Title - John Miles - The Albums 1983-1993 [3CD]
Artist - John Miles
For those unaware, John Miles - The Albums 1983-1993 is a tremendous three-disc 40 track clamshell box set featuring the last trio of studio albums by the late rock legend John Miles.
The first disc is 1983’s ‘Play On’ album, making its debut on CD. Produced by Gus Dudgeon (known for his work with Elton John) the album features the singles ‘Song For You’ and ‘The Right To Sing’ and now also comes with the addition of two non-LP, non-CD B-sides.
Disc two is 1985’s ‘Transition’ album, released as the John Miles Band and appearing here on CD for the first time. It features the singles ‘Blinded’ and ‘I Need Your Love’ plus the non-LP non-CD ‘Good So Bad’ among the bonus tracks.
The final disc is 1993’s ‘Upfront’ album which includes the singles ‘What Goes Around’, ‘Oh How The Years Go By’ and ‘One More Day’.
Just so we are all on the same page, John Miles was an English rock singer, guitarist and keyboard player best known for his 1976 top 3 UK hit single Music, which won an Ivor Novello Award, and his frequent appearances at Night of the Proms.
He also won the Outstanding Musical Achievement award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards, and deservedly so, in my humble opinion, as this musician was far more than simply a one-hit wonder.
Disc One: Play On (1983)
1. Take Me To My Heaven
2. Song For You
3. It Wasn’t Love At All
4. Ready To Spread Your Wings
5. I’ll Never Do It Again
6. Heart Of Stone
7. Home
8. Close Eyes, Count To Ten
9. Carrie
10. The Right To Sing
11. Back To The Magic [Bonus Track]
12. That’s Rock ’N’ Roll [Bonus Track]
Play On was actually the sixth solo album by Miles and released in 1983 via EMI label it was also one of his most beloved. It was also the first time that drummer Barry Black and bassist Bob Marshall were not used on the album (although Marshall still wrote the songs with Miles).
Instead they were replaced by session musicians. The Right to Sing was the first single released from the album and was written about the fact that record companies wanted to decide which songs Miles had to release and which direction he had to take.
Another single, the catchy track Song For You became a small worldwide hit and was used as a soundtrack in TV commercials for cigarette brand Hollywood in Brazil and few other countries. Interestingly though, That’s Rock ’n’ Roll was left off the album because it was too different, and was subsequently released as a B-side.
The track Carrie was covered by The Hollies on the b-side of the 1988 re-release of their cover version of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and on which Miles also sang backing vocals on.
Disc Two: Transition (1985)
1. Once In Your Life
2. Run
3. Blinded
4. You’re The One
5. I Need Your Love
6. Hard Time
7. Who Knows
8. Don’t Lie To Me
9. Watching Over Me
10. I Need Your Love (Edited Single Version) [Bonus Tack]
11. Good So Bad [Bonus Track]
12. Blinded (Special Cut Single Version) [Bonus Track]
While some of the tracks here now have, shall we politely say, mildly dated, it is still a most gorgeous thing to hear the amount of synth used by this prog-lite rocker.
Indeed, it is sometimes enough to make you raise an eyebrow, but the album has some other, rockier good moments, especially in the first half with tracks such as Run, Blinded and You’re The One. For me though, the ultimate highlight is the excellent banger of a track Blinded!
For the most part though, Miles isn’t a particularly distinctive writer or guitarist and his blustery vocals are a bit much too take at times, although he’s not as overblown and wayward here as he would be on Jimmy Page’s Outrider album; but then again, no one was listening to Outrider for Miles’ vocals anyway.
Disc Three: Upfront (1993)
1. Everything’s O.K.
2. Can’t Get Through
3. One More Day Without Love
4. Oh How The Years Go By
5. What Goes Around
6. Now That The Magic Has Gone
7. It’s Such A Mystery
8. Body Of My Brunette
9. Forever And Ever
10. It’s Not Over Yet
11. Chains And Wild Horses
12. Absent Hearts
13. Pale Spanish Moon
14. One More Day Without Love (Single Version) [Bonus Track]
15. Oh How The Years Go By (Single Version) [Bonus Track]
16. It’s Such A Mystery (Single Version) [Bonus Track]
The songwriting here on Upfront is really bloody good, with Miles’ voice sounding strong and mature, and some of the guitar work quite easily being the best he had done in years.
As usual with Miles, it is on the ballads that his vocal range really shines and there are one or two truly beautiful ballads on here, such as Now That The Magic Has Gone, which is a dedicated stand out!
Just to make this clear, this album was not rehash of his 70’s work, but a very goo, clean cut album that will appeal to older John Miles fans, let alone all those who like artists such as Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, and Chris Rea.
The sleeve notes have been written by Stephen Carson who oversees the Official John Miles Facebook page and created the John Miles website below.
John Miles - The Albums 1983-93 [3CD] (Official Trailer)
Official Purchase Link
www.John-Miles.net