Cheap Zero Tolerance for Silence (Music) (Pat Metheny) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Zero Tolerance for Silence

zero tolerance for noise
i had read in multiple reviews throughout the internet that this album was metheny's most experimental album. i was super stoked. i dug his stuff with ornette coleman on song x and i was very into his album with derek bailey (though i'm glad their collaboration was a one time thing because bailey is simply better on his own). i like his experimental side alot more than anything else he does, i can't deny that. "faith healer" from trio live is even my favorite pat metheny song, but when i got this album, i was very disappointed.

don't get me wrong, i absolutely love this style of music, just not the way pat does it. i am a sun ra fanatic and i'll listen to about any free jazz or improvised anything within the human hearing range, but this was just too unfocused.

it sounds as though metheny was listening to a few albums from the japanese noise scene, maybe side 2 from john frusciante's niandra lades and usually just a t-shirt (which is very beautiful and highly recommended if you can find it; definitely not red, hot, chili, or peppery in any way, just great, soulful music), some sun ra, and a whole lot of derek bailey and decided to try it himself. you can tell he recorded the album in a few hours max with just a guitar and one amp setting (a very thin, displeasing tone that does not resemble his signature sound in any way, but is instead spiked with heavy distortion) and laid down a ton of noise-oriented overdubs. there is no accompaniment besides the overdubs and even those share very little sonic relation to anything else going on throughout any of the movements. this is definitely an album which rides the thin, blurry line between genius and crap. i sincerely feel that while metheny is a true genius of our time, the album is straight crap. there are a few moments where the noise comes through with a sense of sheen brilliance (especially in part 5 when he breaks out with "the roots of coincidence" and an acoustic guitar) and some of the arrangements emerge as being very clever in a childlike, innocent sort of way. overall, it may be worth a listen, but definitely not your money.

the bottome line: there are many people who can play this music with great success, however, pat metheny is not one of them.

Pat's Version of Shock-Rock!!!
Those looking for Pat Metheny's trademark brand of elevator music should be warned before buying this album. This is Pat Metheny like you've never heard him before in a full-frontal noise assault which will make one wonder if this is even the same artist who made such mellow masterpieces like "Still Life (Talking)". It certainly is. "Zero Tolerance for Silence" is a single 39-minute composition in five parts. Part 1 is 18 minutes worth of pure distortion overdubbed multiple times. The track is also littered with disjointed jabbing guitar phrases which pop up between the heavy-layered sonic assaults. Part 2 is a bit more melodic and moves into a blues-based round. Parts of this track reminded me of John McLaughlin and early King Crimson. Part 3 is more disjointed guitar riffs and overall has a very dark feel to it. Part 4 is a standout consisting of a blues-rock riff with multiple parts added to it as the piece progresses. Think of Steve Reich meeting Robert Fripp meeting Lynyrd Skynyrd and you've pretty much got the idea. The final part is the only section of this album which includes acoustic guitar. The contrast and interplay between the electric and acoustic guitar is quite startling. It's almost as if two different pieces of music are being played at the same time together. It is quite beautiful but yet very haunting. "Zero Tolerance For Silence" was only released as a limited edition and as far as I know, it is now out-of-print. However, it is worth it to find a copy. Pat has shown his more-agressive side before but never to the extent on this album. His collaboration with Derek Bailey "The Sign of 4" comes pretty darn close though. If you can find a copy of "Zero Tolerance..", get it. You won't be disappointed. You'll just be surprised.