Sonny Rollins Way Out West Deluxe Edition

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by dminches, Dec 19, 2017.

  1. dminches

    dminches Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cherry Hill, NJ
    From Sonny Rollins' Facebook page:

    On February 16, Craft Recordings will release a deluxe edition of one of the most iconic and enduring records in jazz. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the recording session in 2017 and the 60th anniversary of the first stereo release of the album in 2018, Way Out West, alongside Saxophone Colossus, cements Sonny Rollins’ status as one of the top tenor saxophonists of all-time. This meticulously compiled package pays appropriate tribute to the importance of the landmark recording with an audiophile-quality pressing of the original album and a second LP of bonus material featuring rare and previously unreleased tracks from the legendary 3 A.M. session with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne. Both records are pressed at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) on 180-gram vinyl from lacquers cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. GRAMMY® Award-winning writer Neil Tesser contributes liner notes, which include excerpts from a recent interview he conducted with Rollins especially for this release. Rare photos by famed jazz photographer William Claxton round out the collection, which comes housed in a handsome, hinged box. More info below on the album and Rollins.

    Way Out West (Deluxe Edition) will also be available at streaming outlets, mastered for iTunes, and in Hi-Res digital (96/24 and 192/24) on street date. Pre-order Way Out West (Deluxe Edition) on Amazon.

    Track Listing:

    Disc One - Original Way Out West Album
    Side A
    A1. I’m an Old Cowhand
    A2. Solitude
    A3. Come, Gone

    Side B
    B1. Wagon Wheels
    B2. There Is No Greater Love
    B3. Way Out West

    Disc Two - Bonus Tracks from the Way Out West Recording Session
    Side A
    A1. Monologue: You Gotta Dig the Lyrics (previously unreleased)
    A2. I’m An Old Cowhand (alternate version)
    A3. Dialogue: Titling “Come, Gone” (previously unreleased)
    A4. Come, Gone (alternate version)

    Side B
    B1. There Is No Greater Love (alternate version, previously unreleased)
    B2. Way Out West (take 1, previously unreleased)
    B3. Way Out West (alternate version)

    I wonder if the vinyl is AAA or just another digital pressing.
     
    anth67 likes this.
  2. Wow, this sounds interesting. Love this album.
     
    John Porcellino likes this.
  3. Musiko

    Musiko Forum Resident

    Ouf! 79.98$ US for 2 records! Price are getting higher it's crazy... I have lots of 45 rpm and some Music Matters before they stop selling to my favorite shop in Montréal, but at those price and with the Canadian exchange it's gonna be around 100$. Way too much for me....

    Sonny Rollins-Way Out West-Vinyl Record|Acoustic Sounds
     
    ispace and Tommyboy like this.
  4. Ouch!

    It better be AAA for that price...
     
  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    First of all, unless they edit all these outtakes together, it won't be AAA, unless they make a copy tape..

    This album is overrated in my book, I mean I have six copies of it on CD and vinyl, not including the version I remastered with Kevin Gray at 45 RPM but it's just sax, drums and bass. It's interesting but after a while, to me it gets rather overkill.

    At any rate, most of these outtakes have been issued before, Michael Cuscuna grabbed them from the session reels. If he left stuff on the reels it means that he felt the takes were inferior. I dunno if I'd spend that kind of dough on this, but that's just me.

    Update, I have the 1957 mono, the 1959 stereo, the OJC reissue, the OJC CD, the JVC Cd with outtakes, the Chad Kassem/Doug Sax 33 and the 45 I did.
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2017
  6. dminches

    dminches Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Cherry Hill, NJ
    Where can I get the outtakes?
     
  7. jblock

    jblock Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    I’d rate Freedom Suite above this.
     
  8. Steve, thanks for your comment.

    I understand what you are referring to musically, it is interesting for about 20 minutes and then it can be a bit much.

