the picture Ciao have provided for this album is of some sort of radioactive ice cream rather than the Jackson Pollock painting that actually graces the album's cover. This isn't inappropriate though: like the best ice cream, "Free Jazz" is cool, delicious and of dubious origin. The subtitle, if you care about this sort of thing (and you should) is, "A collective improvisation by the Ornette Coleman double quartet". This matters enormously, because "double" is a word that doesn't occur nearly often enough in musical contexts, even now, 50 years into the stereo age. "Free Jazz" is a double album - but not two discs, to be played consecutively; rather one disc with two pieces of music to be played simultaneously. As with Lou Reed's own jazz album "Metal Machine Music", headphones are fundamental to the music... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Introduction to the ambient and punk godfather
Disadvantages: Leaves you wanting more

...This Brian Eno creation is in two halves- a louder part and an ambient part , and all tracks give an insight into the methods used by Eno to create sound. His love of ambient- he created after all!- comes tjough in some beautifully crafted pieces, Here he comes drifts effortlessly into Julie with..., and By This River, - you can feel yourself there. These tracks are in stark contrast to the 'punk' style of Kings Lead Hat (an anagram of Talking Heads, with who Eno worked with great success in the 70s and 80s). The thumping guitar treatments take you back to the era when aggression was the norm. Buy it and experience the unusual sound of Eno's voice, rarely used in recent times and hear how Eno has beeen an inspiration to bands for the past quarter of a century.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: A lenghty, lazy and lovely festival of aromas and lyrical ambiences
Disadvantages: A bit too long, but then you could do with the sleep

.... The album is 120 times more inventive than anything Coldplay have ever done; 67% more satisfying than searching for the puma in Brian Eno's "Ambient 4: On Land" and could even beat Ornette Coleman at scrabble provided he was drunk enough. Buy it, because your CD collection is probably a bit dull.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful