A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and the Byrds), while initiating a series of volatile, unruly prayer offerings, including Kulu Su Mama, Ascension, Om, Meditations, Expression, Interstellar Space. From the urgent speech-like timbre of his tenor, to the serpentine textures and earthy groove of Elvin Jones's drumming, Coltrane's suite proceeds with escalating intensity, conveying a hard-fought wisdom and a beckoning serenity in the prayer-like drones of "Psalm," where Jones rolls and rumbles like thunder as Garrison and Tyner toll away suggestively--all the while Coltrane searches for that one climactic note worthy of the love he wants to share. --Chip Stern

2009-05-23 -- 5/5:: More Than A Jazz Album
Coltrane's, "A Love Supreme", is more than a jazz album its a spiritual journey or as Coltrane had said, " A Love Supreme is a gift to God". There are only four tracks, "Acknowledgement" ,"Reseloution", "Pursuance", and "Pslam". The album is only 32 minutes but is still a timeless classic that can be listened to over and over and over again and it still will captivate and influence you. Being for its short length, "A Love Supreme", allows you to hear John Coltranes spiritual journey and lets you hear his gift to God. A Love Supreme was and still is pure genius and was a jazz album that was way ahead of its time and it still is ahead of its time, never has there been a jazz album realesed that has sounded remotely close to the pieces heard on this album. Also its influence has been widespread not just to the jazz community but also to rock muscians like, Carlos Santana, and Bono of U2. Sadly though we never did get to hear Coltrane make more albums like this as he died of liver cancer at the age of 40 with plans of becoming a monk. A Love Supreme is classic, beautiful, definitive, spiritual, timeless, and did I mention pure genius. A Love Supreme is an essential album for anyone who likes to listen to music to listen too on the face of this planet. So what are you waiting for go out an pick up this album and blast this album and let it change your life.

2009-05-06 -- 4/5:: No going back
4 1/2

Often considered this legendary player's best and generally cited as one of the overall greatest recordings of all time, ALS undoubtedly represents Coltrane and his excellent crew at their early avant-garde best (easily argued as a favorite period), of which this blisteringly brief output suggested a spiritual threshold, compositionally crossed, that could never be rescinded. It's not quite perfect although at only three taut tracks the quartet seems at a precise alignment between excess and restraint to promote such holy themes, parlaying the album into an experience unique to his dense catalog.

2009-05-04 -- 2/5:: Gad-a-mighty
I've always been astounded by the reputation of this album. As you can see in these written reviews, as well as Amazon's (and many other) editorial reviews in jazz publications over the last 40 years, it is hyped as perhaps the "greatest jazz album of all time". I truly love John Coltrane, but I do not think this is his best work, much (much) less the greatest of anything. I would take the masterpiece that is "Ballads", or the absurdly over-qualified (I mean that in the best sense) "Giant Steps", or even "Crescent" as candidates for any greatest lists, if you must (or the terrific albums with Duke or Monk). It would be easy for me just to say I don't get it, except that I do get Coltrane in the main. Why do people go ape-shucks over this album? Historical precedent? Zeitgeist? In a way, it's kind of encouraging that a relatively free, relatively less accessible work of anybody should receive such laud and approval. I like the theory of that. But I wonder if there are people who would listen to this as their first exposure and say, "That's Coltrane? Wow, I guess I just don't get it." But if you played them any of 50 other Trane albums they'd say just the opposite. Well, I'll never know. I write this review simply so others whose first listening experience might be bent towards this album try something else. Listen with your own ears, not those of the reviewers. This guy put out some mighty stuff. For me this ain't it.

2009-03-10 -- 5/5:: wow-just-wow
I've been a jazz listener 95% of my life. My parents were listeners and this predominated most of my listening.

I have heard pieces of this MASTERPIECE more than enough times through my life time to know that I truly love this CD.

Coltrane out did himself with this and I am proud to be an owner of both the vinyl and CD. "Acknowlegement" is the name of the first song on this CD and he start the music off with the quintesencial ringing of the gong in "D" I believe. This prepares the listener for what is yet to come. The song directly following is very appropriately names "Pursuance", which is apparent in the style which he plays. The CDs makes it apparent that Coltrane really had reached the zenith of his career.

Anyone that doesn't like this CD well all I can say is, listen again just to be sure you've not missed something.

2009-01-28 -- 5/5:: How dare you give less than 5 stars!
What can I say that hasn't been said already? This guy is a genius and way ahead of his time. People didn't understand him then and most don't get him now. For the few of those who do get John Coltrane, what a sheer joy. The one word I use to describe "A Love Supreme" is passion. There aren't too many people that have had that much passion for anything. John Coltrane bears his soul to put this work of art together.

I read some of the 1-2 star reviews and guys trust me I understand what you are going through. A lot of Coltrane's stuff was difficult for me to listen to when I was starting out. Now my ear is mature enough and what I first considered to be noise is now some of the most beautiful sounds ever created. Be patient.