Search - Miles Davis :: The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions

A caveat

Michael St John | St. Paul, MN | 10/30/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A word of warning: the set does not contain the "complete" album sessions, as the title indicates. Nothing extra from the August '69 sessions that produced the album is included here, although the liner notes refer to rehearsal tapes that still exist. All of the extra material included is from unrelated sessions led by Miles in the following winter, when Miles introduced a sitar into his band and worked mostly on open-ended, spacey slow jams, which people today would call "ambient" music. Apparently, most reviewers here are not put off by this fact. After all, the music from the original album is incredible and now sounds better than ever; and you may find the later ambient experiments involving the sitar as fascinating as they do.I just can't help feeling disappointed that the box does not deliver what the title promises. The tape was rolling for everything, the notes say, and yet... we get to hear nothing but the masters from the sessions that actually produced the album. I was hoping for insight into how the music of B*Brew came together (as Box 5 in the series does for In A Silent Way), and the notes tease us with stories about key little moments in the studio; but, although Bob Belden and Michael Cuscuna apparently thought these moments were interesting enough to discuss in the notes, they share none of these tapes with us.Five stars for the music from the original album. Take away one star for the misleading title, and another because the extra material is less interesting to me. Unless you're a fanatic for Miles, and must hear everything he did, then the 2-CD reissue of the original album is probably a better bang for your buck. It has the same great remastered sound, and even comes with "Feio" as a bonus track. If you got that and the reissue of Big Fun, you'd have all the major cuts from this set except for "Corrado" and "Guinevere.""

*****ESSENTIAL*****

AfSucSker | 11/30/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In addition to this 4 disc box set, I own the 2cd original. There are many reasons why owning this box set is important, even if you have the original. Most importantly: THE SOUND. The overall sound of the music on the set is almost 100% better. It is no longer murky, the drums and bass are actually audible(!), and you can hear things that you simply can't hear on the original.The music breathes at last!.Almost as important as the sound, are the un-released tracks. As a guitar player, I don't feel that the original Bitches Brew displays (guitarist)John's chaotic and beautifull guitar playing as well as it should. With the new tracks that is definitely not the case! They are full of skillfull Fuzz-tone guitar that would make Hendrix proud! Now, don't get me wrong, the musicianship of everyone else on the album's un-released tracks is beautifully executed as well.Keep in mind that this is one of the most controversial albums there has ever been(In Jazz especially!). It's a piece of history and this set helps to put Miles' puzzle together(through the new sound and tracks).Last but not least, the amazing and stunning packaging doesn't hurt it one bit. The new liner notes are insightfull and shed new light on the music.So if you are a fan of Miles(and have some extra cash), get this, it won't dissapoint!*Oh yeah, anybody who loves this as much as me, please e-mail me so we can talk about it"

You Gots To Get This ...

Michael St John | 08/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, you should get this rather than the 2CD version. I'll admit there is a little stuff on here that's "filler", where not much is happening. But not very much. The tracks which were issued on subsequent releases over the years (when Miles was still alive by the way) namely "Guenniviere", "Great Expectations", "Lonely Fire", "Orange Lady" demand to be heard. They are actually a bit heavier than the tracks on "Bitches Brew", which were the first tracks cut. Now, you could buy them as part of "Directions", "Circle In The Round", and "Big Fun", but I think you're better served getting them in this package. That way you get the previously unreleased pieces - which are rather heavy also! The fact that they stayed unreleased all that time, that there were more secret treasures to be unearthed from those sessions, is amazing. To dig something up unheard in 30 years and for it to sound fresh and gripping ... The newly released tracks are generally skeletal and/or spacey. Some of them, written by Zawinul & Shorter, clearly serve as the ancestor to Weather Report.Much of modern music aspires to the sense of etherial groove present in this music. It's beautiful and perfect. I've been listening to it for 15 years now and I'm as into the music today as I ever was. Miles was an artist of the highest caliber, and this is a peak era of his."