Singer-songwriter John Miles' 1976 hit "Music," the opening track of his Decca debut album Rebel, immediately became the artist's calling card.  The Alan Parsons-produced single went to the top five on the U.K. Singles Chart, also reaching the top ten in various European countries, and cracking the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.  The epic prog ballad won Miles an Ivor Novello Award, and launched Miles into the stratosphere.  Two well-received albums with producer Rupert Holmes followed, the first of which yielded the U.S. hit "Slow Down" (No. 2 Disco/No. 34 Pop).  Miles then reunited with Parsons for another two LPs including the Arista album Sympathy.  Following 1981's self-produced Miles High for EMI, he teamed with Gus Dudgeon (Elton John, David Bowie) for 1983's Play On.  That album launches the new 3-CD, 3-album box set, The Albums 1983-93, from Cherry Red's 7Ts imprint.  This box follows up the 2016 release of The Decca Albums from the same 7Ts team of reissue producer Mark Brennan and mastering engineer James Bragg.

Play On makes its CD debut in this collection.  The 1983 LP marked a new start for the singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist, who had parted ways with his "classic"-era band (Barry Black on drums, Bob Marshall on bass, and Brian Chatton on keyboards) after Miles High.  With Marshall still on board as co-writer - he ceded bass duties to Paul Westwood - Miles and Dudgeon assembled a crack team of session veterans to bring ten new songs to life.  Though synthesizers were prominent throughout on such uptempo tracks as "Song for You" and "It Wasn't Love at All," Dudgeon didn't ignore the more widescreen elements of Miles' sound.  He enlisted old friend Paul Buckmaster, with whom he'd worked on classic recordings from Elton John and David Bowie, to provide the orchestral arrangement for "Ready to Spread Your Wings" while Bruce Baxter arranged the orchestra for "The Right to Sing."  Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel, The Alan Parsons Project) lent his saxophone to "Take Me to My Heaven" and "Home."  The former also featured jazz trombonist Derek Wadsworth and a brass section.  The sound of Dudgeon's production was expansive yet tight, anchored by the tight rhythm section.  The stately "The Right to Sing," a spiritual successor to "Music," was chosen as the first single.  Its B-side, "Back to the Magic, has been added here as a bonus track.  So has "That's Rock 'n' Roll," the flipside of second single "Song for You."

Miles' next album, heard here on CD 2, was recorded for the then-new, Atlantic-distributed Valentino label. The aptly-named Transition was credited to The John Miles Band, featuring Miles on piano, Bob Marshall on bass, and Barriemore Barlow, late of Jethro Tull, on drums.  If Play On had taken baby steps towards the '80s sound, Transition embraced the gloss and big production style of the period.  With Miles and Marshall once again supplying the songs (two in collaboration with Barlow), production duties were at first assumed by Trevor Rabin (Yes, Rabbitt).  Rabin produced the soaring power ballad "Blinded" (an MTV favorite) and shimmering, multilayered "I Need Your Love" before departing the project.  (Both of Rabin's tracks were released as U.K. singles but neither made the charts.)  Beau Hill (Stevie Nicks, Ratt) took the reins for "Watching on Me" and engineer Pat Moran helmed the remainder of the LP.  This edition adds three bonus tracks: the single edit of "I Need Your Love," the Moran-produced non-LP single "Good So Bad," and the "Special Cut Single Version" of "Blinded."

Following Transition, John Miles retreated from the studio - as a solo artist, anyway.  He collaborated on various projects with Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Jimmy Page, and The Alan Parsons Project before returning to the EMI label with Upfront.  Produced by Chris Lord-Alge (whose varied credits range from Turner to Green Day), Upfront reintroduced the singer-songwriter.  He was joined by Ollie Marland on keyboards, Jack Bruno on drums, and Neil Stubenhaus on bass.  It was Miles' first album with which bassist-songwriter Bob Marshall was not involved.  Though he contributed a number of songs, he also turned to outside songwriters (including proven hitmakers Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and Simon Climie and Will Jennings) to flesh out the release.  With Miles' scorching guitar out in the lead, Upfront contained muscular rock ("Everything's OK," "What Goes Around"), ballads ("One More Day Without Love," "Oh, How The Years Go By"), blues burners ("Now That the Magic Is Gone"), gospel-tinged rousers ("It's Not Over Yet"), and quiet acoustic numbers (the Tony Joe White co-write "Pale Spanish Moon").  Upfront was Miles' most eclectic album in years, showcasing all sides of the artist who had straddled numerous musical genres since his very first releases.  The single versions of "One More Day Without Love," "Oh, How the Years Go By," and "It's Such a Mystery" have been added as bonus tracks.

Upfront proved to be Miles' final studio release of pop material; one last album arrived via the 1999 album of his score for the musical Tom & Catherine.  He continued to perform live, even appearing via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic to share his classic "Music" and duet with Michael McDonald on The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun."  His final performances took place in summer 2021, and he passed away in December at the age of 72.

Each disc in The Albums 1983-93 is housed in a mini-paper sleeve.  The clamshell case also includes a 20-page full-color booklet with liner notes by Stephen Carson and memorabilia images.  This tribute to the talented guitarist-singer-songwriter might well be "Music" to your ears.  It's available now at the links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

John Miles, The Albums 1983-93 (Cherry Red/Lemon QCDLEM3BOX252, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Play On (EMI LP EMC 1651471, 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 (EMI single 5386-B, 1983)
12. That's Rock 'N' Roll (EMI single 4511-B, 1983)

CD 2: Transition (Valentino LP 90476-1, 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) (Valentino single B-9528, 1985)
11. Good So Bad (Valentino 12-inch single B-9592, 1985)
12. Blinded (Special Cut Single Version) (Valentino 12-inch single B-9592, 1985)

CD 3: Upfront (EMI CDPCS 7366, 1993)

1. Everything's OK
2. Can't Get Through
3. One More Day Without You
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) (EMI Germany CD single 7243 8 81169 2, 1993)
15. Oh, How the Years Go By (Single Version) (EMI Germany CD single 7243 8 81464 2, 1993)
16. It's Such a Mystery (Single Version) (EMI Germany CD single 7243 8 81464 2, 1993)