Ornette Coleman Music

Conspiring monster bugs. . .ejaculating typewriters. . .inter-zone intrigue. . .
As a statement on addiction--interesting.
As a statement on writing--interesting.
As entertainment--duh?
Well-acted, well-made, but just, at times, so flat-out weird that it makes it, well--not enjoyable.

this here criterion collection two dvd set of cronenberg's Naked Lunch is fantastic--the film is fully clear and digitized, and the amazing soundtrack (in part by jazz great ornette coleman) is crisp and clear (i'd also highly recommend checking out the soundtrack to the film)--as is the general sound of the film as well.

the film is its own naked lunch, which has syncretized more or less the exposition (and leaving some narrative vestiges) of the book with a largely biographical elaboration on burrough's life-events--running somewhat linear to the writing of the book. the movie is really, when we get down to it, about naked lunch--about how it was written. this should be self-evident in the film--the ruse of the 'agent' being writing the book. he is not in interzone (which wears tangiers' clothes) but rather still in new york. this is evidenced in that the resturant burroughs and cloquet visit in new york is also analogous to the interior of the apartment of the americans in tangiers. etc. it's a shame they spared some of the most 'compelling' scenes of the book, yet i can appreciate one saying that they are absolutely unfilmable--or at least 'reprehensible' as to capture them on film and show them to an audience (Hassan's Rumpus Room comes to mind).

though, moreover any of this, the dvd set is very well worth it. and if you are considering to buy it--do so.

This is a film that leaves you disoriented, at least disoriented. A writer can only become a writer when all limits and all no matter how light and slight ethical definitions have been flushed down the toilet of our minds. The women he wants he kills and the women he does not want are men and the men he wants he gives them to some barbarian as so many sacrificial victims. Frankly who is speaking of repressed homosexuality? Here we reach a maximum that cannot easily be imitated and equaled. The writer needs to get high on something to get de-blocked, un-blocked, moving. He gets high on terminating powder that kills cockroaches, which is normal since we are speaking of a repressed cock-lover, or on all kinds of other powders and essences derived from all kinds of other caterpillars or centipedes or millipedes or million-pedes, you want it you have it. What's more that experience leads him to some creative paradise in northern Africa, speaking of politically correct that is a record of incorrectness. And then the next stage is some kind of police state that looks like some kind of gulag camp in which you can only enter if you kill a woman in front of the guards. Then the bug-typing-machines are nicely quaint today in the time of word-processors and computers. What's left after these 110 minutes? The vision of a decadent totally corrugated and disjointed if not dys-functioning world that does not have one iota of truth in it but that is not even attractive. In other words never ever ever become a writer. It is slavery, alienation and it leads to the most criminal side-effects that have nothing special in them.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

If you're not a fan of the absurd, surreal, or bizarre, you will not like this. But if you are, Cronenberg created a genre defining film with "Naked Lunch." It is every bit as Bohemian as Borroughs intended, and every bit as nightmarish, as you expext from Cronenberg. In this story, the main character's art and addictions manifest physically and begin to control him in ways he couldn't imagine.... Excellant!

FYI- If you read the commentary by William S. Borroughs, included in the insert, it will make you appreciate Cronenberg's vision 10 fold!

This has been a long time favorite movie of mine. Based on the equally strange book written by William S. Burroughs, this movie will make you feel as though you are hallucinating. The plot centers around drugs and homosexuality, so if these things offend you, you probably won't enjoy it much. I think the two most disturbing parts of the movie, for me, were Kiki dying, and the arabic typewriter sex scene. Very strange stuff. Highly recommended to people looking for an intelligent, mind bending movie. This one is a modern classic.

This is a fine addition to your Ornette or Soundtrack library. Certainly a treat for Coleman fans; The slow moody pace never hinders the King of Free from offering up a fresh life-giving performance. Ornette stays with the easy pace adding his superior, cutting, sometimes jumpy alto sound to the relaxed background score. I love this soundtrack! It's a Free Jazz-Minimalist-Movie Theme bit of sweetmeat. Yummmm!

Seeing how I LOVED the movie, I was expecting a lot from the soundtrack. In the movie, it works just fine, but on CD I wanted music from the movie as well as something else to make it interesting. For example they should have included some timeless movie quotes inside the songs or in between the songs. And I would have liked to see more traditional music of Morocco put forth in the mix to take you into the world of Interzone, instead of in just one or two songs. There is a lot of spooky orchestral work by Howard Shore as well as avant-guard jazz from Ornette Coleman. As time went by, I found myself listening to this a lot more; it works just fine as background music. I have to say my disappointment comes from me having other expectations.

I saw the movie which was terribly boring except for the music.(Later I tried the original story but I...couldn't finish it.Anyway,I didn't like it ,either.)That was my first encounter with Ornette Coleman. I had known about him but never listened to his music before.I got ashamed of it. Why had I been neglecting him?Then I began listening.Now I have many of his albums.I like him when he was with Don Cherry the best, but this remains my favorite,still.Dark and moody...well,maybe somewhat fragmentary.(Most songs don't last 3 minutes.)But his music is fragmentary by nature anyway.This format even suites him,Iguess. And it is the composer who set the stage.Great collaboration! It can be a good introduction to Ornette's music.And if you are an Ornette fan already,why don't you listen to this? You'll love this.

Excellent soundtrack by Howard Shore featuring Ornette Coleman. The music is extremely moody, and not easy to focus on. In the film, the music often seems to be coming from the apartment next door, almost as natural sounds. Music has a beat generation feel to it, not a modern update. Recommended.

I've been listening to this work since it was first available. I'm just now reviewing it though. This was one of those CDs that goes in the player and doesn't come out for a long time. It is just fascinating. This is an absolutely brilliant work from Shore featuring Ornette Coleman. I agree with the editorial reviews that one does not need the film to appreciate the soundtrack. Although, I do really like the film too.

I am a big fan of Ornette Coleman. It is difficult to compare this work with other Coleman work because the setting is o different. Coleman's soloing, and the use of his soloing, is insipred. In fact, that is a great way to describe this work - inspired (now I have a title for my review). Inspired by what? Burroughs, Naked Lunch, Cronenberg? I would love to know more about that.

this is perhaps the weekest output of coleman. the pieces have a short song format and are polished to easy-listening radio style. it?s not that the themes are not good, but it?s not prime time?s best afford. listen to "dancing in your head" and "body meta", these are excellent, prime time at its?s best!

i have the lp issue of this and consider it to be ornette's best work, period. prime time or classic quartet. when o when will this be reissued on american cd?

This is a great studio session of Ornette Coleman, with Prime Time, his double quartet at that time.

It was a great thing to behold in concert. This recording captures the magic of the double quartet backing one of the great innovators of our time.

In music school, I learned about how all music comes from Bach. This music does not come from Bach. This music comes from Ornette Coleman. I prefer it to that Bach stuff. And most other stuff too. Great album cover too.

Why hasn't this been reissued? This is the best of Ornette's early Prime Time recordings. "Dancing in your head" lacks some depth, "Body Meta" is almost unlistenable, "Virgin Beauty" is beautiful, but a little bland. "Of Human Feelings" is a fully realized vision of free jazz-funk fusion. Every time I listen to it, it seems better.

While sonically the record falls short of documenting the sonic hurricane that Prime Time was, it is full of marvelous tunes and ridiculously (and that's good thing) inspired playing. A somewhat undersung masterpiece by the great visonary Ornette is.

While sonically the record falls short of documenting the sonic hurricane that Prime Time was, it is full of marvelous tunes and ridiculously (and that's good thing) inspired playing. A somewhat undersung masterpiece by the great visonary Ornette is.