 |  | Pure unadulterated NFAK at his best- |  |
The very first track Too Karemi Man Kamina Barda Am may be the purest, best thing Nusrat and company ever did. It alone is worth the price of the double cd set.
It embodies sufi devotion and spiritual intoxication. Thank God Michael Brooks did not get his paws on these tracks- for those who disagree, I submit without any 'Imho' that those folks don't "get" what NFAK was and is about....it transcends religions, cultures- Simple vocals accompanied by handclaps, handmade drums- the harmonium is likely the only thing that couldn't have been used thousands of years ago.....
July 2, 2005| | | A Sufi is at his peak just before dying... | |
A Sufi is at his peak just before dying as death does not imply the end of the line to him, but the meeting with the Beloved. Among the tracks included in this final recording there is one dedicated to Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti, who was the most important Sufi living on the subcontinent of Indo-Pakistan. What makes this recording so valuable are the translations of all the songs and the printed original (sometimes in) Persian text. If you compare the printed Persian text with the handwritten text of Nusrat himself, you can see that they differ a little bit and that he of course follows the handwritten text.
There are several cd's of Nusrat which are without importance from the Sufi point of view as they would never be used in the musical meetings of the Sufis. This selection could however be used during the so-called sama' meetings of the Sufis. Perhaps it would be thus that in a real Sufi musical gathering less ornamentation would be appropriate and of course in such a place the qawwal is not the centre of attention, but nevertheless this selection is quite good!
Siraj
August 16, 2004| | | Nusrat at the top of his game | |
I bought this wondering whether his ultimate recording sessions would yield a feeble product and reveal him to be in ill health and poor spirits. I couldn't have been farther from the truth. This is without a doubt one of the most energetic, uptempo, intense and monstrous recordings he ever put forth. His ensemble was never tighter; the tabla player is entirely sympathetic and always appropriate but capable beyond comprehension, the harmonium constantly by his side with every sudden new direction Nusrat takes the group into, and his supporting singers always match him but never overshadow. His voice is strong, and he was just as capable of belting as he ever had been, though he does show restraint at times. The production is perfect: every element occupies a different section of the frequency spectrum, and the ambience is entirely dry, which provides for an immediate, up close recording. Rick Rubin did a fine job of knowing how to capture his group shiningly without any gimmicks. Of all his albums that he released, this is the traditional set that I will return to and listen to most often. Awe inspiring.
February 5, 2004don't listen to the guy below; the vocals are all excellent. it's a very warm and intimate recording. I've listened to many of his recordings and this is as strong an outing as you will find ... the recording studio was a very large open room full of indian rugs. so everyone is sitting very comfortably on pillows or rugs. the tabla player rocks! having I believe 6 second level or backup or side singers makes for some very cool sounds...you can pick up in alot of spots how much they are following nusrat's lead and there are absolutely no [...] ups. just alot of changing gears... and thankfully this is 'live in the studio' so no annoying applause....I especially like how the songs end with the singers just winding down like they are running out of air and they must just slump over at the end and rest because of the great amount of energy released from the 14 to 17 minute length of the songs in many of his live recordings in the u.s the audience is applauding before the songs are actually over...only in america folks...which only proves they were not really listening to what was being sung... whether they actually understood the words is of secondary importance whether you find this one new or used its worth it
February 12, 2003Being a big fan of Nusrat's, I have listened to many of his recordings. Many have been brilliant, but i cannot say the same about this one. The album contains very meaningful and emotional songs, as well as religious. However, they are not very good as far as Nusrat's voice goes. The title is 'The Final Studio Recordings', so I asume that they were recorded during the end of Nusrat's career and life. Therefore, he was in ill health. This explains they poor quality of voice. But obviously it does not matter, the Ustad has proved what he had to, the fact that he WAS the BEST!
July 16, 2002More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(7 reviews)