As I own a copy of this edition...
monkey_soup | Geneva, Switzerland | 10/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...What can I say apart from stating the obvious - that this is a truly transcendental record that everybody should own, regardless of the genre of music they're into.
But for those already familiar with "Miles Ahead", the question is: what does this Japanese reissue have to offer?Well, like it says on the sleeve, the sound is dsd (direct stream digital) mastered - dsd is advertised as a technological innovation that apparently provides improved audio quality on optical media, and is supposed to satisfy the most demanding music lovers, who (like myself) would still rather listen to vinyl recordings. Speaking of which - my vinyl copy of "Miles Ahead" is a mono reissue, and I don't think they ever did a stereo reissue. So as far as I know (^^;), "Miles Ahead" can be heard for the first time in 'real' stereo in its [third] CD reissue only, so the vinyl vs CD controversy doesn't really apply here - not to mention that a previous Japanese CD pressing already offered "Miles Ahead" in real stereo, and this one incorporates the dsd mastering, thus taking the sound quality to the 'next level' so to speak.As if that wasn't enough, this pressing includes 4 bonus tracks (taken from the Miles & Gil Evans Box Set). There is however one small mistake - track 12 is not 'Blues For Pablo (Alternate Take)', but actually an alternate take of 'Miles Ahead', which is excellent too of course. I believe they made the same mistake on the sleeve of the US/European CD reissues.Finally, the first pressing of this "Miles Ahead" CD comes in a nice cardboard sleeve that replicates the original cover design and liner notes on the back, making it look like a miniature version of the original vinyl pressing. Not essential, but it sort of tops it off, making this CD reissue one of the finest versions of "Miles Ahead" ever."