Miles Davis Complete Sessions Box Sets being Reissued

[Tony L]

Cool. Mine has been ‘released from customs’ with ‘revised customs charges raised’, which I assume means they had two goes before settling on an amount I will find offensive! Anyway, I’ll take a holistic view a I got away with the first order! Hopefully this means I’ll get it this week. I assume I’ll get the ransom card stuck through the door tomorrow or Wed.

 

[Marchbanks]

My order is cursed. I tried to pay the charge online on Monday, but the system didn’t recognise the tracking number. Eventually I found a way round that, but I couldn't have them delivered until Wednesday. Patience not being one of my strongest suits, I decided to go to the delivery office today. As I left, our friendly postman turned up. I told him the situation. ‘If you’ve got the money, give it to me and I’ll save you the journey’ he said. I hadn’t. I went to the bank and strolled to the delivery office. Closed. Restricted hours due to Covid. Closed all day Wednesday as well. I drove home, swearing at close to Olympic standard. A mile from home I saw our postie in his van, driving the opposite way. I made a swift three-point turn on the main road (if that was you in the Merc, sorry. I appreciate your patience) and saw him emptying a pillar box a few yards up a small lane as I drove past. Another swift 180 and just in time to see him disappear up a posh-looking driveway. (I swear this is all true.) I got out of my car and waited. He saw me as he reversed, wound the window down and looking a little sheepish, said ‘they’re closed, aren’t they?’ I smiled, nodded, and gave him the cash and the ransom note.

Let’s see what twists are in store for tomorrow.

 

[droodzilla]

I'm being clobbered for £68 (mostly import VAT, plus customs duty and a clearance fee). I thought I read earlier that CDs were exempt from something (VAT?). Pain in the neck but at least Iknow they're in the UK.

 

[Tony L]

£38.58 is my random ransom fee, paid earlier for delivery tomorrow, which is rather better than I was expecting.

 

[Marchbanks]

£38.58 is my random ransom fee, paid earlier for delivery tomorrow, which is rather better than I was expecting.

‘Random’ is precisely the word my postman used when I grumbled that I’d copped a customs charge when others hadn’t. This from his first-hand knowledge of the proportion of disgruntled punters.

 

[Engels]

Nothing charged for my Bitches Brew and On The Corner boxes... which was nice

 

[Marchbanks]

Nothing charged for my Bitches Brew and On The Corner boxes... which was nice

**!!*!**!!!*!

 

[ciderglider]

I'm being clobbered for £68 (mostly import VAT, plus customs duty and a clearance fee). I thought I read earlier that CDs were exempt from something (VAT?). Pain in the neck but at least I know they're in the UK.

I think the threshold for paying VAT on imports has been set at roughly the price of a single CD, about £15. So if you import many CDs, or just one exotic CD, you get stung, unless, as in Engels' case, you get lucky.

 

[Tony L]

Assuming today’s delivery arrives undamaged (still waiting) I’m ok with the fee, basically £40 surcharge on a full set as I got away with the first three, which isn’t bad really. Still comfortably under the current second-hand value all-in for the rarer sets!

PS Still no sign of these on Amazon etc so I’m sticking with the theory the Miles Davis store uncovered some NOS.

 

[Marchbanks]

PS Still no sign of these on Amazon etc so I’m sticking with the theory the Miles Davis store uncovered some NOS.

Seems most likely from the dates on the packaging and the fact they are a ‘limited edition.’ But why did I have to wait a month for an in-stock item to become available? Covid would be the excuse, I guess.

 

[Tony L]

It is odd. I guess they could have been stuck in a warehouse in another US state somewhere or similar logistical issues. Might even be shop returns if a huge chain or distributer went under. I’ve no idea.

 

[Tony L]

Got mine safely. Not great packaging but they survived without any dings. Anyway I’m now totally convinced these are NOS original issues as there was some trace of mould on the Gill Evans outer sleeve! Thankfully very easy to remove without trace, but it certainly isn’t something one would see on a new reissue.

To recap the evidence; original shrink-wrap hype-stickers, some failed glue holding the metal spines in place, not available anywhere else from any source, and now some mould! These are a bargain IMHO. I just hope they dig-up some copies of The Complete Plugged Nickel as that is the only Columbia-era set I’m missing now. I have everything else.

 

[Marchbanks]

Got mine safely. Not great packaging but they survived without any dings.

My On the Corner has a dent and scratch on the metal sleeve, but life’s too short to do anything about it. It’s not as if I’m ever going to sell it. The scratch was underneath the shrink wrap (which was fine) so nothing to do with the transportation.

 

[Tony L]

My On the Corner has a dent and scratch on the metal sleeve, but life’s too short to do anything about it. It’s not as if I’m ever going to sell it. The scratch was underneath the shrink wrap (which was fine) so nothing to do with the transportation.

