Thank you for buying this record. What follows is its documentation: the pressing identified, the matrix / runout transcribed by hand from the dead wax, and the condition as assessed before it was listed. It is yours to keep with the record.

— Paul, Vinyl Curator

Miles Davis

Decoy

1984 · Columbia FC 38991 · Stereo · US · LP, gatefold · 33 1/3 RPM

Pressing details

Label	Columbia
Catalogue number	FC 38991
Year	1984
Mono / Stereo	Stereo
Country	US
Format	LP, gatefold
Speed	33 1/3 RPM
Genre	Jazz - Jazz Fusion/Funk
Producer	Miles Davis
Musicians	Miles Davis (trumpet, synthesizer), John Scofield (guitar), Branford Marsalis (soprano saxophone), Bill Evans (soprano/tenor sax, flute, electric piano), Robert Irving III (synthesizer, electric drum programming), Darryl 'The Munch' Jones (electric bass), Al Foster (drums), Mino Cinelu (percussion), Gil Evans (arranger on 'That's Right')

Matrix / Runout

Side A:  AL-38991-1B MASTERDISK
Side B:  BL-38991-1B MASTERDISK

Condition

Cover: EX GATEFOLD/VG+ MINOR RING WEAR
Vinyl: NM

Variant chronology

1984 - US Columbia 1st pressing, red 'walking-eye' label, Masterdisk-cut lacquers by Bob Ludwig, various stamper suffixes (-1A/-1B/-1C/-1D/-1E) across Pitman/Carrollton/Santa Maria plants  <- this copy
1984 - Promo/white-label 'Not For Sale' issue
1985+ - Later Columbia repress, same catalog number, later stamper suffixes
1990s-2000s - Various European/Japanese CBS/Sony reissues (non-LP focus, minor market)
2022 - Rhino/Sony 'remastered' audiophile-adjacent CD/digital reissue (not a vinyl variant of note) - n/a for LP collectors

This Pressing

1984 US Columbia FC 38991 original pressing - red 'walking eye' label, Masterdisk-cut AL/BL-38991-1B lacquers, gatefold jacket.

The Album

Decoy, released in June 1984, captures Miles Davis deep into his 1980s electric comeback following his return from retirement with The Man with the Horn and We Want Miles. The album blends dense, moody electro-funk grooves largely shaped with young keyboardist Robert Irving III alongside more open, guitar-driven material co-written with John Scofield, who was becoming an increasingly important foil in Davis's working band. Two tracks were captured live at the 1983 Montreal jazz festival, giving the record a mix of tightly produced studio funk and looser stage improvisation, while 'That's Right' features an arrangement by longtime collaborator Gil Evans, tying the record back to one of Davis's most significant artistic partnerships. Branford Marsalis and Bill Evans trade soprano saxophone duties on the album, underlining Davis's continued interest in showcasing new talent even as he leaned harder into synthesizers and programmed drums. Sitting between the more polished Star People and the pop-facing You're Under Arrest, Decoy is often viewed by critics as a transitional, moodier entry in Davis's 1980s catalog, and it earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. Its cool, brooding atmosphere and rhythm-forward writing helped cement the template Davis continued exploring through the rest of the decade, making it a key document of his evolution from acoustic hard bop pioneer to electric innovator.

Tracklist

Side 1

1. Decoy
2. Robot 415
3. Code M.D.
4. Freaky Deaky

Side 2

1. What It Is
2. That's Right
3. That's What Happened

The Label

This copy carries the standard 1984 red Columbia 'walking eye' label with catalog number FC 38991 and AL/BL-38991 matrix prefixes typical of Columbia's early-1980s in-house pressing scheme, under which titles were simultaneously stamped from Masterdisk lacquers at multiple CBS-owned plants (Pitman NJ, Terre Haute IN, Carrollton GA, Santa Maria CA) with differing stamper suffix letters. The -1B suffix on both sides places this among the earlier stamper generations cut shortly after the album's June 1984 release, though the multi-plant simultaneous release model makes precise plant identification from the matrix alone unreliable without a visible etched plant symbol. Columbia's 'walking eye' red label design was standard for the label throughout the late 1970s into the mid-1980s, so the label art itself only confirms the general era, not a specific pressing run. There is no meaningful first-pressing premium structure for this title as with rarer jazz LPs - all early-80s domestic Columbia pressings of Decoy trade in a narrow, low price band regardless of exact stamper letter.

Fidelity

Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk from the original 1984 mix; this era of Columbia pressings is generally well regarded for a clean, punchy cut of Davis's synth-heavy 1980s productions, though the studio mix itself (dense synths, programmed drums) limits ultimate sonic transparency compared to his acoustic-era Columbia LPs. Collectors on forums.stevehoffman.tv generally treat the various early-80s domestic Columbia stampers (-1A through -1E) as sonically similar, with no consensus 'best' stamper commanding a premium. There is no audiophile reissue series (Analogue Productions, Mobile Fidelity, etc.) for Decoy, so this original Masterdisk-cut Columbia pressing remains the best commercially available vinyl fidelity reference for the album, ahead of later Sony/Legacy CD remasters for tonal warmth if not ultimate noise floor.

Notes

1984 Columbia FC 38991 - standard domestic US first-issue pressing. Red 'walking eye' Columbia labels with matching AL-38991-1B / BL-38991-1B Masterdisk matrix numbers on both sides confirm an early-stamper US pressing from Columbia's multi-plant simultaneous release run for this title. No club-edition text, promo markings, or foreign rim text are present, indicating a standard retail US copy rather than a Columbia House or export pressing. Barcode and copyright date (1984 CBS Inc.) on the jacket are consistent with a first-year pressing.

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