I like 'Agharta/ Pangaea (I think of them as one album as both were recorded on the same day, the first is the afternoon show, the second the evening show).They are crying out for some editing and remastering/ remixing tho imo.

I love the spirit of Miles '69-75 music, but personally I think that much of it (as originally released) is poorly edited, overlong, unfocused and badly mixed. Yes, this was partly due to the fact that this music was kind of 'ahead of its time', and the fact that Teo Macero who produced and edited most of these records was a jazz producer/ musician, not an avante-funk rock jazz producer (if there were such things in 197?). The bass is always too low in the mix, many tracks take an age to get going. I realise this was the age of 'stretching out' tracks on double albums a la progressive rock, etc, but I often find that potentially great, fascinating Miles music is rendered boring - yes boring, by the sheer over-length and lack of focus of the final edits/ mixes. Most of those 30 minute long tracks would be a lot better cut down to 12-18 minutes imo. More is not necessarily better.

Compare the version of 'He Loved Him Madly' from 'Get Up With It' with that on Bill Laswell's brilliant 'Panthalassa' album. Laswell makes the music sound more like itself. Also, 'Rated X' from 'Get Up With It' has a hideous original mix, vastly improved by Laswell on 'Panthalassa'.

Imo, most of the 'Bitches Brew' tracks would benefit greatly by losing half their running time via careful editing. As it is, I find it a huge mess. Miles plays brilliantly and Bernie Maupin is excellent on the album, but I can now barely listen to it. In this age of 'never a final mix', it would be great if someone like Bill Laswell, who loves and understands that music deeply, were to remix/ re-edit it all and create new albums that could exist alongside the original releases. Unreleased material could also be added, but no new sounds under any circumstances. It'll never happen but ...

Am I a voice crying in the wilderness of the 'Miles can do no wrong' cult? I have come to these views through many years of listening to this music, enjoying it and being frustrated by it in equal measures.

Don't forget this DVD: Miles Electric: A Different Kind Of Blue



includes Miles's Electric Isle Of Wight show uncut, as well as interviews with John Mclaughlin, Pete Cosey, Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and even the nefarious Stanley Crouch explaining why he could never get into Miles' electric stuff....



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[Edited 7/25/05 15:34pm]