Music Matters Definitive Blue Note 45 RPM and 33 & 1/3 RPM vinyl series (pt7)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MilesSmiles, Jun 13, 2014.

  1. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Between AP and Classic Records Blue Notes that are still available new from the usual places, I've been filling in my Blue Note all-analogue reissue collection as I can. I haven't heard personally any problems with the Classics, so I don't understand their reputation on this board.

    I've said it before, but I'll say it again: only Music Matters (if they come back) or Vinyl Me, Please are well positioned to do a subscription series of "left field" '60s Blue Notes, though Vinyl Me, Please's customer base, primarily younger, is more likely than Music Matters' to make that a worthwhile undertaking. My suggestions for such a series:

    Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring
    Jackie McLean - Vertigo
    Herbie Hancock - My Point of View
    Andrew Hill - Black Fire
    Andrew Hill - Smokestack
    Freddie Hubbard - Breaking Point
    Grachan Moncur III - Some Other Stuff
    Jackie McLean - It's Time!
    Tony Williams - Life Time
    Freddie Hubbard - Blue Spirits
    Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue
    Andrew Hill - Andrew!!!
    Sam Rivers - Contours
    Bobby Hutcherson - Components
    Tony Williams - Spring
    Andrew Hill - Compulsion
    Jackie McLean - Action Action Action
    Wayne Shorter - The All-Seeing Eye
    Wayne Shorter - Et Cetera
    Lee Morgan - Cornbread
    Ornette Coleman - At the "Golden Circle," Vols. 1 and 2
    Don Cherry - Complete Communion
    Andrew Hill - Change
    Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures
    Bobby Hutcherson - Stick-Up!
    Ornette Coleman - The Empty Foxhole
    Sam Rivers - A New Conception
    Cecil Taylor - Conquistador!
    Sam Rivers - Dimensions & Extensions
    Jackie McLean - New and Old Gospel
    Wayne Shorter - Schizophrenia

    Well, you can see where my tastes lie, and that's a lot of titles for a subscription series. If anyone does even a fraction of those, all-analogue, I'm in.
     
  2. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    @Gabe Walters thanks for the VMP reminder - I should play my Eddie gale as it's killer :)
     
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  3. NorthNY Mark

    NorthNY Mark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canton, NY, USA
    That would be an absolute dream list for me as well!!! I've never subscribed to a series, but certainly would for that one. (Not sure it could be profitable for a reissue company, though--unfortunately).
     
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  4. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    It could possibly be profitable at smaller pressing runs. I'd think a series of 500 to 1000 copies each could sell out.
     
  5. jlrchrds

    jlrchrds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    I would not boycott them. Give me a new subscription series and I’ll pay up. What I will boycott is the 2nd hand market for blue note collectibles. I’ve been burnt too many times. All I care about is getting the best sounding reissue.... MM did that. Oh btw, I have most of the classic reissues. My only complaint is that some of the 200 gr pressings were noisy, but that was the exception more than the rule. Jeff
     
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  6. jlrchrds

    jlrchrds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    Yeah, that’s a good list. BN should do this themselves. I like the new semi annual reissues. Their last anniversary reissue campaign blew, quality was AWFUL!!!!!!
     
  7. Orange T-Rex

    Orange T-Rex Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Funny you say that, because Don Was said the following to Forbes in a very recent interview:

    "We have the 80th anniversary of the label coming up, and we’re planning to announce a very big vinyl campaign towards the end of the year. For our 75th anniversary we did 100 titles that were priced under $20. We tried to keep it reasonable so people could take a chance. We’ll be doing more of that, but also some extensive audiophile things."

    Here's the link to the interview: Blue Note Label Boss, Don Was, Is Not Ready To Give Up On Jazz

    And here's a separate thread I started about the interview: Don Was interview with Forbes regarding the future of Blue Note (audiophile vinyl)

    So depending on the specifics, things could interesting on the BN front later this year...
     
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  8. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Thanks for sharing this!
     
