The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980-1991 (Popular Music History) - Softcover

Cole, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845531221 ISBN 13: 9781845531225

Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd, 2006

Synopsis

Cole does for Miles’s late work what Ian MacDonald’s Revolution in the Head does for the Beatles, examining each album in meticulous detail.” 
Time Out

As with any good musical biography, Cole . . . made me think again about those albums such as Siesta, You’re Under Arrest, and The Man with the Horn that are now stashed in my attic.”
London Times

In the flurry of books since [Miles Davis’s] death, none has dealt in depth with the music of this period. Music writer George Cole fills this gap. . . . a rich and rewarding read.”
Gazette (Montreal)

A fascinating book.”
Mojo

A singular look into the last stage of Davis’s long, somewhat checkered career gained from various sources, which at the same time gives a picture of the modern music business.”
Midwest Book Review

There are large chunks of fresh material here. . . . Fill[s] in quite a few gaps and dismisses blanket condemnations of [Miles’s] pop phase.”
Jazzwise

Thank you for telling it like it was!”
Randy Hall, singer and guitarist

Very moving, emotional material.”
Gordon Meltzer, Miles’s last road manager and executive producer of Doo-Bop

About this title

About the Author:

George Cole was educated at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. He is a freelance music and technology journalist whose work has appeared in Music Week, Jazzwise, Financial Times, Sunday Times, Newsweek, Guardian, and other publications.

Review:

'The best Miles Davis book ever.' Randy Hall, singer/guitarist/producer, who worked with Miles in the 1980s; "Many people have come to me in the past about how the "last miles" bands had been overlooked and ignored by journalists. This book is a comprehensive answer to these omissions. From my discussions with musicians from the latter years with Miles it seems pretty clear they feel some vindication as a result of this book. I thank you sincerely for telling our story. Most everything I have read is as close to my memory of how things happened as any book could hope to be. I think you've done a wonderful job." Darryl Jones, bassist with Miles 1983-85, 1986-1988; "There simply hasn't been another book published on Miles Davis, in any period that has managed to obtain the wealth of interview material and cover his recorded work and various live tours in such a complete and comprehensive fashion... Engagingly written from start to finish, filled with more facts than you'll be able to remember first time through, The Last Miles is an essential portrait of Miles' last decade and a strong argument that his music was both valid and perfectly in keeping with a musical philosophy that would ultimately stretch over six decades." John Kelman, All About Jazz.com; ""Cole does for Miles' late work what Ian Macdonald's 'Revolution In The Head' does for The Beatles, examining each album in meticulous detail." John Lewis, Time Out; "The title is likely to send most jazzbos running, with received wisdom having handed down the rule that in the 80's Miles was only good for playing live; and half of that was just the pleasure of seeing him in person. For a single man to take on the 400-page+ task of changing popular opinion is a very tall order indeed. For him to make you want to actively revisit the decade in question is a near-miracle. Detailing album histories and giving final verdicts, Cole has made every effort to lay the evidence out bare. The analysis could have been a chore were it not for the presence of first-hand interviews with all the major players, making this not just a scholarly study, but a tribute to the man himself, And for a book such as this, you learn more about Davis that could have been expected." Jason Draper, Record Collector; "Cole's certainly produced a fascinating book." Chris Ingham, Mojo; "We veterans of Miles' last bands are lucky to have such a thorough and insightful look into Miles last period...I really enjoyed the book!" John Scofield, Miles's guitarist 1982-1985; "Cole has spoken to practically everyone who worked with Miles in his final decade. He has traced the evolution of each of those final albums, cut by cut, splice by splice...[Miles] comes out of Cole's account larger, warmer and if anything even more important than ever." Brian Morton (co-writer of The Penguin Guide to Jazz) The Wire; "The book is wonderful. Congratulations for your very important contribution to the historical documentation of many [musicians] who would otherwise have been overlooked!!!!" Robert Irving III Miles's musical director 1983-1988; "I have to say that you did a marvellous job! It brought back strong memories of that time period and answered a number of questions I had, especially the chapter on the Rubberband sessions. A brilliant job!" Patrick Murray, who worked on the road with Miles from 1986-1990 and was Miles's concert sound mixer from 1988-1990; "Wow! What a great book. Finally, something that really gets it right. Thank you for capturing what was going on, the mood, everything." Adam Holzman, Miles's keyboardist and musical director 1985-1989; Wonderful job, congratulations! An immense amount of work must have gone into it, I can't even imagine. But it was very cool to see that era of Miles treated with the same respect as every other... someone gets it!" Benny Rietveld, Miles's bassist 1988-1990; "The most immediate impact that this book had on me was to make me listen again to Miles' later recordings with a completely regenerated ear and this really is the reason why this book works so well and is an essential read for any true Miles Davis appreciator... you will be hard pressed to find a more inspirational read, written by a man who quite simply loves Miles Davis' music." Mike Chadwick, Ejazz.fm; "As with any good musical biography, Cole had made me think again about those albums such as Siesta, You're Under Arrest, The Man with the Horn, that are now stashed in my attic." John Bungey, The Times; "Cole's analysis has a meticulous, forensic character... [and] is able to bring a wealth of new information to light...This book should get people talking. It should be the first rather than the last word on an intriguing chapter of the life an extraordinarily complex artist. And Davis's vanity would surely have loved that." Kevin Le Gendre, Independent on Sunday; "I thought it was wonderful. It's a very detailed look at a certain part of the career and life of Miles Davis. A lot of people didn't pay attention to this and I'm glad that George Cole took the time to focus on these final years of Miles's life." Easy Mo Bee, co-producer of Doo-Bop; "There are large chunks of fresh material here...Fill[s] in quite a few gaps and dismisses blanket condemnations of [Miles's] pop phase." Stephen Graham, Jazzwise; "Through lively analyses of all Miles' recorded work from this period and much that went unreleased, including the 'lost' album Rubberband, [Cole] does enough to send readers back to the original albums." Simon Evans, Choice; "GREATFUCKINJOBWITDABOOK" Foley, Miles's lead bassist 1987-1991; "The book is beautiful. I think you did a great job on covering Miles's life and legacy." Sid Reynolds, hip-hop producer; "It is truly an excellent body of work that literally takes a reader from hearing rumours to realising truths about the Chicago group and our collective take on the Miles Davis comeback." Glenn Burris, co-writer of "Shout"

About this edition

• Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1845531221
• ISBN 13: 9781845531225
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 608