Customer Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF THE MUST HAVES IN JAZZ
Comment: A true jazz classic. Don't listen to ignorant jazz haters like Isjazzmummified. For him to mention that pop soprano squeler in the same paragraph with Trane is lunacy. Buy and enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: i often wonder.
Comment: i have actually met people who live without this album. whenever i think about that, i shake my head in wonder. i don't know how they do it.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: I've never understood people and Trane.
Comment: Coltrane can't play.
I'll say it upfront: I don't understand what people think of Trane. As Jazz becomes more accepted for the great things it as an artform accomplish, we have a tendancy to remain closeminded to our true criticisms of artists and tend to flow with the masses, not ourselves. I feel this is harmful to an art as a whole. Likewise, I can't stand Coltrane. His intonation is worse than Kenny G's, his tone is biting and harsh, his solos linger on forever as dribbles of practice. The mix is equally atrocious; like all Trane albums he is about four times as loud as everyone else. His compositions are melodically and rhythmically basic and uninteresting; but I do like the rest of the band. PC and Philly Joe are brilliant as always; Lee Morgan remains a gem who, like Clifford, should have lived longer; and Fuller disavows the stereotype that bones can't play. Too band Trane can't play.
I don't care he played with Miles. I don't care he could play faster than anyone. I don't care he sobered up, and then realeased even more unlistenable music. I can't stand the "Sheets of Sound". I think it sounds awful. During slow songs, Coltrane comes in at about 4x speed. I find this extremely distasteful. Rests, pauses, melodicism, tone, and phrasing - all things I feel Coltrane lacks strongly - can make a better solo than one who plays thousands of notes. Coltrane CAN do that. I dislike "Coltrane Changes". I feel they destroy rhythmic beauty in music. I strongly dislike Coltrane's playing. He has never taken a solo with strong, lifelike direction. Instead, he pummels thousands of harsh, squaky notes without concern for time. I find this album especially sterile. "Moment's Notice" may be the best tune here; but I still find most of this unlistenable. "Locomotion" is a boring series of chord progressions; destroying the feel of the piece. For the record, the only Trane album I find tolerable is Giant Steps. This is cacophony to me.
Before you get extremely pissed off that someone dare not conform to today's standard criticism of this album, remember we are in a society where freedom of speech is slowly being taken away from us. Freedom of speech allows you to love this album, and it also allows me to strongly dislike it. It should not matter I am a professional jazz musician. I still dislike Trane strongly.
I write this because I feel jazz is becoming misunderstood and considered holy, leaving people unable to write their true opinions of music. Music is a beautiful, wonderful form of art and communication, as is freedom of speech. People look down upon myself, and others who share my thoughts regarding how Trane is overrated. Realize if you force all to conform to the thoughts of the majority, artistic growth is not possible. I find that many people are afraid to take their personal views of music for fear of looking stupid.
I think this album, and Coltrane in general, sucks hard core. Listen for yourself. If you disagree, I'm still interested in knowing why I feel completely the opposite of most everyone else.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Indispensible '50s era Coltrane
Comment: Not counting his output with Miles or Monk, this is Coltranes most indispensible recording of the '50s and the only album Coltrane cut as a leader for the Blue Note label. Unlike his Prestige recordings which comprise the bulk of his work in the 1950s, Blue Train is not a loose and quickly recorded standards jam session, but an individual and more fully realized work. Coltrane composed all the music except for the Jerome Kern/Johnny Mercer standard I'm Old Fashioned, and wow, what a difference! Blue Train is so much better than his Prestige recordings. Coltrane and company are given the opportunity to take flight and they do. The playing is funky, swinging, powerfully emotional, and oftimes stellar. With a supporting cast of a teenaged Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano and the Miles Davis rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and the redoubtable Philly Joe Jones, my favorite drummer of the '50s, how could Blue Train be anything short of amazing? If you're a fan of Coltrane or swinging hard bop, buy this thing now.
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Summary: i listen to jazz cd's diffently from regular cd's...
Comment: since jazz is a universe completely unto itself...i think it would be ridiculous to pick out a favorite song or songs. it's best to just listen to a jazz album as a unit. i have always loved coltarne. he ranks up with miles and billie as one of the greats of all time. even people who don't know much about jazz, know who coltane is. i was especially impressed with philly " joe " jones drumming on the cd. man, the things he can do with a pair of drumsticks. like miles, trane always had great personell working with him. him and the band feed off each other. get this.
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