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

Just saw the Byrd fancy free. I have an original blue note/liberty pressing, somewhat noisy and crackly but the music is killer. Duke Pearson on electric piano!

 

Both feelins good and back to the tracks are essential in my world lol. If I had to pick one, and I already had true blue, I’d go feelins good easily. It literally plays like a best of mobley album - every track is killer. The sound is as fresh and clear as soul station but just so much bigger and dynamic because the band is on fire. It is by far my most favorite MM mobley (I’ve got roll call, workout, Soulstation).

 

Vinyl me please seems to be reaching the critical mass of lps that might make it worthwhile to subscribe to

 

I hear you! Almost there myself in going with a subscription.

 

It definitely has some dropouts on the right channel. I still enjoy the overall sound of this pressing a lot, and it's one of my favorite Sonny albums.

I wonder why they didn't go mono for this release though. Maybe the tapes were too damaged.

 

Kevin Gray cut Newk’s Time from the mono tapes for Disk Union in recent years. Go figure.

 

I almost ordered the "Newk's Time" from the Music Matters website but read somewhere on this forum that this one particular MM45 wasn't a total success in terms of sonics. I think I'm going for the Disk Union Mono 33RPM, I have quite a few from this series and they all sound as good as 33RPM can possibly get.

 

I recall MichelJazz mentioned here he had acquired both and sold the Disk Union being the inferior one.

Edit: found it -> post 12140 in this thread.

 

Thanks, good to see someone actually compared the two. So far it is only one man's opinion (and as I wrote before, I've read quite a few negative reviews about the MM), so I'll try to find some more reviews of the Disk Union.

 

Three more MM selections arrived on my doorstep recently, Empyrean Isles, Blue Hour, and Little Johnny C (33rpm). Empyrean Isles is a sonic masterpiece and I'm sorry I waited so long to secure it. Blue Hour sounds great too and its down tempo tracks dial up a cool, relaxing mood. But Little Johnny C was the nicest surprise. It's pretty straight-forward bop, but Coles has an incredibly smooth technique and great sound to his horn. The last track, "So Sweet My Little Girl" is absolutely mesmerizing. It appears his discography is limited, but I just also purchased The Warm Sound on Classic Records, so look forward to hearing more.

 

Agreed on the little Johnny C. It’s a true sleeper! I have the 45 and the Sonics are excellent, but his playing and technique is super smooth. And of course you have duke Pearson on it, which in my opinion practically guarantees it’s going to be quality

 

I had a package stolen from my porch this past week containing 2 MM 45’s - Mobley’s Another Workout and Hubbard’s Goin Up... 2 of the 6 titles I need to complete my MM collection. First time I’ve had a package disappear at this residence. So if anyone in southern CA comes across those (both numbered #391), let me know.

 

It looks like only Stepping into Tomorrow is pressed at RTI,
Fancy Free is pressed at GZ Media, according to the VMP listing.

We'll see the results, (i have this on pre-order) but my first subscription from them was
also pressed at GZ, and that one was horribly dished.

It's also sort of weird VMP left off the Blue Note/Liberty logo from the front of the jacket
on Fancy Free.

 

This is true. Both sound good to me.

 

I recently bought four 33RPM titles from Music Matters – they shipped it signature required – so the USPS wouldn't leave it without my signature. I had to go to the post office to collect it.

 

I wish that were the case here. I bought these from a Discogs seller (reputable... these weren’t the first records I bought from them). I already checked with the post office and they checked the geo tag for the delivery and it was definitely left at our house. My wife got home an hour after delivery and it was gone.

Now I’m worried about a couple other packages that are being delivered soon from overseas sellers where I have no tracking info.


There’s a special place in hell for those who steal audiophile records.

 

Have you reached out to the local shops to let them know? I'm sorry that happened to you.

 

Good call. Just called a couple local shops.

 

Has your copy of Fancy Free arrived? Mine hasn't even shipped yet.

 

Yeah, it shipped 10/6 with Stepping Into Tomorrow.

 

VMP’s site says this about Fancy Free:
“Kevin Gray at Cohearent, he does a lot of our remastering. He remastered these from the original tapes, cut the lacquers, pressed to 180 gram black vinyl at GZ. “

I was pretty sure the previous VMP Blue Notes were cut from digital based on the lack of disclosure. And I think at one point Kevin responded to a question by saying he wasn’t at liberty to say. But if Kevin had tapes for Fancy Free, I can’t imagine he’d introduce digital to the process. I’m curious to hear a review from anyone here about sound and pressing quality.

 

Good all around. GZ has been better of late, in my experience.

 

Interesting. It's my October subscription title, and says it ships on Nov 1, i'll have to email them.

 

My Fancy Free copy arrived today, dished.

I'm so done with this lottery, life is too short to buy records
from companies who don't have their act together.

 

I mostly stick to proven, reliable sources for vinyl. There is so much among them to chose from and I can't have it all, that I don't bother with sources that don't have a proven track record. The exception is I buy classical records on eBay, but those are mostly very good (and sometimes smokin' good) deals and I have have far more hits than misses.