Miles Davis: Seven Steps to Heaven (Analogue Prod., 2010, 45rpm Two LPs)

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Miles Davis Seven Steps To Heaven on 180g 45RPM 2LP Set

 from Analogue Productions

Mastered from the Original Master Tapes at Sterling Sound by George Marino

Pressed at RTI on Dead-Quiet 180g Vinyl: Sound is Mind-Blowingly Great

Audiophile Vinyl Reissue is Definitive Analog Version of Spectacular Classic!

What could be better than an outstanding Miles Davis band? Try two of them. In 1963, the brilliant composer was in the midst of another transitional phase, and for the recording of Seven Steps to Heaven, split the sessions in half. He also used geography to his advantage in creating a cohesive album that nonetheless features two distinctive units, one from the West Coast, the other from the East Coast.

Teaming with George Coleman, Victor Feldman, Ron Carter, and Frank Butler, Miles recorded "Basin Street Blues" and "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home"--rarities in that they are standards, something that Davis rarely included on album--as well as "I Fall in Love Too Easily," stamping the tunes with a West Coast jazz bent. But he wasn't finished. In New York, he kept Carter and Coleman, but added Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to the mix, resulting in a lineup that became his new group, the fruits of which can be heard on "So Near So Far," "Joshua," and the title track. 

While not as famous as the more experimental Columbia sets he'd record a year later, Seven Steps to Heaven is a titanic jazz album, with the players demonstrating a palpable harmonic subtlety and ability to shade melodies on a level few have ever matched. Heard in the context of Davis' later works, the record stands as one of his best. And that's no small claim. And never has Seven Steps to Heaven sounded, well, so heavenly.

Mastered from the original master tapes at Sterling Sound by acclaimed engineer George Marino, and pressed at RTI, Analogue Productions' dead-quiet 180g 45RPM 2LP set is unbelievably great. The pressing brings all of the music's details, microdynamics, and notes to the fore, with a lifelike soundstage and immense grooves that will have you returning to this record on a regular basis for years to come. Instrumental imaging and balances are absolutely perfect. Rarely, if ever, has Miles sounded so splendid on vinyl. This edition even bests the celebrated Japanese SACD version!