Mine also has a slight scratch on the rear case, again under the shrink, plus the fitting of the inside plastic lining to the outer case was a bit wrong. In fact they all have very slight defects either from manufacture or storage, but nowhere near sufficient for me to suspect they are returns (the shrink being intact being the main indicator). They are beautiful things, but from a practical perspective the packaging is just awful; discs are hard to get out and will likely cause scratches, books all but impossible to read, even finding the track listing is a challenge. Pure form over function, but real pretty and I love ‘em! I’ve stuck all mine in mini Nagaoka-style sleeves so they don’t pick up surface scuffs, as I always do for this kind of packaging if I know I’m going to be playing the contents a lot (which I obviously do with Miles).

The first ‘long-box’ reissues were the most practical by a mile, proper protection for the discs, easy to read books etc. Very use-friendly. Far from complete though, I’m sure Seven Steps, OTC Plugged Nickel and Cellar Door never made it this far. The next ‘short-box’ reissues are a right pain in the arse as the discs are kind of clipped into an overlapping tray thing so you have to take them all out to get to the last one. I had a mix of both, and now I have some nice stock for the shop!

 

[Marchbanks]

They are beautiful things, but from a practical perspective the packaging is just awful; discs are hard to get out and will likely cause scratches, books all but impossible to read, even finding the track listing is a challenge. Pure form over function, but real pretty and I love ‘em!

The worst 'form over function' packaging I know is 'The Complete Bill Evans on Verve'. The outer case is designed to rust as some sort of artwork, so obviously that doesn't get used at all. But the spine of the inner is the same, and the 21 CDs are all rivetted to that in one corner, and swivel out. To get any purchase to do the swivelling you have to hold the rusty part with one hand and rotate the covers one by one with the other until you get the one you want.

Or rip them.

The... ‘short-box’ reissues are a right pain in the arse as the discs are kind of clipped into an overlapping tray thing so you have to take them all out to get to the last one. I had a mix of both, and now I have some nice stock for the shop!

You mean the boxes where the CDs are held in by a sort of pendulum clip whose breaking strain is slightly less than the force needed to get the CD out although it feels as if the CD will snap first? Yes, they are loathsome things. Most of mine are broken.

 

[Tony L]

You mean the boxes where the CDs are held in by a sort of pendulum clip whose breaking strain is slightly less than the force needed to get the CD out although it feels as if the CD will snap first? Yes, they are loathsome things. Most of mine are broken.

I think we are talking about the same thing. The two I have (Coltrane, Gill Evans) are six disc sets, three at each end either side of the book. The discs overlap each other to about 40% to squish three CDs into a book height far smaller. This is done with clips in the clear tray on the periphery of the disc that old them in by the edge. The 4xCD Bitches Brew Anniversary has a similarly obnoxious system, though is correspondingly shorter again. I didn’t break any clips, but I was always so paranoid about scratching the CDs I barely played those sets! The ‘metal spine’ sets are not too bad with regards getting the discs in and out (and perfectly safe now I’ve added inners), but they are not as practical as the ‘long-box‘ format where you had three standard digipac holders that dictated the height and allowed for an easily readable booklet too.

 

[Tony L]

Trying to work out what I’m missing now... obviously Complete Plugged Nickel, but I think I’ve got most of it now. The Prestige albums are hiding at the back in the ‘All Miles’ box, I’ve got the Blue Note Vol 1 & 2 on vinyl & CD, Birth Of The Cool on vinyl & CD (I’ve more vinyl, but nothing that isn’t pictured on CD here). I guess there is some really early stuff with Charlie Parker etc and likely a few 10” albums from that early period on random labels I’m missing (I’ve got one rather tatty one on Esquire). There is certainly a lot of it!

 

[droodzilla]

Mine finally arrived. There are no obvious nasties although they don't exactly look brand new either, consistent with the new old stock theory.

Very happy to have them (especially IASW and OtC) and I'm sure the customs charge sting will fade in time.

Now to decide whether to relive the stress to complete the set (just the Gil Evans and the Coltrane boxes to go).

 

[mikechadwick]

I still need the “Complete Cellar Door” box set but can’t bring myself to pay the asking price! Fancy selling yours Tony

 

[Tony L]

Now to decide whether to relive the stress to complete the set (just the Gil Evans and the Coltrane boxes to go).

I’d go for it. FWIW I consider the early sets far less essential (assuming you already have the core albums) as they contain a few out-takes here and there rather than anything truly ground-breaking. It is the later boxes; In A Silent Way, Jack Johnson and On The Corner that are absolutely essential and for me the high-watermark of his entire catalogue as they contain so much new material and hugely extended versions of the segments that were cut ‘n’ shut collage-form to produce the original albums. I’d still get them though, they are both lovely items, the Coltrane one being a metal box, the Gill Evans a lovely hefty thing and there is a lot in there even if for me it is less eye-opening than the electric stuff.

I still need the “Complete Cellar Door” box set but can’t bring myself to pay the asking price! Fancy selling yours Tony

I was very surprised to find that one in the wild, King Bee in Chorlton about two years ago and I think £30, maybe £40, but certainly no more than that. It is superb, you do need a copy! It’s just Complete Plugged Nickel I need now, and that is going to be a very tough find unless some NOS turn up on the Miles store.