Miles Davis - Columbia Box Sets

[GregK]

I'm really hoping they stay consistent with the original issues and put out the new 63-64 box with a metal spine like the others were. I much, MUCH prefer those. No problem at all with the packaging here!

[chris olivarez]

I decided to pick up the Quintet and IASW boxes down the road.

[dave9199]

The way I feel about longboxes can be summed up with a few lines from a Bugs Bunny cartoon with the word longboxes in place of the word rabbit:

Cowboy: "Longboxes. I hate longboxes. If there's one thing I can't stand more than one longbox...is TWO longboxes."

All my cds are in a big open "box" where I can keep things in chronological order or as much as possible with box sets. But I put mine two rows high & two rows deep so long boxes just fuck it up. Although if I want to get to the bottom first row in back, I have to take a bunch of cds out, but I've gotten used to it. I've got two of them & haven't filled them as I get rid of some cds after a while, but those days might be over with trimming the wheat from the chaff (spelling?).

[jazzbo]

Up for some scrutiny

[doubleM]

I agree that long boxes can be a pain in the arse. I have a Marvin Gaye box set in a long box, and all I have to do is look at that MoFo and the discs come falling out. To return to the topic (Miles), I still don't have the SSTH box, and all I can say is... !!

[Brad]

The only longbox I have and because it came out no other way was the Dex BN box. I've passed up on these Miles boxes until I can find the old variety.

[JohnBlutarski]

Here are discographies of the sets, as well a s pictures of the packaging of the old sets. It doesn't mention the album names though

http://www.kind-of-blue.de/box_index.htm

ahhhh, this link is whta I was looking for!!!

thanks a lot!!

[ASNL77]

Would anybody know which Miles metal spine sets are now OOP?Are all the metal spines boxes square? I'd like to order a few of them on Amazon but I want to make sure I order the right ones...

Edited November 14, 2007 by ASNL77

[sidewinder]

Would anybody know which Miles metal spine sets are now OOP?Are all the metal spines boxes square? I'd like to order a few of them on Amazon but I want to make sure I order the right ones...

Not entirely sure but I suspect that the 'Miles/Gil' will be very hard to track down now in the original box. 'Plugged Nickel' is pretty elusive now too.

[Bluerein]

Just to let you know (and you're not going to search for it) the Plugged Nickel set wasn't in the series and thus not issued with a metal spine (just regular jewel cases in a carton box).

[dave9199]

From what I remember they reissued the Coltrane, Evans, 65-68, Silent Way & Bitches Brew in long boxes all about the same time. You might still be able to find them used on amazon & ebay. I still see them in stores sometimes.

[ASNL77]

Could somebody complete the list, please? Which Miles sets have been released with a metal spine? Miles & Coltrane; 63-64; 2nd quintet 65-68, Bitches brew, Corner sessions.....

Which ones are missing? Is there a version of IASW with a metal spine? I have everything on Mosaic LPs but I like these sets and the booklets.

Edited January 18, 2008 by ASNL77

[B. Clugston]

Could somebody complete the list, please? Which Miles sets have been released with a metal spine? Miles & Coltrane; 63-64; 2nd quintet 65-68, Bitches brew, Corner sessions.....

Which ones are missing? Is there a version of IASW with a metal spine? I have everything on Mosaic LPs but I like these sets and the booklets.

In A Silent Way was issued in the same dimensions as the other metal spine boxes, but I don't recall it having an actual metal spine.

[Aggie87]

In the metal spine series:

Miles & Coltrane

Miles & Gil Evans

Bitches Brew

Seven Steps

In a Silent Way (cardboard spine)

Cellar Door (cardboard spine & not numbered, so I dunno if this one technically counts, but it LOOKS like one)

Complete On the Corner

Complete Second Quintet 65-68

Jack Johnson

[ASNL77]

Thanks Aggie! I forgot the Seven Steps. I have two Seven Steps boxes since somebody got me one two years ago for Xmas thinking I didn't have it. I should sell that one. It is still sealed.

