What was the first Miles Davis record in your collection?

[Big Al]

I'm pretty sure it was Aura. How's THAT for an inauspicious introduction to the man's music?

[Cali]

KoB. First time I heard Trane's solo on SO WHAT was a life changing experience. Previously had been into LockJaw on those COOKBOOK LPs. When I heard Trane it was like an electric jolt.

[JohnS]

Can't really say for sure, Milestones maybe but more likely Kind Of Blue when it first came out.

[chris olivarez]

Bitches Brew.

[sidewinder]

I've just realised that my initial response to this thread was wrong. It wasn't the 'Greatest Hits' LP (although this was the first one I actually bought) but a loan from an uncle (for which I will forever be grateful) of the 'Essential Miles Davis' 3LP set put out by Henri Renaud at French CBS ( ). This is the one with the flock 'Indian restaurant wallpaper' style box cover (very early 70s) and the bonus 45rpm of 'Great Expectations'. That would have made the first Miles I heard side 1 track 1 'Bye Bye Blackbird' with Coltrane. Not a bad intro.

I've since got me a copy of that great 3LP set !

Edited August 10, 2006 by sidewinder

[Rooster_Ties]

COOL cover!!

Never saw that one before, that's for sure. Thanks for posting it.

[sidewinder]

Glad you enjoy it. The cover is psychadelic furry felt so it is also very pleasant to touch ! :rsmile:

Henri Renaud at French CBS put out such great material around this time (including those massive Basie sets) and fortunately some of it sneaked in to the UK.

Edited August 10, 2006 by sidewinder

[flat5]

squiggly cover? Maybe it was one that Don Martin did.

I first heard Miles on the Bird Dial recordings I would guess.

No idea which record of his I first bought. Probably an early Columbia.

[PHILLYQ]

It was around 1972, and I had heard Mahavishnu and was knocked out by McLaughlin's guitar playing. I went to a record store(all vinyl in those days!) with a few buddies and one noticed that McLaughlin was on a double album by Miles Davis, so I bought Live/Evil. 'What I Say' floored me, with Miles' pyrotechnic solo and Jarrett's long electric piano solo, and McLaughlin burnin' up the fretboard. Jack deJohnette became a hero to me(musically), and that album led me into more Miles, Jack, Gary Bartz, Airto, Jarrett, etc.

[LAL]

Relaxin'

[ejp626]

A cassette tape with Sketches of Spain on one side and In a Silent Way on the other. I would have eventually gotten deep into jazz anyway, but this particular purchase was inspired by a short story by Harlan Ellison where this guy decides to listen to Sketches of Spain as the world ends.

Not too long after I got the cassette version of BB, which I liked a lot. KOB was probably next after that.

[EKE BBB]

Kind of Blue

[clifford_thornton]

Well, I inherited a bunch from my father, all original pressings.

Miles Smiles, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky, IASW, Blackhawk 1&2, My Funny Valentine, In Europe and a few others I'm forgetting. Trouble is, most of them were sorta rough shape so I barely kept any of them...

[andybleaden]

It was his Blue Note stuff for me if I remember.

Actually never made a big secret of the fact that until about 4-5 years ago that was all the Miles I really listened to. Although now I do have the Prestige sides and Columbia ealrier stuff and some other stuff..........never really done much for me. Certainly never made my foot tap the same way that other stuff from that era did or any other era he played in

[Tim McG]

KOB...of course

[GA Russell]

1969, freshman year of college. I mail ordered two LPs directly from Prestige.

The first was Ezz-Thetic with Lee Konitz and Billy Bauer. Side Two was Teddy Charles.

The second was Trumpet Giants, with tracks by Miles, Dizzy and Fats Navarro.

[shrugs]

double cassette of My Funny Valentine/Four and More