Vinyl Vault Entry #1: Andrej Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Seminal Jazz Album 'Bitches Brew'

For our first entry in the Vinyl Vault, T&E writer Andrej Simeunović discusses his favorite record in his collection - Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. He discusses the legacy of this record, the elaborate packaging of the 40th anniversary pressing, and much more.

Album: Bitches Brew (1970)
Artist: Miles Davis
Label: Legacy Recordings
Genre: Jazz
Pressing:  ‘40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ pressed in 2010
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Why did you choose this record?
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Bitches Brew is one of my favorite Miles Davis albums. In fact, the run of In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson is one of my favorite runs of albums in all of music period. While I have all 3 records in my collection, I chose Bitches Brew to present today because it’s a very special edition with tons of interesting extras about the making of the album, its release, and its impact on the jazz world.

What does it sound like?

Perfect! I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect since it was so expensive, but it is one of the best sounding records I own. It doesn’t have quite the same ‘character’ as some of my old records, but it’s amazing how clear and balanced it sounds. Given the cacophonous nature of the album and Miles’ often times aggressive playing it’s wonderful to be able to hear all of these nuances.
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RIYL: Mahavishnu Orchestra; Frank Zappa; Santana

Give us a little background on this album. What is its significance in music history?

Bitches Brew is a seminal album in Miles Davis’ discography and the wider context of jazz. The album was a confluence of Miles’ increasing electrification, rock-influences, free-jazz like improvisation-based arrangements, and larger, more rhythmically dense ensembles of musicians.Like he had done several times before, Miles went through a reinvention in the late 60s/early 70s; Bitches Brew is considered by most the pinnacle of this era of his career. More broadly, the album is one of the biggest and most influential jazz records from the emerging jazz/rock or jazz fusion scene.

Tell us about the album art featured on this record.

The cover of the original album, an original painting by Abdul Mati Klarwein, is a jaw-dropping, afro-psychedelic, Dali-meets-DeRivera piece that connects the front and backside of the album. Better yet, the included booklet is awash with more works by Klarwein and period photographs of Miles, the very special Mrs. Betty Davis (without whom we might not have this period of Davis’ discography), the many (now incredibly famous) personnel from the recordings, and various live shots from the era.

What is the packaging like for this release? 
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The packaging is incredible. The centerpiece is a 2-record gatefold on very thick (180g?) vinyl that includes the 6 songs from the original album. A second gatefold houses 3 CDs and a DVD: CDs 1 and 2 are these same 6 songs alongside alternate takes and singles versions, CD 3 is a live performance from the same year of the album’s release, and the DVD is a different live performance from Copenhagenin 1969.The main insert is a beautifully assembled 48-page 12x12 booklet that includes the additional artwork described above, a fantastic, ~5000 word essay by Greg Tate, the original album liner notes, scans of various memos sent during the making of the album (like Miles demanding his money, telling them to go fuck themselves when they questioned the name of the album, and so forth), and much more.

​Lastly, there is a special 12” ‘memorabilia envelope’ that houses things like a giant Miles Davis poster, a re-printing of the December 13th, 1968 Rolling Stone article which had Miles on the cover, more hilarious memos, high quality photograph prints, and re-creations of tickets for famous shows Miles played around this time.
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Gatefolds and Inserts

Are there any interesting features on this album?

Around 7 minutes into the song "Bitches Brew" you can hear Miles’ raspy whisper to "keep it tight." 

What does this album pair well with?

A trippy science fiction book, psychedelics, and a rainy day.

​What's your record collection like in general?

My record collection is fairly small (it would fill maybe 3 cubic crates) but has tons of sentimental value given how long it’s been with me and where I’ve collected it over the years. Most of my records were purchased when traveling around the US and overseas. Right after college I had a job that sent me to Europe often and I made sure to hit up some good record stores in each city I visited. Musically, my collection is predominately metal and jazz, but has some hip-hop, classical, and funk treasures as well.

For me, owning records is less about collecting lots of them - I’m a broke graduate student after all – and more about finding specific albums I love or were really influential to me growing up. The record format, huge beautiful artwork, gatefold packaging, and a ritualistic process to the listening experience lend themselves to sitting down and disappearing into an album. This was something I used to do all the time when I was younger, but sadly don’t do nearly enough today. My collection inspires me to revisit my favorite music in a special way that makes me appreciate it all over again.
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