Miles Davis/ Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary Edition

Miles Davis
Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary Edition
(Sony Music)

What did the Artrocker critic make of the seminal Miles Davis album? Sounds like the start of some kinda cruel joke, huh? Although truthfully enough, there's a small pocket of the Artrocker universe which does like bits of jazz - Paul Artrocker opens our radio show every week with Acoustic Ladyland, for example. We dig, baby. We dig.
Besides, Bitches Brew should be the more accessible Davis album for rock fans: amongst its inspirations were Hendrix, Sly Stone, James Brown and various late-1960s luminaries. So! Sleeves up, and in we go.
The first track, 'Pharaoh's Dance' lasts for 20 minutes. It feels like walking into a strip bar in a tropical rainforest, and flows with all the stream of consciousness you'd expect. The second track, 'Bitches Brew' lasts for 26 minutes! (Who does this Davis man think he is / was?) A funky guitar enters the scene here - it dips its toes into the music, then dips them right out again as if jabbering "man that's hot!" Meanwhile our man on the trumpet is going from casual to delirious, all the while floating over the arrangements a bit like... er... well, a bit like God.
'Spanish Key' comes in at a comparatively punk rock length of 17 minutes, and kicks back into a Santana groove, instantly more surf-cool than any of these LA schmucks we've had to deal with recently. In fact, that could almost be Carlos on the guitar right there. Carlos without the cheese, of course.
Things wind down with the impeccable percussion freakouts of 'John McLaughlin' and there we have it: a masterclass in a 20th century classic and a history lesson for muppets like me. The Deluxe Edition comes with alternative cuts plus a live DVD, and if you're so inclined, there's a Bitches Brew iPhone app on the way too. Bitchin'.