Tower rocks! (1 Viewer)

[Mike Broadman]

So what is your favorite one?

I love all my children equally.

However, I can say that my favorite Miles "era" is his second quintet and my favorite album from that band is Miles Smiles, so I guess that would be strong contender.

 

[KeithH]

Mike,
That's a boatload of Miles stuff in your collection! Very impressive. Thanks for the comments on Big Fun and Get Up With It. The extras interest me for sure.
By the way, I forgot to list The Complete Birth of Cool. I bought that one some months back.
Well, I don't have the Miles XRCDs yet, but Music Direct has them on sale for $22 right now. I saw that in a catalog that I received last week. You won't find them for less than that. This might be the time to grab them.
Steven,
Thanks. My collection isn't too bad, but my Miles wantlist is extensive. As I said, all in time.
I would concur with Mike regarding Jazz at the Plaza. I have both the remastered CD and SACD (just realized that I forgot to list it in the earlier post), and I am glad that Sony released it. It's not an audiophile's dream by any stretch, but it gives a sense of "history". I like that. Not every release has to be a perfect studio recording.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Keith, thanks for the notice re: the (relatively) cheap XRCDs. If I keep my job and get my new credit card, I will order them for sure. I really want Bags Groove. Man, I love that album.
The sound quality of the Plaza album is why I see it as an odd choice for SACD. But I will point this out: though Miles' most famous and popular album is Kind of Blue, there really are no other major recordings of that particular lineup (Cobb, Chambers, Kelly (and sometimes Evans), 'Trane, Cannonball). The only other albums that feature this lineup are Jazz at the Plaza, '58 Sessions, and the Newport '58 live CD.
If they were to go with SACD releases based on sound quality, I would think the Gil Evans stuff is prime material. This has been proven with Sketches of Spain, which is, IMO, the best sounding and strongest material from that collaboration. Oddly enough, they then released Quiet Nights, which isn't a particularly good album. Why that over Porgy and Bess, which was hugely popular, or Miles Ahead?
Weren't there also murmurings of Milestones being released on SACD at one point? Now that's a huge album. And, of course, Bitches Brew would be nice.
NP: Charles Mingus, Paris Concert, 1964

 

[KeithH]

Mike, no problem. You may beat me to the XRCDs, so please post comments if you get them.
You said:

though Miles' most famous and popular album is Kind of Blue, there really are no other major recordings of that particular lineup (Cobb, Chambers, Kelly (and sometimes Evans), 'Trane, Cannonball). The only other albums that feature this lineup are Jazz at the Plaza, '58 Sessions, and the Newport '58 live CD.

I noticed that In Person: Friday Night at the Blackhawk San Francisco, Vol. 1 and In Person: Saturday Night at the Blackhawk San Francisco, Vol. 2 have Miles with Kelly, Chambers, Cobb, and Mobley. These may not be considered main albums, and this isn't the exact lineup you mentioned, but it's close. By the way, the version of "So What" on Vol. 2 is interesting, as it is a bit more peppy than the classic version on Kind of Blue.
NP: Elvis Presley ELV1S 30 #1 HITS CD ("It's Now or Never")

 

[Steven Hen]

Just got (5) Miles xrcds from music direct (Bags Groove, Walkin, Workin, Steamin and Relaxin) already have Cookin on SACD. These are my first xrcds and I am very impressed. They sound awesome but I don't have the regular cds to compare to. If you are interested in Miles xrcds, now is the time to buy. They are 20 bucks a piece from music direct if you buy 5.

Out of the 5, I think Bags Groove is my favorite so far. These discs come close to Cookin Sacd but my Cookin Sacd is still my favorite Miles disc in my collection.

Sure wish we could get more Miles on Sacd!

 

[Mike Broadman]

Out of the 5, I think Bags Groove is my favorite so far.

Are you referring to the sound quality or the music? That does happen to be a favorite of mine musically- I just really love the title track and Monk is always great.

I'd love to get those XRCDs, but money is very tight right now. I'll have to live vicariously through you guys for a while (but I'll still post a lot!).

Keith,
The quintet with Mobley is some cool music, but the band was destined to fail. Mobley simply would not have been able to keep up with where Miles was going, nor, I think, would he want to. Mobley was a straight-ahead blues man.

Yes, So What got faster shortly after Kind of Blue. And if you listen to the Plugged Nickel performances, that tune gets really quick. Miles seemed to have different pesonalities on stage and in the studio. After Kind of Blue, he got totally focused on the blowing / improv aspect of the music. It was the beginning of him shedding his image as romantic balladeer (whether on purpose or not).

 

[Steven Hen]

Are you referring to the sound quality or the music?

both. I agree, the title track is awesome and is what makes it my favorite of the bunch. For me, the best part of bags groove is Milt's vibes.

Bags Groove album is easily my second favorite Miles album after Cookin at least right now. Of course there are plenty of Miles albums that I haven't had the chance to hear, so that might change.

