Though this is a large sum to pay for one artist’s work, it is a real bargain considering what one gets in this set. For those whose interest in Davis is comprehensive and does not merely include a few of his many stylistic changes through the years, this set is a wise investment for many reasons.

Miles Davis Bio & Homepage

Columbia Records is bringing its Miles Davis remastering project to grand closure with its limited edition release of The Complete Columbia Album Collection, an exclusive box set that provides the most complete overview of Davis’ recording career available, since all but the very last phase of his recording career was released by the label. At 52 albums in all, recorded and released between 1955 and 1985, it’s the holy grail of box sets, rivaled only by the recently released box set of all of the remastered Beatles’ albums.

There are 70 CDs in all, which includes the 52 albums (single and double-disc releases), each housed in a Japanese-style mini-LP jacket, plus the first time official issue of the complete Isle of Wight performance from 1970, expanded editions of In Paris Festival International De Jazz May, 1949 (1949); Quiet Nights (1962); At Plugged Nickel (1965); and We Want Miles (1981), and a bonus DVD featuring the Miles Davis Quintet in Europe in 1967. In addition, the package includes a 250-page color book featuring essays, annotations on each album, and discographic information.

The box set is available beginning November 24, 2009 exclusively through Amazon and only in its physical package form.

Those who may have laid down hefty sums for the various Columbia box set Davis reissues may wonder whether it is worthy the $364.98 to obtain the set from Amazon. Though this is a large sum to pay for one artist’s work, it is a real bargain considering what one gets in this set. For those whose interest in Davis is comprehensive and does not merely include a few of his many stylistic changes through the years, this set is a wise investment for many reasons.

First, this set pretty much includes each album, remastered, in its original format. The box sets include each complete album, but generally also include music that was recorded in sessions immediately prior to and following each album. Columbia had to make decisions about what to include with the sessions for the reissued box set albums, and they have sometimes taken heat for doing so. For example, the Bitches Brew box contains not only the original album and sessions recorded at the same time as the original album, but also sessions afterward that marked a change toward the music Miles would play on his next major releases. The same can be said of the Complete Jack Johnson Sessions or the Complete On the Corner Sessions. However, generally Columbia found the best possible way to seamlessly move from one box set reissue to the next, and the flow is pretty smooth. Still, there are times that one just wants to throw in a disc and hear the original album without having to program the disc or pick only certain tracks.

In addition, not every Columbia album was included in a box set reissue. Some have been reissued in 2-disc Legacy reissues. Kind of Blue, for example, is pretty much its own reissue, and there is not a lot (though there was some) extra material to include—certainly not enough to justify a box set. The same is true of the iconic Round Midnight album. Columbia got around this somewhat by creating the Miles Davis & John Coltrane box set. Since it’s the expanded editions of albums like Kind of Blue, Round Midnight, Jazz at the Plaza, In Person: Friday & Saturday Night at the Blackhawk, Sketches of Spain, and several others that are included in this collection, it makes sense to grab this box unless you’ve already got all the reissues already. You’ll also get Miles In Tokyo and Miles in Berlin, both made available following the release of the Seven Steps to Heaven box set. Previously these had only been available as imports; they feature the first recorded live performances of the nascent Davis Quintet featuring Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams.

For those whose interest in Miles includes his post-1970 work, this box includes badly needed remastered versions of Agharta and Pangea, twin double-LPs recorded live in Japan which were the last Davis albums issued until his re-emergence in 1980 with The Man With the Horn. These albums, highly controversial on their original release, have never previously been digitally remastered, leading to a muddy sound that made it difficult to hear what the group really sounded like. The new versions, while identical in every other respect to their original releases, take care of this issue with crisp, well-defined sound. For those who have long been entranced by these albums, their inclusion here is a real gift. Also included are remastered versions of Davis’ final Columbia recordings from the early 1980s: The Man With The Horn (1980-1981), Star People (1982-83), Decoy (1983), You’re Under Arrest (1984-85), and Aura (1985). These are unchanged from their original release, and bring the cycle of Columbia’s Miles Davis remaster/reissue project to satisfactory completion.

And that’s really the bottom line here. The Complete Album Collection allows Columbia to get remastered versions of albums out there that will not be released in expanded editions for a variety of reasons. Will some of these albums (Agharta/Pangea, the comeback albums, Aura) become available separately from this box set? In all likelihood they will, eventually. But at approximately $5.25/disc, this set provides unparalleled value. Of course, many Davis enthusiasts are only fans of one or two phases of his career. If you abhor everything Davis did after, say, 1969, it would be foolish to invest in this set. Likewise if you’re only interested in the electronic fusion material. But if you enjoy the full spectrum of Miles’ artistry across his recorded career, The Complete Columbia Album Collection is a worthwhile investment that you’ll be listening to for years to come.