Miles Davis - Get Up With It (1974), 6/10

Get Up With It covers an impressive variety of musical ground and successfully blends ambient with fusion. All of this success yields a record that’s very psychedelic and hypnotic, yet not as thrilling as many of Miles’ other work. Still, "He Loved Him Madly" could be it's own release and I'd listen to it on repeat for days. It is supremely effective as an ambient, yet charged piece that feels almost haunting despite its pickup and flirting with funk. Luckily there's ninety-three additional minutes of bold statements here. There are sounds here like the flute in "Maiysha" that give me goosebumps every time even though I see them coming from a mile away. I honestly love the fact that this record is physically thick enough to have a presence on the shelf, because it catches my eye and I end up coming back regularly, even though I am already familiar there always seems to be a little surprise buried in the music. It's a trip of unprecedented jazz-rock-funk-sex. As with many of Miles’ more ambitious recordings, you have to give it time and patience, and while some moments will reach out and grab you, the ones that build over vast stretches of time are the most rewarding and important. It will have the biggest impression on fans of funk and the surreal, especially on tracks like the appropriately titled “Honky Tonk” and the maniacal “Rated X”. It should say something about its success when someone who shy’s away from funk finds themselves leaning in and enjoying much of the experience. My problems with the album are entirely of personal taste rather than validity of substance, for me it is an album that I hold in very high esteem whether I rush back to it or not. One of Miles’ most ambitious, fun and important recordings.