If you want to explore the music of Miles’ later years, but aren’t sure where to start, a CD collection is a good place to begin. Here are some of the best collections I’ve found. Many are still available from Amazon, although some are harder to find, but Amazon marketplace and Ebay are good places to look.
Miles: The Best of Miles Davis
This Collection, from Sony Music in The Netherlands, is a 2-CD set that can be picked up for less than £10. It not only offers great value, but you get a good selection of Music. The first disc has eleven tracks from Miles’ acoustic era and includes classics like “So What” and “Miles.” The second disc – called New Directions” – has thirteen tracks, with twelve of them from Miles’ final decade. The tracks on offer are from both Miles’ Columbia Records and Warner Bros periods, and comprise of “Shout” (from The Man With The Horn), “Jean-Pierre” (We Want Miles), “Human Nature,” “Time After Time” and “MD1/Something’s On Your Mind/MD2” (You’re Under Arrest), “Tutu” and “Backyard Ritual” (Tutu), “Amandla” and “Mr Pastorious” (Amandla), “Mystery” (Doo-Bop), “The Dream” (Dingo) and “Don’t Stop Me Now” (a guest appearance from Toto’s Fahrenheit album). There’s also a 1998 track from producer Bill Laswell, who reconstructs the 1969 tune “In A Silent Way.” It’s a shame there are no tunes from “Star People,” “Decoy” “Aura” and “Siesta,” but this is still one of the best ways to sample music from the 80s era.
Availability: Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
Miles Davis Perfect Way: The Miles Davis Anthology, The Warner Bros. Years
Florence Halfon from Warner Jazz UK has done a great job in promoting Miles’s music from this period, which ran from 1985 to 1991. The 2-CD collection comprises of “Tutu,” “Splatch,” “Perfect Way” and “Don’t Lose Your Mind”) (Tutu), “Catembe,” “Hannibal,” “Mr Pastorius” and “Amandla” (Amandla), “Concert On The Runway” and “Trumpet Cleaning” (Dingo), “Mystery” and “The Doo-Bop Song” (Doo-Bop), “In A Silent Way” and “Time After Time” (Live Around The World), “The Pan Piper” and “Solea” (Miles Davis and Quincy Jones Live At Montreux), plus two guest appearances (“Murder” with John Lee Hooker, and “You Won’t Forget Me” with Shirley Horn). And there’s more, including a previously unreleased track from the Rubberband sessions, “Rubberband, and “Digg That,” which Miles recorded with John Bigham and Jeff Lorber in 1987. Finally, there are three tracks from a 1986 Nice concert, with a band that included guitarist Robben Ford – “Portia,” “Carnival” and “Human Nature.” If this superb album had included a track or two from Siesta, it would have indeed been the perfect way to sample Miles’ Warner Bros years.
Availability: Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
The Very Best Of Miles Davis: The Warner Bros Sessions 1985-1991
Another collection put together by Florence Halfon, this time a single CD sampler. The tracks consist of, “Tutu” and “Splatch” (Tutu), “Siesta/Kitt’s Kiss/Lost In Madrid Part II” (Siesta), “Catembe,” “Mr Pastorius” and “Amandla” (Amandla), “Mystery,” “Chocolate Chip” and “The Doo-Bop Song” (Doo-Bop), “Trumpet Cleaning” (Dingo), “In A Silent Way,” “Time After Time” and “Hannibal” (Live Around The World), “The Pan Piper” and “Summertime” (Miles Davis and Quincy Jones Live At Montreux). An excellent sampler from this period.
Availability: Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
Miles – Le Meilleur de Miles Davis
Another 2-CD “Best Of” set, this time from Sony France. The 19 tracks include a number of tunes spanning the Columbia Records and Warner Bros periods, “Shout” (The Man With The Horn), “Jean-Pierre” (We Want Miles), “Decoy” and “What It Is” (Decoy), “Time After Time” and “MD1/Something’s On Your Mind/MD2” (You’re Under Arrest), “Tutu” (Tutu), “Mr Pastorious” (Amandla).
Availability: Available in the Amazon Marketplace at Amazon UK and Amazon US
Electric Shout
A 12-track album put together by Sony Music Italy, six tracks are from the 1980s: “Shout” and “The Man With The Horn” (The Man With The Horn), “Back Seat Betty” (We Want Miles), “Star On Cicely” (Star People), “What It Is” (Decoy). A track from the Aura and You Are Under Arrest albums would have made this an even better sampler.
Availability: Available at Amazon UK marketplace
This Is Miles! Vol 2 Electric Side
A hard-to-find Japanese 11-track sampler includes six tunes from Miles’ later period, “Fat Time” and “The Man With The Horn” (The Man With The Horn), “Back Seat Betty” (We Want Miles), “Code MD” (Decoy) and “One Phone Call/Street Scenes” (You’re Under Arrest), plus an extended version of “Time After Time,” which is longer than the album version.
Availability: Hard to find – occasionally might turn up on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace
The Miles Davis Story
This rare 17-track 2-CD collection includes, “Shout” (The Man With The Horn), “Jean-Pierre” (We Want Miles), “Come Get It” (Star People”), “Decoy” and “What It Is” (Decoy), “Human Nature,” “Time After Time” and “MD1/Something’s On Your Mind/MD2” (You’re Under Arrest), “Tutu” (Tutu) and “Mr Pastorius (Amandla)
Availability: Hard to find – occasionally might turn up on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace
Miles Davis 1981-1989
Another rarity, this time from Italy. It provides a good overview of all of Miles’ Columbia albums: “The Man With The Horn” (The Man With The Horn), “Jean-Pierre” (We Want Miles), “Star People” (Star People), “Decoy” (Decoy), “Ms Morrisine,” “Human Nature,” and “Time After Time” (You’re Under Arrest), “Intro” and “White” (Aura).
Availability: Hard to find – occasionally might turn up on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace
Live Around The World
If you want to sample the live music Miles recorded in this period, this album is a good place to start. It covers Miles’ bands from 1988-1991 and has 11 tracks, “In A Silent Way,” “Intruder,” “New Blue,” “Human Nature,” “Mr Pastorius”, “Amandla,” “Wrinkle,” “Tutu,” “Full Nelson,” “Time After Time” and “Hannibal.”
Availability: Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
Highlights from The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux
Another live sampler for a stunning 20-CD boxed set, the 8-track album includes seven of Miles’ appearances at Montreux between 1984-1990. The tracks comprise of “Speak (1984), “Pacific Express” and “Code MD” (1985), “Jean-Pierre (1986), “Heavy Metal Prelude” (!988), “Jilli” (1989) and “Hannibal” (1990).
Availability: Available at Amazon UK and Amazon US
- Miles 80s Music Collections - a round up of various Miles compilations from the 1980s
- The Man With The Horn Album Primer - An Introduction To Miles’ 80s album
- We Want Miles Album Primer - An Introduction To Miles’ live album from 1982
- Star People Album Primer - An Introduction To Miles’ album from 1983
- Decoy Album Primer - An Introduction To Miles’ album from 1984
- Miles Live - a round up of the various Miles live albums from the 1980s