Limited edition picture LP. Vinyl Maniacs. 2005.

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This music is sometimes beautiful and sublime and sometimes provocative or even intentionally atonal and harsh. If you're new to Miles Davis or merely curious, there are much safer bets that you'll enjoy his earlier works such as "Kind of Blue" or "Miles Smiles" or "Milestones." Here Davis' group is making full use of electric instruments and exploring the bounds of music without throwing the audience a lot of melodic lifelines to hold on to. Chick Corea's Fender Rhodes often sounds like an electric guitar. And, indeed, Corea's playing is in the spotlight for much of this double CD. I also think the rhythm section, particularly David Holland on bass, is exceptional.

This album is atmospheric and provocative. It's not always an easy listen. And some will find it outright grating, particularly if their ear is not accustomed to free jazz. Personally I find it haunting and strangely relaxing.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

Raw Beautiful Funky Electric MilesJul 30, 1999

I find this album one of the most accessible of all the live Seventies stuff so far released - I liked it instantly I heard it. This is not difficult music to enjoy. Put it on and crank it up loud - a classic Miles funk groove bubbles up out of the hiss of the live recording and the distorted electric piano, and immediately you're immersed in the thick aural treacle of Miles' own particular brand of voodoo.

This is not smooth music. It is raw, earthy, confronting stuff, sometimes funky, sometimes beautiful, occasionally touching (like the brief echo from the past of 'I Fall in Love Too Easily'), but always hip, and always sexy.

A definite favourite that only gets better with repeated listenings.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Better Sound Than It's About That Time, Weaker PerformanceOct 20, 2006
By Talking Wall "Never trust a man with manicured hands"
Any fan of Miles's electric work is going to want these sets recorded at the Fillmore West about a month after It's About That Time was recorded at the Fillmore East. Apart from Miles moving off mic once or twice early on, it does sound as though the engineers are getting a handle on how to record this band live.

Miles's playing is extraordinary. He really rips it up, though it does sound like he kind of loses interest in a couple of places on the second disc. De Johnette and Holland are absolutely, positively the best rhythm section in the history of rock period. Their performances are much clearer on these sets than on the earlier Fillmore East sets. While the overall performance at the Fillmore East (that included Wayne Shorter) is markedly stronger and far more intense, De Johnette's and Holland's playing is a bit muddy - it's much cleaner here on Black Beauty. Holland is sounds fabulous on the track called Willie Nelson.

Steve Grossman's playing isn't so bad as other's have made out though it does sound a little thin after hearing Wayne Shorter blow his tenor to pieces on the Fillmore East release. Grossman is only heard on Soprano on Black Beauty. It is interesting to hear Chick encourage him on Directions, the opening track. When Grossman seems to stall, you can hear Corea chime in and start some dialog with him and get his solo moving again.

Chick's playing seems to have a lot more form on these sessions than on the other two Fillmore releases, lots of interesting stuff going on and his noodling around with the ring modulator device is kind of fun and spaced-out.

Airto's playing is also a lot easier to hear in the mix on this release than his playing on the earlier concert.

If I could rate this 4.5 stars I would because the earlier Fillmore East sets are so much stronger... they were downright savage. Black Beauty is still very good, it just isn't as good as It's About That Time despite its superior sound. Buy only after you purchase It's About That Time - Live at the Fillmore East.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Jazz RageFeb 08, 2006
By directions "neuralbuddhist"
Its About That Time documents the first appearence of Miles during a rock concert (he had been adding electronic elements live since 1968) but Black Beauty is on equal footing (even though it lacks Wayne Shorter) because it sounds more self assured. By this time Miles had decided he definitely want to appeal to a rock audience and rock out (in a free jazz kind of way) during his concerts, not because some producer manipulated him into it (as the many myths go)but because he wanted to make jazz that would reach out to the popular arena as well, not just a quiet, sit down audience at a jazz club. I don't have as much against Steve Grossman's playing as some reviewers. Sure, on this concert he's new but Miles' bands was all about recruiting new and young talent (remember Tony Williams started in his band at 17)and preparing them for their own careers. Miles playing is rock steady and assured even when he stops briefly for a standard. This was right before the easy availibility of synths in a live setting. However, Chick Corea more than makes up for it by connecting his Fender Rhodes (a legendary jazz electric piano) to a ring modulator and getting weird, disturbing squawks of feedback at a time when he was not afraid to take chances (near to his membership in the free jazz group Circle with Anthony Braxton). Frankly Miles was the one who made this possible. Miles was not a fan of free jazz but his live performances during the electric era were basically free jazz but still managed to remain melodic. He pushed all the members of his band to greater heights and encouraged them to take chances. This concert has to be taken as a whole and in that sense it completely works. Things only got freakier from there.

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