A conversation I had with the Operator at Sony Music Store

I just got the new Yellowjackets album (on Heads Up) on hybrid SACD, so new stuff is coming. That title won't be out until sometime in March, though. It helps doing the saxophonist's website

 

Columbia could do Elvis Costello if it was in the 80s, but Rhino now has the catalog.

 

Well, at least -according to scientists- there's water from where those guys came from.

Now seriously, I seem to remember there was only one song I liked in that album.

 

Isn't the Living Stereo SACD series also from BMG?

 

Where? I've bought all the SACDs I want. They've all but dried up except for classical.

 

A good point. I'd prefer the Byrds, Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkel, and the rest of Dylan in any case. And BST's Child Is Father to the Man.

Plus the Beach Boys, if Capitol wants to get in on SACD.

 

Hmmm... Have you ever heard of Diana Krall? I just got 3 of her releases; Verve is part of Universal Music Group. I believe I have around a dozen Universal titles.

Since you've given up on the format, maybe you should put your discs up for sale. I'd be happy to buy a few.

 

What about all the great Fantasy jazz stuff coming out?

 

What about jazz?

 

She was bullish because people were calling her and ordering them. The fact if she listens to them or not is moot.
When you call a stock trader, he executes the stock regardless if he/she has heard of the stock. If many people bought 99 cent stores, the trader would take notice. The fact that the trader had never been to a 99 cent store...blah blah blah......get the picture?

 

I'm beginning to think a lot of projects were held up because of the merger with BMG. Only time will tell.

 

What new Fantasy jazz releases. As far as I have heard and can tell from their website they have no future scheduled releases. Since I have purchased every Fantasy SACD release, I would be interested in knowing the titles that are scheduled to come out in the future.

 

That sounds about right. One fair song on 4 vinyl sides. We might be the only two surviving earthlings who ever heard this trash. I read a review of it in Rolling Stone and went out and bought it like a fool. I couldn't get stoned enough to make this turd amusing! I proably have the best conditioned copy of it left on the planet. It's been resting since the 70's.

I'd rather be abducted by aliens than have to sit through this thing ever again! Have you been abducted? Recuredos mi gato amigo!

 

Gatita, I have been having some flashbacks where I was abducted into this double album populated by longe-legged mechanical creatures and... nevermind, just cozy up to the fact that the narrator was Richard Burton and that, upon hearing it, you didn't feel the imperative need to leave your town in a hurry. I've heard many others did on account of another of them versions. Cuidate

 

Being a sales person she could have said "yes they're going to be going out of print SOON so I'd pick one up if I were you" Soon is comfortably non-specific, yet gives the potential buyer the added incentive to buy NOW.

She could have said that.

 

That's a good one - a nice mental image there.

I can remember when this record came out. There were a few friends who liked it - and would force it on you when you visited. Needless to say, they had crap pot too.

 

Mi gato, I'm not afraid of Virginia Wolf or aliens. The Mighty Groundhogs saved el mundo! Got another fat one to burn here in the time warp? Kaptain Kopter is coming to take us away....

 

Mine was premo and it didnt help. Automatic Man, the hero of the psychic future took me away from it all!

 

I bought a few by Miles Davis, and didn't like them any more than the remasters in the box sets (which I like a lot, btw). I also bought some of the Fantasy label SACDs, but the truth is, I like Miles Davis a whole lot more than the rest of jazz. And I've listened to a considerable amount--most of Coltrane, lots of the Blue Note LPs that were available in the late 90s, and I find I only really like the trumpet.

So I might buy a few more Miles SACDs, maybe some CCR. Thing is, I didn't like CCR enough to buy their records back in the day, and I've found that buying SACDs just because they happen to be SACDs isn't enough to make me play them.

So, there's very little I want on SACD that I don't already have. Maybe I'll buy the Mahler 2 by Kaplan. I like the M3 by MTT, hated his M6, don't plan to buy any of the others.

 

I didn't like Diana Krall before SACD. I don't think I'll like her just because she's on SACD. I tried that with Santana and a few others on CBS.

But *I* haven't given up on the format. The labels have. I still listen plenty to the ones I have...those precious few. If I change my mind, I'll let you know.

 

My record-shopping history is rich with salespeople who were enthusiastic about the music *because they listened to it.* Someone who just sells, just sells. Who even knows if they're telling the truth?

 

I called them up to check on my order. She wasn't selling me anything. She wasn't doing a sales pitch. SHe even told me she hated her job.
I'm telling all of you that Sony has plans for SACD. You heard it hear first.
(This is just a rumor)

 

Buy the Mahler 2 by Kaplan, it's an overwheling emotional experience. Why did you Hate MTT's Mahler 6?

 

They'll sell me one! In the "to each his own" spirit, I've enjoyed this since day one, especially the Hayward track which I wish somebody would release on disc in its own mix, like the 45 release. Still play this album once every 3 or 4 months, start to finish.

But the future of sacd....I'd really like to see it go. I'm just now starting to appreciate it. The operator may have been truly sincere but I can't get that Studebaker salesman feeling to go away. Back in 66, the last year of the line......"this is the finest Studebaker yet, I plan to buy one myself if any are left over. Yes yes, we plan to be here for years to come should you ever need service". As you pull out of the lot, you can't help but notice as the salesman steps into his new Cadillac. That kind of feeling.

 

I was just checking http://www.sa-cd.net/upcoming and I noticed only two pages of releases. A couple of weeks ago I could swear I saw four or five pages (I clicked through them all looking for interesting titles), and I don't think half of the titles came out that quickly. Did a bunch of releases just get cancelled?

Other than 'Wish You Were Here', is there any big pop/rock release that is reported as being in production for the format? Is there any chance that we'll get Dylan Phase 2 in SACD, not Sony's nasty lossy DualDisc?

EDIT: I keep hearing that Universal is releasing more titles, however, they have removed the 'Coming Soon' section from their SACD page at http://consumers.umusic.com/sacd/releases.html (they still have 'Coming Soon' for DVD-A and DualDisc, and I know they used to have 'Coming Soon' for SACD because I've checked it many times). Does Universal have no more titles in the works?