Miles Davies
Posted by: long-time-dead on 30 September 2003
Hi to all !
I've often heard Miles Davies but I must profess that I have not got a MD recording in my collection
Which would you suggest I buy to start off......... ?
Posted on: 30 September 2003 by john rubberneck
Hi Long
Kind Of Blue ( the classic )
Stuart
Posted on: 30 September 2003 by John G.
Posted on: 01 October 2003 by Rasher
I came to jazz from rock, via 70's fusion, so naturally like Bitches Brew. Worth a try.
Posted on: 01 October 2003 by i am simon 2
My first was Bithces Brew
Like most owners of the above it sits unplayed on the shelf, but visitors think I am cool and sophisticated. I honestly cant make head nor tail of it.
Perhaps it was the wrong one to start with, but it has put me ff a little.
Simon
Posted on: 01 October 2003 by Kevin-W
I have about 85 Miles LPs at home, these are the ones I recommend:
First, you do need
Kind Of Blue
After that, you'll need
Milestones
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Ahead
ESP
In A Silent Way
Jack Johnson
Next comes
Cookin'
Workin'
Relaxin'
Porgy & Bess
Sketches Of Spain
Some Day My Prince Will Come
Live in Europe 1960 (worth the price of admission for the stunning version of "All Blues")
Nefertiti
Filles De Kilimanjaro
Miles Smiles
Bithes Brew (bombastic, unfoccussed and over-rated as far as I'm concerned but it has got "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" on it)
On The Corner (difficult but worth it - this is some of the densest, most complex music ever committed to vinyl)
Get Up With It (contains his wonderful tribute to Duke Ellington, "He Loved Him Madly" - 30 minutes of bliss)
Dark Magus
Pangea
Agharta
Ascenseur A L'Echefaud
Also worth a go:
Live Evil
Four & More
Live At The Fillmore
Big Fun
Another vital purchase is Bill Laswell's "reconstruction" of Miles late 60s/early 70s music, Panthlassa - an absolute corker; in fact the Laswell edit of "He Loved Him Madly" is better than the original.
IMO, anything after 1981 is best avoided (that year's comeback album Man With The Horn is the nadir of Miles' career) - it's all horrible Marcus Miller - style sterile funk with a few lonely trumpet parps over the top.
Happy listening
Kevin
Posted on: 01 October 2003 by j8hn
Trust me to be at odds with everyone else but...
"Sketches of Spain" should be an essential part of any music enthusiasts library.
Posted on: 01 October 2003 by long-time-dead
Well, what a lot of recommendations !!
Thanks a million
With the abundant MD recordings available, I was a little concerned that I would initially choose something I didn't really like and go off the idea of building up my collection.
I will initially buy "Kind of Blue" as it seems to be the concensus of opinion and then have great working through the rest of the list (hopefully the local library will have some available)
Once again - thanks !!
Posted on: 02 October 2003 by Markus
BTW, if you are starting to get interested in jazz, via Miles Davis, there are numerous other fine artists and performances out there.
Might I suggest:
Harold Land
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Yusef Lateef
Just to get the inevitable list started.
Kevin,
What did you do? Log onto Amazon and just copy the entire catalog? Or just remember everything that is on your shelf? Quite the complete list!
Markus
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Posted on: 02 October 2003 by long-time-dead
It's a "Kind Of Magic"
Bought Kind Of Blue when in town this afternoon - played it in the car on the journey home, at home eating dinner and now on the PC enjoying the forum !
Thanks !!!
Posted on: 02 October 2003 by maxwellspeed
quote:
Kevin,What did you do? Log onto Amazon and just copy the entire catalog? Or just remember everything that is on your shelf? Quite the complete list!
Well, I did not see any mention of
Water Babies 
Posted on: 02 October 2003 by Haroon
why youd want to buy the MD versions is beyond me - why not buy the CD/LP versions and record to MD?
Anyway my essential miles list would be:
1. Kind of Blue
2. Bitches Brew
3. Birth of the Cool
That represents three of his main musical periods and three albums of sheer genius in three different decades.
Also add
4. Sketches of Spain
5. In A Silent Way
6. On the Corner
Posted on: 02 October 2003 by long-time-dead
Haroon
Sorry to confuse you but my references to MD were not towards the little discs but to Miles Davies !
Just to clarify in case anyone else was wondering.........
Posted on: 03 October 2003 by Kevin-W
Quote from Markus
What did you do? Log onto Amazon and just copy the entire catalog? Or just remember everything that is on your shelf? Quite the complete list!
No, I do have all these, and have a pretty good memory. Actually, as well as Water Babies I also forgot Big Fun and Star People , all three of which are pretty good. Fortunately I forget all the shit 80s ones, and hey just sit on he shelves gathering dust...
If you're a fanatic, I recommend the CD box sets of complete Birth Of The Cool, Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Gil Evans, and Hancock-Shorter era sessions (most of them can be found, if you have he time and money) on vinyl on the Mosaic labels - I have the Gil Evans box on Mosaic vinyl, it's absolutely superb.
This month a CD box set is coming out of the complete Jack Johnson sessions also.
Kevin
