Buddy Miles is one of the most underrated musicians that have ever played with any musical giant. He has played with Santana and Jimi Hendrix.
But he also had a solo career in which he did exceptional work.
This greatest hits CD presents most of his talents
that he recorded under the mercury label.
It's difficult to actually pigeonhole which genre he belongs in, soul, jazz, rock,funk, R&B
even though there is a few songs that can be classified as 'classic rock'
(Neil Young's Down by the River, and Gregg Allman's Dreams)
Buddy plays them with a distinct style and rhythm.
I don't think though that this compilation gives justice to the great drummer, it seems to be too short. But if you really like Buddy Miles I recommend Buddy Miles Live But, I'm not quite sure if they have released it on CD (It was originally a 2 record set)
Don't get me wrong though this CD is an excellent choice if you like the
Band of Gypsies live album or Electric Ladyland, you will love this.
1.'Train' an excellent soul song that encompasses everything that is Buddy Miles.
This song also displays Buddy's excellent vocals.
5/5
2.'Miss Lady' another soul/blues song that is utterly amazing. This song will tell you who Buddy Miles really is a driving song with powerful emotions. Jimi Hendrix himself produced this song for Buddy. 5/5
3. '69 Freedom Special' is another song Jimi Hendrix produced, this song gives you an idea how solid of a foundation Buddy Miles' drumming can be.5/5
4.'Texas' this is a slower more bluesy song than the others, that can really suck you in.5/5
5.'Them Changes' is a song from another pretty good Miles album with the same title (Them changes). It's a fast paced soul song that again showcases Miles' talent. 4/5
6.'Dreams' is a cover of the Gregg Allman song that definitely does the original song justice. It has kind of more of a funk sound than the original though. 4/5
7.'Memphis Train' this is a more James Brown-ish song. Pure funk with riveting emotions. It does sound similar to previous songs though. 3/5
8.'Runaway Child (little miss nothin')' really brings out the horns, and the drums create an infectious groove that could last forever. 5/5
9.'We got to live together' is actually on Band of Gypsies (Miles wrote it) and I think I prefer that version to this. The trumpets seem to be too dominant to create a solid track.
3/5
10.'Joe Tex' is a really good song that I think is incomparable to any of the other songs off the album. It is one of my favorites. 5/5
11.'Don't keep me Wonderin'' is a refreshing song that songs more or less like a funk/soul kind of sound. But this song starts to get repetitious. 4/5
12.'Midnight Rider' is a very well put together song that stands alone as one of the best songs off the album. 5/5
13.'Wholesale Love' is an excellent soul song that brings Buddy's drum playing into the spotlight. 4/5
14. 'Down by the River (Live)' is a lengthy soul ballad that concludes this wonderful album. This song makes the whole album shine. 5/5
This greatest hits CD is excellent as a sample for Buddy Miles' brilliant career.
If you like this album go deeper into his catalog, you won't be disappointed.
Sorry this review was a little long.
Thanks for your time.
