Apologies for the crap English in my last post (e.g. its instead of it's) but I was over-excited when writing it!
Don't worry; the "opposite error" happens far more often - many people here write "it's" when they mean the possessive pronoun "its"
Great news, when I complaint I expected to get some red tape, especially since I didn't hear back either - Sony really scored some extra points with me.
I think Sony's attempt in titling this box is to say that they are releasing the complete set of albums that Davis did for Columbia. In the case of their classical artists they called them Complete Jacket Collections. On the other hand, they've also included a CD of the Isle of Wight and a DVD, which would undermine the title. So that would be the rationale for not including Cellar Door, Plugged Nickel, the Montreux box, the outtakes from the complete sessions boxes, or any other previously unreleased material. As for comparing Cellar Door to Plugged Nickel, two very special bands only one of which was well represented by recordings while it existed. I understand that people have their preferences, but it's a matter of opinion and personal taste, not fact. The sets are very similar of course in that they're both taken from several consecutive nights of recording at the same venue. I couldn't do without both, personally.
That's an opinion, not a fact. (edit) Just noticed that ATR responded along the same lines. People on this forum keep posting opinions as facts. I wish they wouldn't.
Of course it is my opinion. Do I have to start every sentence with "In my opinion"? JTR called my statement "bold", which it is not. There are of course people who disagree, but that is fine.
So my little Pulp Fiction joke didn't go over so well. Generally, people here do qualify strong statements by including the common IMO or IMHO to indicate that they are stating an opinion. It's done on other message boards, too, but this one seems more deferential and polite, at least most of the time.
Maybe if you had used a different smiley. "Deferential" is the correct word to describe the situation. If I ever open a thread on the most hated abbreviations, IIRC, IMO and IMHO will get dishonorable mentions. Speaking of Miles Davis: Do you like the Cellar Door sessions better than the Plugged Nickel recordings?
A valuable lesson learned from saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell. In making comparisons, things are mostly different, not better or worse. Particularly in this case, where the sound and personnel of the two bands is so different. Having said that, the short answer is I listen to Cellar Door much more and not so much any more to the late 60's quintet. I recently developed quite a habit for the Seven Steps box, though. But what is intriguing is how similar the boxes are at the same time. Just a few compositions repeated each night with new variations. Great stuff.
You are correct to a certain extent. Nevertheless, even if the music is very different in style, it is still Miles Davis and therefore it is not far fetched to ask someone, if he prefers the Plugged Nickel stuff or the Cellar Door recordings. I managed to grab a copy of the Montreux recordings in the great Amazon.com bonanza of mispriced box sets and while it is even more repetitive than the other sets, I find it to be more entertaining than the cellar door box, which has a certain feeling of great musicians talking past each other. There are points, when the structure of the music seems to break down and everything dissolves into thin air. Such moments IMO do not exist on the Plugged Nickel set, because the chemistry of the band is superb.
The Montreux box was issued by Warner, not by Sony, so it couldn't have been included anyway, unless there had been a licensing agreement. (edit) Come to think of it, some of the material on the Montreux box was recorded during Miles' Columbia years, so maybe some of it is or was originally owned by Sony.
Ah yes. And it would be my opinion that those are among the best parts. As for the chemistry on Plugged Nickel, I don't hear it so much. Maybe because I've read that there were little revolts going on within the band during the gig. Until he went electric, that Davis quintet and the band he had before it with Coltrane, Cannon, P.C., Philly, and Red Garland were two of my favorites. It just doesn't get any hipper than that. But plugging in sealed the deal for me. With Cellar Door he's not quite bringing in James Brown, Sly, and Hendrix but he's somewhere in between. Add to that the fact that there were no studio recordings of the group and it's a recipe for repeated listening. Enjoy.
Hans - my Miles Montreux box was issued by Sony Legacy, not Warner. Perhaps the European editions were released by Warner?
The librarian in me can't resist pointing out that it's a Columbia Legacy box. But it was issued as some kind of special products division release or some such. Anyway, the point about the new box being a collection of Miles Davis albums stands. It's what Sony thought they were doing, even though they put a couple of things in there that weren't albums per se. OOPS. Beaten to the punch. I didn't realize it was a Warner issue in Europe.
My amazon.com purchased Montreux box says "Made in Germany" (badly I may add) and bears no sign of the Gebrüder Warner. Sony Legacy is all I can see. Yes, but in this case the tensions were good for the music. And they guys worked together as a band for several years after that. I will listen to the set again in the near future. Maybe I will understand it better then. If you like breakdowns and such, I am sure this must be one of your favorite recordings.
Amazon.com did indeed sell the Sony set. I checked the U.K., French and German Amazon branches and found that they sold the Warner set. Apparently there was some agreement between the two companies. What was so bad about the German box?
My Montreux box was also made in Germany, by Columbia/Legacy I presume. Too bad there is no recall on that one, mine is falling apart. Amazon offered to exchange it, but they haven't had stock in over a month. I fear it is OOP.
