This is interesting because I have two titles with GH in the dead wax and neither have the paste-on slicks. Also, FWIW the copyright date for both on the spine is 1983. What time frame are we talking for the slicks? Does that mean that these pressings could be post-1990 but have been made with the '80s metalwork?
Plus they say they're distributed by Concord Music Group instead of Fantasy Records on the back covers.
The original OJCs with the large Obi had the jacket with slicks, the transition probably occurred around the time the copies with large "$5.98" sticker were introduced. Since very few were buying vinyl in the '90s I wouldn't doubt if the metalwork was being used for years.
So do you think the slick jackets were used throughout the '80s and do you think some of the pressings with "RE" in the dead wax are from the '80s?
Also, what's up with these copies I'm seeing on eBay where sellers are saying they're part of the 'Limited Edition Series'...? UPDATE: I noticed that the catalog number for one of these was 'OJC-17XX'. According to Discogs, these were all released between 1984-1991, so I'm assuming these are all-analog...though perhaps they were repressed at some point from digital masters?
Another interesting thing I observed browsing Discogs' OJC discography: it appears that the longer stickers (not the OBIs) were phased out around 1987. So if you see a title (sealed or not sealed) with a shorter sticker on the shrink, it's probably a later pressing...? And I saw pictures of OBIs up to 1984. (Of course, this is all speculation and nowhere near concrete proof of anything.) I suppose my simple assumption is the earlier a copy was pressed the more likely you are to get an all-analog pressing, because I see no hard evidence of when they would have switched over to digital masters--if they ever did. It seems like the GH in the dead wax is your best guarantee that you're getting an early, all-analog pressing.
You gotta wonder if companies like OJC ever thought that 30 years later people would be analyzing the size and shape of the stickers they used.
Good point. I'm guessing that any ol' OJC vinyl sounds pretty darn good as has been suggested here by several members, but I can't help but appreciate the knowledge (or high probability) that the record I'm listening to is an all-analog pressing.
I also just found an OJC record saying it was remastered by Gary Hobish...isn't that something? Two "GH"'s involved in mastering these...though it seems that GH in the dead wax refers to George Horn, as other members have said.
I guess the interest in this thread is kinda nonexistent but I'll continue to post: I'm interested in Kenny Dorham's Quiet Kenny, which according to Discogs was released by OJC in 1986. I emailed a bunch of people on Discogs and they wrote back with the following matrices: "...a very flamboyant P and then (A) and also OJC 250 A1" "ET...also OJC 250 A" "...in addition to the catalog number, "P (AP)" is inscribed in the dead wax" Ant help out there? Anybody who has a title from '86 who could share what their dead wax says and whether or not they have any idea it's a 1986 pressing? Thank youuu.
I asked several sellers about Quiet Kenny, I never got a positive response that any of them had "GH" in the dead wax. And going from memory most jackets were the newer flimsy type. The AP 45 rpm sounds phenomenal so I stopped looking And the AP has the correct New Jazz labels. Some of the New Jazz titles released by OJC actually have the yellow fireworks label.
Isn't it true that for all the different record labels OJC reissues use the first label-style they pressed? e.g. all the Prestige are the yellow fireworks, all the Riverside are the white twin-reel? I'm 99% sure all of my OJCs follow that pattern...
I have the OJC CD right now and it sounds great, I just thought it would be cool to have the OJC vinyl...don't think I'll be springing for the AP vinyl based on how satisfied I am with the CD, but I was considering it and I appreciate the feedback.
Rich, only the first batch had paste-on covers. From 1984 on the latest they changed to normal-style jackets, but still had thicker cardboard. Then later the cardboard got lighter and not brown/grey, but white inside...
While both were run by Bob Weinstock, New Jazz was a separate branch of Prestige. As far as I know with all the New Jazz albums I own the purple label is the first pressing and the yellow fireworks would not be mixed. Perhaps they switched back to Prestige designs later on.
The P is also on all GH titles I have. But the relatively late date of 1986 and the lack of GH makes it more risky, meaning it could be digitally mastered I guess... On the other hand, GH is hard to recognise in the deadwax by inexperienced sellers, since it's very small... Mightn't ET be Actually GH?
I picked up some of the newer Bill Evans and Miles Davis titles. They sound very nice, whatever the source is. For $16-$17 you can't go wrong
Yeah, but all the OJC pressings of these albums, whether New Jazz or officially Prestige, have the Prestige labels. I don't think any of the OJC albums originally released on New Jazz have the purple label in their OJC format, do they? Though I just to a look at my catalog, and all the New Jazz reissues I have are from the 2xLP sets with the trident labels, so maybe I just haven't seen an OJC New Jazz with a purple label yet.
Yes, that was my point the OJC are technically using the wrong label for New Jazz releases when an OJC release uses a fireworks label. It wouldn't be an issue if they just stuck with the trident label, as that was the label design for later pressings of New Jazz and Prestige. It is hit or miss on whether OJC used the correct label, for instance the OJC Quiet Kenny did use the correct New Jazz label: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kenny-Dorha...50-German-Pressing-Near-Mint-NM-/221622859167 edit: I should just add that I'm the last person that cares about font, typeset, address names and other small details when it comes to reissues. But when an entire label design is incorrect that is a bit annoying.
Slightly off-topic but there's detailed info at London Jazz Collector on the few instances at the beginning of the New jazz era where the Prestige label was used for originals: https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/prestige/4-prestige/ Roy Haynes' We Three has the purple New Jazz label as well.
Yeah, it seems the consensus is that at the end of the day, OJC vinyl is a tremendous value whether it's analog or digital sourced, whether it's old or new. I've personally had excellent experiences with all the '80s pressings I have come across.
Nearly all my OJC's are analog. The early OJC's are analog- after that the covers began mentioning digital, who knows for sure, especially the more recent ones. Listen and see if it sounds digital. The Lp "Art Pepper Today" Fantasy or OJC has both an analog and a digital pressing, also Art Pepper "The way it was" (Mofi did this one too) if you manage to hunt them down and compare you can get a feel for the digital versus the analog ones. Sonny Rollins "way out west" is digital.
Without a reference point like an OJC copy of the same title that's guaranteed to be analog-sourced, I couldn't even begin to imagine how I might be able to detect if a pressing was digitally sourced...but that's a whole other batch of infamous 50-page threads.
The copy of Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section I picked up the other day seems to be from the digital era-- though I've read both that all DeLancie-mastered titles are digital and that they aren't, OJC just copied the CD back for the lp--and it still sounds fantastic. I'd be curious to pick up one that had both analog and digital releases and see if I could tell the difference, tho...