 

[KeithH]

Mike, good info. I like Miles' earlier quintets, as there is some classic stuff there. I love anything Miles did with Coltrane, and the quintet with Mobley cooked as well. However, I prefer Miles' later work with Hancock, Zawinul, and gang overall. I simply never tire of Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way. Still, I could listen to any Miles title all day long.
The faster version of "So What" is nice change from the version on Kind of Blue. The live version is very spontaneous. It is interesting to compare live and studio versions of some of Miles' classics. As a jazz musician, I would have to believe that Miles preferred live performances to work in the studio. Both gave him a creative outlet, of course, but I would think he preferred jamming, and live performances lend themselves to that more than does the studio (unless the musicians are just "screwing around" during breaks). Just my thoughts on the subject.

 

[Mike Broadman]

That's true for many, if not most, jazz musicians. But I don't know with Miles- after all, with the second quintet (Shorter, et al), all the studio stuff was new material yet almost none of it was played live. Seems odd to me.

Steven, if you're diggin' Milt w/ Miles, keep an eye out for the Quintet/Sextet album, particularly the DCC gold disc.

NP: Beethoven 1st and 2nd Symphonies, DVD-A

 

[Steven Hen]

What is a DCC gold disc? I've never heard any gold discs before, heck just yesterday I learned what an xrcd is!

At music direct those gold cds can be very expensive, are they worth it?

 

[KeithH]

Steven, back in the '80s and '90s, it became quite popular for companies to issue "audiophile-quality" versions of classic titles on gold CDs. The use of gold, in my opinion, is just window dressing. Aluminum can degrade through oxidation, but that is only an issue if it becomes exposed through the protective polycarbonate layers becoming compromised. Still, some people make the argument that the gold makes the CDs more robust over the long term. Whatever. The main draw with the gold discs is the sound quality. In most cases, the companies went back to the original master tapes (which was not always done for the release of the standard versions on CD) and mastered them to CD with ultimate care and precision. The results were often the best-sounding CDs available at the time (and in some cases, still the best).
Three major companies releasing these gold CDs were DCC, or Digital Compact Classics, MFSL, or Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, and Sony. The talent behind the DCC discs was Steve Hoffman. Hoffman released many classic rock and jazz titles on the DCC label, both on CD and vinyl, but DCC went out of business in 2001. Steve Hoffman now works for Analogue Productions, which is part of the music dealer, Acoustic Sounds (www.acousticsounds.com). Hoffman is now working on SACDs, including titles from Creedence Clearwater Revival. For more on Hoffman's current efforts, go to www.stevehoffman.tv .
The original MFSL closed its doors in late 2000. Before doing so, it released numerous outstanding versions of classic rock and jazz titles on CD, vinyl, and even cassette. Also, MFSL released one SACD (actually an SACD/CD hybrid) just before closing down -- Duke Ellington Blues in Orbit. MFSL is back now, but in a different form. The music dealer, Music Direct (www.amusicdirect.com), has resurrected the MFSL name, but the new label is quite different than the original. The original MFSL released titles of many big-name rock and jazz artists, but it seems as though the current incarnation of MFSL is catering strictly to the audiophile. Thus far, the new MFSL has turned out a handful of hybrid SACDs, with most of them being Patricia Barber titles. I have read that the owner of Music Direct is Barber's husband, but I do not know if this is true.
Sony released a number of its top rock and jazz titles on gold CDs in what it called its MasterSound series. I believe some of the early discs might have been released by CBS before Sony took over the Columbia label, but do not quote me. In any event, these gold CDs used Sony's SBM, or Super Bit-Map, processing. Sony is using this technology on its readily available remastered CDs of rock and jazz titles now.
The gold CDs from DCC, MFSL, and Sony are long out-of-print. That coupled with the notion that many of these discs still represent the best-sounding digital versions of these titles make them highly desirable to audiophiles and music enthusiasts. As a result, many of these discs command high prices. I have seen used copies of the MFSL version of Pink Floyd The Wall sell for $150-200 on eBay.
I have a number of these gold CDs, and most of them are still great by today's standards. However, in some cases, remastered discs from the record labels sound as good or better than the gold CDs. As I said above, the gold CDs were released in the '80s and '90s and used the best technology available at the time. In some cases, remastered discs coming from the major record labels are being done with better technology and, apparently, with great care. That is not to say that the gold CDs are obsolete. However, in some cases, I prefer the current remasters from the record labels. An example is the new remaster of Supertramp Breakfast in America. I feel is surpasses the MFSL gold CD. Finally, some titles released on gold CDs have recently come out on SACD. These SACDs greatly surpass the sound quality of the gold CDs. Still, many of the gold CDs beat any currently available digital versions.

 

[Steven Hen]

Thanks Keith for your indepth explanation!

 

[KeithH]

Steven, no problem. Glad to help.