Miles on record...
This section presents various Miles Davis releases available in recorded format (mostly CD, however LP, DVD, Laser Disc, cassette and Reel To Reel are also included).

It is important to distinguish between the various types of Miles Davis recordings available. The bootleg, pirate, counterfit, grey market and (so called) authorized recordings are all different from each other, however, many collectors often confuse the terminology of these forms of recordings.

Authorized Releases
This is probably the easiest class of recordings to understand. These are the CDs you find at your local record or department store. Authorized recordings are those released "officially" by a "legitamite record company". Many beleive this form of distribution now to be obsolete. Interestingly, many "authorized" releases now include recordings that were previously only available from underground and tape trader avenues.

Bootlegs
Bootlegs recordings include the body of unreleased material of a given artist such as demonstration, rehearsal tapes, studio outtakes, alternate takes, TV programs, radio performances, and concerts. People who purchase bootlegs, generally speaking, are aware of what they are buying because they are often completists who already own all of the artist's commercial releases. There have been quite a number of Miles Davis bootleg recordings brought to market in LP and CD form.

Pirates
Pirate recordings are those made by copying legitimate records and tapes. In the case of a pirate release, no attempt is made to reproduce the legitimate album cover or label artwork. Pirates of Miles Davis recordings have appeared around the world.

Grey Market
Using international copyright loop-holes, some record companies are able to legally release recordings of their choosing. In many countries, recordings made before 1954 are in the public domain and may no longer be under copyright restrictions. In recent years, there have been new editions and previously unreleased recordings appearing.

Counterfeits
Counterfeit records attempt to completely reproduce an officially released album including the music, cover graphics, and label artwork. Counterfeits dupe consumers into purchasing a bogus version of an album (usually at a lower price) instead of the "authorized" version. Although I have seen counterfeits of "popular" artist releases (especially The Beatles), I have never (knowingly) seen a counterfeit Miles Davis album.

CD-R Only Releases
CD-R releases are NOT illegal. Columbia/Legacy, Warner Bros. and other companies regularly distribute recordings on CD-R media ("The Last Word" and "At The Cellar Door" are two examples). In addition, many boutique labels also release rare Miles recordings on CD-R only (So What!, Megadisc, Peacefrog, etc.). However, collector's view these releases as "less valuable".

This discography section presents various releases available in disc format for educational and research purposes only.

Audio and Video:
[ Discography by Date - Sessionography ] (over 1000 sessions listed!)

[ Discography by Label ]
[ Discography by Title ]
[ Compilation Albums ]
[ SACD and DVD-A discography ]
[ Promotional CDs ]
[ Radio Shows and Specials ]
[ Promotional Video Tapes ]
[ Movies and DVD ]
[ Laser Discs ]
[ Rare DVD video ]
[ CD-R Only Releases ]

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