I still need to find the Jack Johnson, The Miles & Coltrane and the IASW.

[crabgrass]

In the metal spine series:

...Cellar Door (cardboard spine & not numbered, so I dunno if this one technically counts, but it LOOKS like one)...

I just got the On The Corner set, thus completing the series. They (Sony) say it's the last in a total of eight, but if you include the Cellar Door box (which indeed seems more like part of the series packaging-wise than the In A Silent Way box), it comes to nine. The way I figure it, the series was intended to document mostly Miles studio work (although the Seven Steps set has a good deal of live material). It is for this reason that I feel that despite the deluxe packaging, the Cellar Door set isn't part of the series proper and this is why it's spine has no number.

The complete "metal spine" series, as numbered on their spines...

1) Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings

2) Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

3) Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis, 1963-1964

4) The Miles Davis Quintet 1965-'68: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

5) The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (cardboard spine, numbered "5")

6) The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions

7) The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions

8) The Complete On The Corner Sessions

I can remember when the Miles & Gil box came out wondering what the number "2" on the spine was for (it was the first of the series to be released). I speculated that because of the way the lettering was cursive and ornately etched on the brass spine, that this was an attempt to mimic Miles' trumpet, with the "2" indicating a Martin No. 2. As the other sets came out with their numbers on them, it became apparent the numbers were to place them into a chronological order.

some other box sets of note...

the aformentioned Cellar Door set, the Plugged Nickel set, The Complete Friday & Saturday Night at The Blackhawk set, The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973-1991, Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings (1951-1956), The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions and the unreleased Complete Warner Bros. Sessions (which I heard got canceled because they could not get Prince to release his portion of the recordings).

[BFrank]

Not exactly a box, but there's also the 2-CD set, "It's About That Time - Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970)".

[crabgrass]

Not exactly a box, but there's also the 2-CD set, "It's About That Time - Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970)".

I think Sony should have made It's About That Time's packaging comply with the cardboard fold out double album re-issue packaging of...

Live-Evil

Black Beauty

Miles Davis at Fillmore

Miles Davis in Concert

and

Dark Magus

taken together, these make for a great box set of sorts.

What I'd like to see next is for Sony to put out "The Complete Osaka Concerts, Feb. 1, 1975" set, with both the afternoon and evening shows that comprise Agartha and Pangaea, unedited.

And speaking of the packaging for the In A Silent Way set, Sony could easily have opened the vaults and included some pre-Bitches live material like "1969 Miles: Festiva de Juan Pins" and fleshed out the box enough to warrant a metal spine.

Edited February 22, 2008 by crabgrass

[king ubu]

I'll be getting some of these down the road. The "deluxe" packaging for the 4 cd set of "Bitches Brew" was an absolute nightmare.

I've never seen this packaging, except for, maybe, in pictures. What made it a nightmare?

I had to call Columbia customer service to have two of the four discs replaced. Glue from the sleeves got onto the discs making large portions unplayable.

Same here! No amount of cleaning would make one of the discs playable after the glue got on it!

Also, the Armstrong Hot 5 & 7s set is pretty good for scratching the discs -- I would recommend storing the discs in some other way away from that box.

On the other hand, Sony's customer service is good at replacing defective discs with a minimum of fuss, which is more than I can say for some other behemouth companies!

I don't recall where it was discussed elsewhere, but I had the same glue problem... got' J.A.W.'s set and it had it as well (so I gave one away to a friend whom I had given the 2CD edition already, previously)... now as a result of some baaad teeth surgery I've got going on, I have these alcohol prep pads (good thing their name is written in English on the box, else I'd have no idea what to call them) and with one of those, all of the glue was easily removed and the whole disc 1 just played through as it used to in the beginning!

Let's hope the alcohol will not eat itself through the disc... I rinsed it with water immediately after.

Will have to wait another few years to see if this did the trick. Anyway, with the 40th anniversary big box in my collection, it's not such a loss, but I guess I'll pass on one of these pads to said friend, too...