"Headhunters" vs. "On The Corner"

[claaa7]

another vs. thread, i kinda like see the outcomes of those. "Headhunters" was one of the albums that got me into fusion music, Herbie Hancock really made a classic with that one and it became the highest selling "jazz" album of all time + it has been sampled numerous times by hip-hop artists such as Kool G Rap and NaS. it's just as much instrumental funk as it is jazz/fusion. Hancock really proves he's a master at electric piano and knows how to make music with emphazis on the bottom, Bennie Maupin's reed playing is otherwordly too and the african rhythms takes it to the next level.

"On The Corner" on the other hand came a few years earlier (and even had Hancock as one of three keyboardists) and Miles really changed his style once again with that. there's not many melodies at all, it's based on african and indian rhythms where nobody and everybody solos at the same time. but it also has alot of funk elements and even inspiration from classical composer Stockhausen. one of the weirdest albums of all time. first time i heard it, i didn't understand what the fuck he was doing but as with most 70s Miles album after repeated listens i really started understand what he was trying to do. great album for sure.

what's wu corps verdict on these two alternative classics?

[claaa7]

man y'all really sleeping on these two gems.. anyone who's into hip-hop like A Tribe Called Quest and shit like that should love "Headhunters" and anyone who like hardcore instrumental breakbeats and stuff will love "On The Corner". i wonder if "On The Corner" was the first true breakbeat LP (1972)? shiit, those breaks goes almost into drum and bass grooves at times

[Shogah]

I really love headhunters, i have it both on cd and on the vinyl. There are some moments on that album when you really wonder if this music was made forty years ago or now, because of all the vibes and atmosphere, in which you can recognize a little bit of hip hop (and vice versa)

Haven't listened anything much from miles, but i have In a Silent Way on vinyl so i'm gonna listen it soon.

[Taskmaster2112]

it became the highest selling "jazz" album of all time

Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" is the highest selling jazz album of all time.

i love both of these albums, but "Headhunters" is on a whole other lever. it's transcendent. it's also one of the albums that got me into jazz, and now i listen to just as much jazz as i do other genres. i would say that "Bitches Brew" and "In a Silent Way" are better than "On the Corner" in terms of Miles' 'fusion' albums. all classics though.

[benzo]

i know Headhunters like the back of my hand...harvey mason's drumming is the slickest shit ever. ashamed to say i haven't heard the Miles album tho...

[claaa7]

come to think about it, "On the Corner" is more similiar to the Herbie Hancock album that preceded "Headhunters" which was called "Sextant". have y'all heard that one? might not be as good as "Headhunters" but still a very good, and very abstract LP. Herbie got a incredible discography based on the albums i've heard so far.

benzo you should check out this Miles album, Hancock plays on it too. i wouldn't say it's a jazz album tho, it's probably the least jazzy album Miles ever did. all the emphasis is on the bottom, he takes the same bass line in and out for over 30 minutes and you still want to hear more of it once it's over lol. my only beef with it is why the hell he didn't put the song "Ife" on there since it was recorded in the same sessions and it's a fucking classic. sometimes i put it on my ipod as track #2 on the album and it works perfect in context.

[benzo]

benzo you should check out this Miles album, Hancock plays on it too. i wouldn't say it's a jazz album tho, it's probably the least jazzy album Miles ever did. all the emphasis is on the bottom, he takes the same bass line in and out for over 30 minutes and you still want to hear more of it once it's over lol. my only beef with it is why the hell he didn't put the song "Ife" on there since it was recorded in the same sessions and it's a fucking classic. sometimes i put it on my ipod as track #2 on the album and it works perfect in context.

sounds like the second track off the Jack Johnson Tribute album. u heard that one, right?

[claaa7]

yes mate i heard it, i got so hooked when i first discovered miles fusion records that i've slowly been getting them all. the last one that completed the fusion studio albums for me was "Get up with it" which i got about 2 weeks ago. there's a few official live albums that i haven't got tho.

i see what you mean but the songs on "On the Corner" are alot dirtier, muddier, funkier, weird and abstract. and i'm loving every minute of it!! it would be great to hear your opinion on the album, especially since you're a drummer and DeJohnette and Billy Hard provides great rhythm + there's alot of polyrhythms since there's also percussionists and conga players at the same time. i wasn't hooked on the first listen but every time i hear it, the album makes a little more sense. fucking addictive!!

[claaa7]

[claaa7]

also check this out from the same sessions, i was in shock when i heard this.. actual DRUM & BASS music from 1972?!! god damn, he was ahead of his time:

[Taskmaster2112]

there's a few official live albums that i haven't got tho.

Get "Dark Magus". It's by far the best of Davis' post-"On the Corner" pre-hiatus live albums.

[benzo]

@ C7 - this thread is fire. i'm gonna hunt it down and get back to you with my impressions. peace!

[claaa7]

Get "Dark Magus". It's by far the best of Davis' post-"On the Corner" pre-hiatus live albums.

hell yes my man!! i got "Dark Magus" as well as "Agharta" and "Pangae" and these three are some of the rawest shit i've heard in my entire life, any genre. it's funny that if you check the wiki page for "Dark Magus" it says that some magazine put it in their 50 DARKEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME along with "Hell On Earth" and a lot of hardcore rock albums, etc. And the magazine MOJO ranked "Agharta" as #3 on their countdown of THE 50 MOST OUT-THERE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME and this is the same guy who did "Kind Of Blue", "Sketches of Spain" and "Porgy & Bess". that's why Miles is the G.O.A.T. to me, no other artist has sucessfully re-invented himself that many times. even right before his death his last album signaled a move into hip-hop beats when he let Easy Mo Bee collaborate his entire "Doo Bop" album (which is really cool).

peace Benzo, no doubt! check the joint

[benzo]

went and copped On the Corner... it's certainly a unique Miles album on par with some of his other shit. i know that this is one of those albums that will take repeated listens to grasp, but based on the few spins i've given it so far...

i gotta give it to Headhunters by a good margin. maybe it's because i burned myself out on Bitches Brew years ago but i just didn't hear alot that i haven't heard before from him. it doesn't take away from the album, i guess my expectations were a little too high. the african rhythms are cool but the heavy funk on Headhunters is just more my style. also, Headhunters covers much more ground as a album where OTC is pretty much just one feel throughout.

btw- i got to see Herbie live about two years ago and it was FUCKING MINDBLOWING! the most absract, atmospheric shit i've ever heard in my life. the drummer didn't play a downbeat for two hours! a few people were even leaving early because they came expecting Headhunters and couldn't grasp what they were hearing. Herbie every bit as genious as Miles, believe that.