wrapped up their contract with / with 1971's and around that time they also went their separate ways, leaving a free agent. News of this eventually worked its way from Texas to New York, where, upon hearing the news, co-owner immediately signed to his label, offering the maverick musician a chance to make a freewheeling, star-studded, big-budget record. and a few friends, notably and the rhythm section of bassist and drummer , headed up to New York to cut a record helmed by and and featuring , , and as support. They recorded a lot of material -- more than enough for two albums, though only one was initially released as in early 1973. As the album began its inauspicious run on the charts -- though it was heavily touted, it stalled at 125 on the Billboard charts (on the upside, it's a better showing than any other solo project, yet that's because no other charted) -- entered a studio in San Francisco with the usual suspects to cut another round of songs adopting the same sound, yet streamlining it slightly. These, along with some leftovers from , were released toward the end of 1973 as . And with that, 's career at came to an end. continued to record, of course, making wonderful music until his death in 1999, but those sessions weighed heavily in his discography, since they were the one time that he worked with a big budget and had a real push by a major label. At the time, some critics called this 's sellout, but as the years have passed, this complaint seems a little off the mark, since neither nor sound like pandering to a wide audience -- they sound as if seized the opportunity to showcase all sides of his musical skills, indulging in style-specific excursions in ways that he couldn't quite do in the context of and their smaller budgets for . This is apparent on both the proper albums, but it really comes through on 's tremendous 2003 release . Though it isn't officially billed as "The Complete Sessions," it's as close to that as could likely be assembled, containing no less than 19 unreleased tracks (including four alternate takes) along with the two albums over the course of a double-disc, 42-track collection. This isn't combing the vaults for scraps that rabid fans will devour -- these are songs that not only hold their own with the original albums but illuminate them, revealing the depth and breadth of 's musicality. Together, the two albums and outtakes play as a piece, as a gigantic quadruple album, but it's also true that 's music always played as a piece; once he established his sound early on with , he never strayed from it, but rather found ways to elaborate and expand it, often by returning to its roots. Since he recorded so much music in such a concentrated time for illustrates this more than any proper ten- or 12-track album, since it captures both his unique blend of and the times that he untangled them and did pure tunes. In this context, the big-band crooning on which sounds so disarming as the second song on , sounds natural, since there's a context for it, sounding like another aspect of his multi-dimensional musical personality. But it's not just the casual freewheeling eclecticism that makes this music such a joy -- it's the very nature of these big-band, all-star sessions, the very thing that was criticized upon the initial release of . There may be a lot of musicians on these tracks, particularly those 1972 New York sessions that make up the bulk of these two discs, but they never overpower 's personality. Instead, they're celebrating it, fitting into his groove, whether it's turning out a solo or lending gloriously ragged harmonies. Everybody is clearly having a good time throughout the sessions, and while the New York sessions are light on originals, that's part of the glory of the recordings, too, since warhorses like are remade in his vision, as are idiosyncratic gems like 's 's semi-autobiographical travelogue This is as strong a testament to 's music as the tremendous originals that form , whose second side alone ranks among his finest writing. This may not be the very best music ever cut -- his work was so consistent and so much of it excellent that it's as easy to argue for , or several other LPs as it is for this -- but this easily ranks among his very best, and it holds a special place within his winding discography, particularly in this double-disc incarnation, which is arguably the best place to hear the full range of his musical skills. And that's what makes essential, despite it's limited-edition nature, not just for hardcore fans, but for anybody who loves American music, because it rarely comes better than this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine