Get Up with It is an album by American jazz musician Miles Davis.[4] Released by Columbia Records on November 22, 1974, it collected previously unreleased material that Davis had recorded between 1970 and 1974, some of which dated from the sessions for his studio albums Jack Johnson (1971) and On the Corner (1972).[5]

Get Up with It
Compilation album by
ReleasedNovember 22, 1974
RecordedMay 19, 1970 – October 7, 1974
StudioColumbia 30th Street, New York City
Genre
Length122:05
LabelColumbia
ProducerTeo Macero
Miles Davis chronology
Big Fun
(1974)
Get Up with It
(1974)
Agharta
(1975)

Recordings

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"He Loved Him Madly" was Davis' tribute to Duke Ellington, who used to tell his audiences, "I love you madly."[6]

"Honky Tonk" was recorded in 1970 with musicians such as John McLaughlin and Herbie Hancock who had played on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. "Red China Blues" had been recorded in 1972, prior to On the Corner, while "Rated X" and "Billy Preston" were recorded later that year with the band heard on In Concert. The remaining tracks dated from 1973 and 1974 sessions with his then-current band, including guitarist Pete Cosey.[7]

In the 2004 edition of the Rolling Stone Album Guide, J. D. Considine described the album's musical style as "worldbeat fusion".[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]
Alternative Press5/5[3]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[9]
MusicHound Jazz4/5[10]
Pitchfork9.6/10[11]
Penguin Guide to Jazz    [12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide     [13]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

Reviewing Get Up With It for Rolling Stone in 1975, Stephen Davis applauded Davis' adventurousness and the direction of his band, a "who's who of Seventies jazz-rock".[16] Robert Christgau gave the album muted praise in The Village Voice, calling it "over two hours of what sometimes sounds like bullshit: it's not exactly music to fill the mind. Just the room."[15] In the 1981 edition of Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies, he praised the side-long pieces "He Loved Him Madly" ("a tribute to Duke Ellington as elegant African internationalist") and "Calypso Frelimo" ("a Caribbean dance broken into sections that seem to follow with preordained emotional logic") while offering a mixed assessment of the other material.[9]

For the album's 2000 reissue, Alternative Press published a review calling it "essential ... the overlooked classic of psychedelic soul and outlandish improv ... representing the high water mark of [Davis'] experiments in the fusion of rock, funk, electronica and jazz".[3] Stylus Magazine's Chris Smith called it "more of an anything-goes hodgepodge than it is a sprawling masterwork."[17]

In a highly positive retrospective review, Andy Beta of Pitchfork described Get Up with It as a "black funk dreamscape", observing that it "careens between extremes, as Miles presages everything still to come: ambient, no wave, world beat, jungle, new jack swing, post-rock, even hinting at the future sound of R&B and chart-topping pop". He particularly praised Davis' adoption of the electric organ: "Rather than run the voodoo down, now Miles could conjure it all by himself".[18]

British composer Brian Eno cited "He Loved Him Madly" as an influence on his work in the liner notes to his 1982 album Ambient 4: On Land.[19]

Track listing

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All compositions by Miles Davis.

Side one
No.TitleRecording dateLength
1."He Loved Him Madly"June 19, 197432:13
Side two
No.TitleRecording dateLength
1."Maiysha"October 7, 197414:52
2."Honky Tonk"May 19, 19705:54
3."Rated X"September 6, 19726:50
Side three
No.TitleRecording dateLength
1."Calypso Frelimo"September 17, 197332:07
Side four
No.TitleRecording dateLength
1."Red China Blues"March 9, 19724:10
2."Mtume"October 7, 197415:08
3."Billy Preston"December 8, 197212:35
Total length:122:05

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Mitchell, Gail (July 22, 2000). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Rolling Stone 2004
  3. ^ a b c "Review: Get Up with It". Alternative Press. Cleveland. November 2000. pp. 104–6.
  4. ^ "Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions". Signal to Noise. No. 48–51. Signal to Noise New Music Foundation. 2008. p. 62. Retrieved November 15, 2019 – via Google Books. ...a sprawling double LP compilation, Get Up with It.
  5. ^ Miles Davis.com
  6. ^ Tate, Greg (September 1997). "Voodoo Ray Gun". Vibe. New York: 90. Retrieved May 19, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Miles Ahead discography
  8. ^ Jurek, Thom (2011). "Get Up with It - Miles Davis | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  9. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 26, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  10. ^ Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann, eds. (1998). "Miles Davis". MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN 0825672538.
  11. ^ "Miles Davis - Get Up With It review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  12. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 329.
  13. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 58. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  14. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Miles Davis". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (April 7, 1975). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  16. ^ Davis, Stephen (2011). "Miles Davis: Get Up With It : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  17. ^ Smith, Chris (2011). "Miles Davis - Get Up With It - On Second Thought - Stylus Magazine". stylusmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  18. ^ "Miles Davis - Get Up With It review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  19. ^ Ambient 4: On Land (CD liner). Brian Eno. E.G. Records. 1986. EGED 20.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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