Few artists have dared such an abrupt and distinct change of musical direction over the space of one album. Tom Waits (Swordfishtrombones), Scott Walker (Tilt), David Bowie (Low) and even Ritchie Blackmore (Blackmore’s Night) are some that come to mind. Back in July 1969 Miles Davis embarked on a very different path with the LP In A Silent Way. The record adopted in full the fusion and free-form abstract that had been hinted at by his previous two albums, Miles In The Sky and Filles de Kilimanjaro.
Less than a year later, in early 1970, Bitches Brew was released. If In A Silent Way offered some concessions to the casual listener – it remains a very accessible album – Bitches Brew was an absolute left-turn. The album’s sub-title was Directions In Music By Miles Davis – where melody was paired back to the minimum, and beyond the sketchiest of themes and ideas, conventional musical structure was all but abandoned. The record falls short of being a total wig-out (ref Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Peter Brotzmann et al) but to this day, it remains for some a seriously difficult listen. Surprising, perhaps, that the record sold as well as it did - it was his first gold album – but his reputation was already such that many critics and listeners would usually find some accommodation and appreciation for whatever direction Miles decided to take. Nevertheless, to this day Bitches Brew polarises opinions* and even amongst its fans, I would wager that for many the record resides in that rare category of much admired yet seldom heard.
Worth remembering is that Miles clearly had his eyes set on a younger audience - with Bitches Brew, Miles Davis successfully migrated from jazz clubs and concert halls into rock venues (i.e. New York’s Fillmore East) and even rock festivals (Isle of Wight 1970). The trippy spaced-out jams that occupy all four sides of the album were ideally suited to fans of Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead. It is worth remembering that from the mid-60s onwards, straight ahead, mainstream and post-bop jazz were in a considerable decline, having been been usurped by Blue Note’s boogaloo funk, the avant-garde of Impulse!, the revolutionary black underground of ESP-Disk and the lifestyle statements of Creed Taylor’s formidable CTI label. Bitches Brew was Miles’ manifesto for the 1970s. It was his new agenda. There was no turning back after this.
Miles Davis and producer Teo Macero preserved the Bitches Brew template up until his retirement in 1975. Extended audio sculptures (or, depending on your opinion, sprawling and meandering one-chord jams) appeared across two, or more frequently, four sides of vinyl. Much of the material was recorded live whilst many albums – notably Agharta and Pangaea – were (initially) released in Japan only. Others – such as Big Fun and Get Up With It – raided the tape archives for recordings that had been made several years earlier. Not all of the records were well received or sold at all well - I recall that the 1972 LP On The Corner was a staple of bargain bins for many years, as was its predecessor Live Evil. In recent years, all of these records have been re-issued and re-evaluated in some depth, often in extended and lavish box-sets. Bitches Brew has thus far been treated to two so-called definitive issues - a 3-CD “complete” edition in 2003 and a 4-CD 40th anniversary set in 2010.
One version of the album that has never been reissued in any form is the quadrophonic vinyl mix, which first appeared in 1971. It was no secret that the finished mixes of Bitches Brew (and the 12 or so albums that followed) were heavily-edited assemblages of extended studio and live sessions. Many of Miles’ 1969-76 albums contained 20+ minute side-long tracks, indeed records such as Miles At Fillmore, Jack Johnson, Black Beauty, In Concert, Big Fun** and Agharta each offered one track per side of vinyl. The final album in the post-1969 sequence, Pangaea, was two 45-minute pieces of music spanning four sides of a 2LP set. Producer Teo Macero was certainly kept busy, honing down any number of lengthy jazz fusion work-outs into whatever could fit within the theoretical time limits of the LP record.
Meanwhile, the 4-channel quadraphonic system was being marketed heavily in the USA and Japan – CBS and Sony were in the forefront with their SQ matrix system. Bitches Brew was, in 1971, one of the first quad albums to be made available. The album was remixed considerably – Harvey Brooks’ bass is far less prominent whilst Miles’ trumpet and John McLaughlin’s guitar pan back and forth and around and about the quad spectrum. Freaky echo effects drop in at irregular intervals, meanwhile the sound is more open, crisper and far less dense than in the stereo mix. The whole session sounds very close-miked, whereas the original sounded as if the whole band were recorded in a sweaty club, playing at extremely high volume into one overloaded stereo mike. If you find that the stereo (and slightly distorted) Bitches Brew induces listener fatigue, you may discover the quad version to be fresh and inviting. What is surprising that this version has not resurfaced within the “definitive” reissues, nor as a digital download. Rather that the quad vinyl edition of Bitches Brew remains something of an elusive collector’s item.
Here is an exceptionally clean copy of the Japanese Sony edition of Bitches Brew in SQ quadraphonic. The package is a great example of the detail and lengths that Japanese record companies will go to when manufacturing records (or CDs) – heavy duty card, audiophile inner sleeves, complete in this case with a metallic finish to the artwork not found on other editions (one might assume that the metallic finish was what Miles & Teo originally wanted, but did not get). Not forgetting that Japanese albums had the quietest possible playing surfaces, with records manufactured to standards above and beyond what other pressing plants could even dream of.
Fans of Miles Davis and those that appreciate difficult music really ought to hear this mix of the album. Those that remain curious yet wary of what some might consider a 90-minute audio-induced migraine might wish to start here. This hydrogen bomb of an album has never been more accessible – taken together with In A Silent Way, the SQ quadraphonic mix of Bitches Brews is a gateway into Miles Davis’ darkest musical phase. Now, hit the download, light the blue touch paper and stand well back.
And if you were not sure – the SQ quadraphonic system is stereo compatible. If you have a SQ decoder – or even a third speaker hooked up – all will be revealed. Nevertheless, the record sounds just fine*** in 2 channel.
Get it here
Tracks
1. Pharaoh's Dance
2. Bitches Brew
3. Spanish Key
4. John McLaughlin
5. Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
6. Sanctuary
Personnel****
· Miles Davis – trumpet
· Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
· Bennie Maupin – bass clarinet
· Joe Zawinul; Larry Young; Chick Corea – electric piano
· John McLaughlin – electric guitar
· Dave Holland – bass
· Harvey Brooks – electric bass
· Lenny White – drums
· Jack DeJohnette – drums
· Don Alias – congas
· Juma Santos – percussion
* Wynton Marsalis told me in an interview that in his opinion, what Miles was doing “with wah-wah pedals an’ all that stuff was NOT jazz!”
**Big Fun is possibly my favourite of all Miles’ “Devil’s Dandruff” fusion albums – even today, it is unfairly overlooked. The 21-minute Lonely Fire is worth the price of admission alone. Incidentally, the piece was featured in Gus Van Sant’s 2000 movie, Finding Forrester
*** The version of Pharoah’s Dance on the SQ record is 30 seconds shorter than on the stereo copy. Whilst the label clearly states 20.00, the recording lasts exactly 19.30. As if that matters.
(Oh alright, it matters. I guess that Teo Macero got carried away in the editing booth.)
**** amongst others!