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  9. JMCIII

    JMCIII Music lover first, audiophile second.


    It's too bad they repress these from digital masters and the quality sucks..... If they'd simply do it right, we'd all win....
     
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  10. jlrchrds

    jlrchrds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    Well maybe if we all email the guy it may have some impact, then again maybe not. Besides the bells and whistles, I thought they did a good job with BN Review. Jeff

    Humm, looks like all I can find is Blue Note's twitter account. If I find a good means of pestering him, I'll post it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2018
  11. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    The digital masters were archived from the analog tapes by Bernie Grundman though, correct? I haven’t heard any of the 75 issues but knowing BG was a part of it, I would be confident in his work.
     
  12. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    That's correct. Unfortunately, the majority of the 75 reissues were marred by the notorious United Record Pressing.
     
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  13. Eigenvector

    Eigenvector Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeast PA
    This!!

    The sound quality of these releases wasn't actually all that bad. For the price, I was happy with the sound. The catastrophe was the pressing quality! I bought several and had to return most of them several times over and often never got an acceptable pressing. I started buying the European releases (at a higher cost) which were pressed at either Optimal or GZ. The pressing quality was leagues above the garbage of the United pressings! It's so sad that nothing was done about this throughout the entire campaign. Such a missed opportunity and an insult to this music!
     
  14. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I'd propose that Don Was take (a) the Grundman digital masters to Third Man's pressing plant for an 80th anniversary vinyl series, to be available at a low price to record stores, and (b) a selection of titles that haven't been done recently as audiophile pressings, get the tapes out of the vault and send them to Kevin Gray. I'd be in for many of group (a) and all of group (b).
     
  15. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    Just in case anyone from MM monitors these things ... I would definitely be in for another subscription. I was a member of the final one and was very satisfied. The quality of MM's releases simply cannot be beat.
     
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  16. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    The ones I heard sound sort of sterile, lacking life. So they're o-kay, I suppose. But I would put those up against the best of the OJC (Original Jazz Classic) pressings, most AAA, and the latter are more musical to me, and quite a bargain. Sure, there are some who would say "I really like this poster of the Mona Lisa. It's good enough for me." But for those who have seen it in person and see both the vibrancy as well as the subtlety of the colors, the brushwork, etc., then a poster doesn't do it. And, sure, even a Music Matters pressing of Empyrean Isles is not a substitute for hearing Herbie Hancock's group from that era in person, there is a life to the music, dynamics, rich textures, etc., which the 75th anniversary pressings don't have. If you limit dynamics and erase some of the harmonic texture, you've lost some of what makes the music come alive. The 75th Anniversary series pressings are not awful. They don't sound like sound coming from a dixie cup or a 1930s rotory phone, but music is not merely notes played related to a marked time.
     
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  17. BendBound

    BendBound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bend, OR
    Gabe, Terrific list. I've been lucky enough to fill in most all of those with Liberty and some earlier BN releases in VG+ or better condition. But I'd love to get these lps in MM remastered versions. To this list, I would add Blue Mitchell's Head's Up and Down With It, Jack Wilson's Easterly Winds or Something Personal, Hank Mobley's High Voltage, Dexter Gordon's One Flight Up, Donald Byrd's Slow Drag, and a handful of others. So many titles, so little time. Thanks for giving us that list. Hey, Ron, RON, RONNNNN!

    :love:
     
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  18. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I have 2nd or 3rd pressings of some of these on Blue Note or Liberty, but I’d love some Grey-cut reissues.
     
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  19. TS582

    TS582 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central MA
    That would be close to perfect.
     
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  20. bluejimbop

    bluejimbop Thumb Toe Heel Toe

    Location:
    Castro Valley, CA
    Yep. Once again, Organ Jazz gets no respect.
     
  21. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I'd love to be pleasantly surprised and proven wrong, but a major label doing things the audiophile way is probably not going to happen. At least not going forward. Everything from using the analog tapes, to getting the jacket done right by using a company like Stoughton Printing are things that cost money and will always be the first thing bean counters in a major company strike off to "maximize profits." - That's just how they're wired. There's no getting around it.

