The Complete On The Corner Sessions
Sony BMG
Track listing:
Disc: 1
1. On The Corner
2. On The Corner
3. One And One
4. Jabali
Disc: 2
1. Ife
2. Chieftain
3. Rated X
4. Turnaround
5. U Turnaround
Disc: 3
1. Billy Preston
2. Hen
3. Big Fun/Holly Wuud
4. Peace
5. Mr Foster
Disc: 4
1. Calypso Frelimo
2. He Loved Him Madly
Disc: 5
1. Maiysha
2. Mtume
3. Mtume
4. Hip Skip
5. What They Do
6. Minnie
Disc: 6
1. Red China Blues
2. Black Satin
3. One And One
4. Helen Butte/Mr Freedom
5. Big Fun
6. Holly Wuud
If you’ve ever wondered what Miles was doing musically before the 1980s, then the latest release from Sony/Legacy, The Complete On The Corner Sessions boxed set provides plenty of answers. It features music from Miles’s 1972-1975 period and is well worth checking out. One interesting number is “Minnie” (also known as “Mr Foster” and “Latin,”) which is based on Minnie Ripperton’s ballad “Lovin’ You.” It’s quite different from the rest of the music on the album, as it’s in a standard song form, highly melodic and predates the ballad cover versions of the 1980s, such as “Time After Time.”
The boxed set is superb but let down by some less than comprehensive liner notes. If you want the full story, check out Paul Tingen’s excellent book Miles Beyond, which you can buy from his website milesbeyond.com. Paul has also written a piece about the On The Corner album for The Guardian newspaper
I’ve also written a background feature on the On The Corner album, plus a review of the boxed set for the November 2007 issue of Jazzwise. You can read an excerpt by following the link.
If you are thinking of exploring Miles’s late 1970s music, you should also listen to the albums Agharta, Pangaea and Dark Magus.
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You can buy The Complete On The Corner Sessions online from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
