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A Love Supreme is an essential album for anyone who likes to listen to music to listen too on the face of this planet. Sadly though we never did get to hear Coltrane make more albums like this as he died of liver cancer at the age of 40 with plans of becoming a monk.
There are only four tracks, "Acknowledgement" ,"Reseloution", "Pursuance", and "Pslam". The album is only 32 minutes but is still a timeless classic that can be listened to over and over and over again and it still will captivate and influence you.
Coltrane's, "A Love Supreme", is more than a jazz album its a spiritual journey or as Coltrane had said, " A Love Supreme is a gift to God". Also its influence has been widespread not just to the jazz community but also to rock muscians like, Carlos Santana, and Bono of U2.
Being for its short length, "A Love Supreme", allows you to hear John Coltranes spiritual journey and lets you hear his gift to God. A Love Supreme was and still is pure genius and was a jazz album that was way ahead of its time and it still is ahead of its time, never has there been a jazz album realesed that has sounded remotely close to the pieces heard on this album.
A Love Supreme is classic, beautiful, definitive, spiritual, timeless, and did I mention pure genius. So what are you waiting for go out an pick up this album and blast this album and let it change your life.
4 1/2Often considered this legendary player's best and generally cited as one of the overall greatest recordings of all time, ALS undoubtedly represents Coltrane and his excellent crew at their early avant-garde best (easily argued as a favorite period), of which this blisteringly brief output suggested a spiritual threshold, compositionally crossed, that could never be rescinded. It's not quite perfect although at only three taut tracks the quartet seems at a precise alignment between excess and restraint to promote such holy themes, parlaying the album into an experience unique to his dense catalog.
In a way, it's kind of encouraging that a relatively free, relatively less accessible work of anybody should receive such laud and approval. It would be easy for me just to say I don't get it, except that I do get Coltrane in the main. As you can see in these written reviews, as well as Amazon's (and many other) editorial reviews in jazz publications over the last 40 years, it is hyped as perhaps the "greatest jazz album of all time". Wow, I guess I just don't get it." But if you played them any of 50 other Trane albums they'd say just the opposite.
I would take the masterpiece that is "Ballads", or the absurdly over-qualified (I mean that in the best sense) "Giant Steps", or even "Crescent" as candidates for any greatest lists, if you must (or the terrific albums with Duke or Monk). I've always been astounded by the reputation of this album. I like the theory of that. Listen with your own ears, not those of the reviewers. Why do people go ape-shucks over this album.
But I wonder if there are people who would listen to this as their first exposure and say, "That's Coltrane. This guy put out some mighty stuff. I truly love John Coltrane, but I do not think this is his best work, much (much) less the greatest of anything. Well, I'll never know. Historical precedent.
Zeitgeist. I write this review simply so others whose first listening experience might be bent towards this album try something else. For me this ain't it.
I've been a jazz listener 95% of my life. This prepares the listener for what is yet to come. My parents were listeners and this predominated most of my listening.I have heard pieces of this MASTERPIECE more than enough times through my life time to know that I truly love this CD.Coltrane out did himself with this and I am proud to be an owner of both the vinyl and CD. "Acknowlegement" is the name of the first song on this CD and he start the music off with the quintesencial ringing of the gong in "D" I believe. The song directly following is very appropriately names "Pursuance", which is apparent in the style which he plays. The CDs makes it apparent that Coltrane really had reached the zenith of his career.Anyone that doesn't like this CD well all I can say is, listen again just to be sure you've not missed something.
What can I say that hasn't been said already. Now my ear is mature enough and what I first considered to be noise is now some of the most beautiful sounds ever created. There aren't too many people that have had that much passion for anything.
People didn't understand him then and most don't get him now. I read some of the 1-2 star reviews and guys trust me I understand what you are going through. This guy is a genius and way ahead of his time.
John Coltrane bears his soul to put this work of art together. For the few of those who do get John Coltrane, what a sheer joy. The one word I use to describe "A Love Supreme" is passion.
A lot of Coltrane's stuff was difficult for me to listen to when I was starting out. Be patient.
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