    There's a reason why triple AAA titles are primarily done by AP, MM, Impex, ORG and Sam records in France most recently. It's because you have to do this as not just a money making exercise, it has to also be a labor of love. The individuals at the helm of those boutique audiophile companies are audiophiles themselves and they get it. You have to get it. I'm not sure there's anyone like that at the major labels anymore. Why would Blue Note go through all this, when they can just cut records from digital sources and press it on a shiny 180 gram record, add on a bunch of useless knick knacks that cost them pennies on the dollar, and put it all in a big box and charge top dollar? The guy who puts forward that idea at a major label will be listened to over the guy who wants triple AAA titles cut from the analog tapes, with nice tip-on jackets, minus the fluff. Chad's Prestige reissues are what reissues should be. Well mastered and pressed records in a nice jacket for $35. That's all we want, but what we want costs money. Would have been nice if the Prestige reissues remained at $30, but I understand the price hike, and that's how it goes. You're not getting this music anywhere else presented like this for a better price.

    Blue Note is not Chad and they aren't going to do what he does. I'd love to be proven wrong, but look at what Concord did to Chad with Sonny Rollins' Way Out West. Imagine what could have been with an AP Contemporary reissue program. But nope, bean counters pulled the wool from under him. I'm expecting more of the same going forward. If it's not from boutique audiophile reissue labels, then it's probably sourced from digital. That's the direction now. When they start adding scarves to boxsets, I think it's pretty clear that we aren't the audience. I wondered who the hell would buy that absurd Blue Note Peace, Love and Fishing boxset with the Jazz is Note a Crime mat and pointless scarf. I stopped wondering when I went to a dinner party and the host was bragging about it like it was some sort of holy grail. Let's just say he's no audiophile and he just buys things to buy. He's the perfect customer and the majors want customers like him, not us. He'll never complain or return anything, and his wallet is always open. We always complain and we will return a record if it has an extra tick or two. We'll also wait until Music Direct or Elusive Disc offers a coupon before we buy. If a title isn't eligible for discount, we'll complain. I'm not saying we shouldn't be discerning customers (lord knows I love and use coupons), but sometimes we don't make it easy to make the whole thing worthwhile. Who wants to deal with us? Joe Harley used to post here, but I can't say I blame him for not sticking around. We'll have the same circular debates over and over again for years, and you'll think a topic has been exhausted and everything that needs to be said has been said, but people still want to beat a dead horse.

    Now is the time to start buying Liberty pressings. They sound nice and aren't terribly expensive. Prices are going up, but they're not out of reach. For now. Get em while you still can. Fill the holes in your collection. Build your library, enjoy your music, spin what you got. This might be it. Bless Chad and AP, MM, Impex, ORG etc for fighting the good fight.
     
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  22. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I don’t disagree.
     
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  23. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    Agreed. There is nothing I can add to your blunt realism. Kudos to Ron, Joe, MM et al. in wanting to give us what they feel is the best.

    EDIT: Just bought my first liberty pressings this past week. Jimmy Smith's the sermon and Stanley turrentine's Rough and Tumble. Both $10, vinyl in great condition with ragged sleeves and both cleaned well. Sermon is a little rough sounding but great musical cast, the turrentine is wonderful.
     
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  24. jlrchrds

    jlrchrds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    Agree completely, however, the BN Review is a nice albeit expensive set. The gewgaws were stupid but the music selection curated by Was and the Blue Mitchell are quite good and worth the entry ticket. Jeff
     
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  25. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    There were a few years, several years ago, when someone at Warner Brothers was a fan of vinyl. During that time, there were reissues of a couple of James Taylor's albums, a couple of Van Morrison's albums, and Paul Simon's Graceland, all of which are AAA and superb.

    And think of the 2014 Universal/EMI AAA Beatles In Mono box.

    So it's not common, but it does happen.
     

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