    Nevertheless, the album holds a special place for me because it was one of the first ones I really liked when I initially started to check into Jazz, about 25 years ago.

    3 of the 7 bonus tracks have been previously released, on various CD versions and even on SACD.

    I think I have seen some album cover variations, so maybe the make it a nice gatefold album, making use of some alternative shots, it could end up being a nice package for those who like this album.

    It is a hefty price, and I am not sure how much copies they'll be able to sell at that price point.

    At least the main album should be cut true analog, that would be my expectation, but then again, there are already some nice vinyl releases out there.

    I remember I really enjoyed some of the drums on this album, both musically as well as soundwise.
     
    Mr Sam likes this.
  9. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Love the album. I only own the 45 rpm version of the album.
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    In my opinion, the best, purest sound of WAY OUT WEST is a JVC import CD from Japan. VDJ-1551. It's called SONNY ROLLINS/WAY OUT WEST PLUS.. Has the alternate cover where Sonny is looking right at the camera.

    It has the album, plus the worthy outtakes, beautiful unscrewed with sound, probably out there for not much money. Part of the JVC series (with the yellow spines). The best you can buy of this album, IMO.
     
  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Only? That's the best vinyl version (if I do say so..)
     
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  12. William Bryant

    William Bryant Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nampa, Idaho
    Not my favorite Sonny Rollins album either, but his solo on Come, Gone is jaw-dropping.
     
    John Porcellino likes this.
  13. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    That’s a lot of money for a 2 LP set. I don’t trust Concord, as they use suspect pressing plants - Rainbo & GZ come to mind. They did use RTI for the Monk-Coltrane box. For that kind of price, Concord should use a reliable plant.
     
    Jerry James likes this.
  14. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    Maybe a photo will help justify the price.

    [​IMG]
     
    dee, anth67, ashlee5 and 4 others like this.
  15. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Looks sweet! Who’s pressing it? That would be my concern.
     
  16. Jerry James

    Jerry James Rorum Fesident

    OP blurb says Quality Records Pressings (QRP). That's encouraging :righton:
     
    Tommyboy likes this.
  17. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    That’s good news!
     
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    What's it being cut from? That would be my concern.
     
  19. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Probably not all analog. Concord’s Monk/Coltrane sessions box sounded pretty good. I think it was cut from digital files. Anyway, I have enough copies of Way Out West, including your cut.
     
  20. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Right, I should have added, the only vinyl release of this album that I want.
     
  21. Tuck1977

    Tuck1977 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I have an Analogue Productions 33rpm copy that sounds almost identical to an original so that is good enough for me. I think alternate takes etc belong on a hard drive or streaming sites as my record storage in very overcrowded.
     
  22. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    I have the 45 vinyl rip, JVC and AP‘s Sax and Grundman mastering. That‘s enuff. The music is good, but it‘s not an essential Jazz recording and Sonny recorded better albums.
     
  23. I have that Japanese JVC CD version, but I think it is not so easy to find these days and probably not really cheap.

    I once had a German early CD version which looked very similar to the JVC Japan version (they might have had the same mastering, I think). I did sell it to a forum member (maybe Keith), and that CD I only saw once in my life.

    There are also two different Analogue Productions Gold CD's, one mastered by Doug Sax and the other by Bernie Grundman. One of them is tube mastered and the other one solid state mastered. I think I slightly preferred the tube mastered over the solid state mastered AP Gold CD, but I forgot which is which - I think Doug Sax did the tube mastered version, but I might have that mixed up (I do own both versions but don't want to dig them out right now). These two do not have the bonus tracks.

    There is also an SACD, I think by Analogue Productions. For some reason, I did not like that one too much. I think it had the bonus tracks. It was mastered by Doug Sax but sounded quite different than the older AP Gold CD (more "in your face").

    Then there is also an early (silver) MFSL CD which I quite like (and also own). No bonus tracks.

    Additionally, there is also the SHM-SACD from Japan from a few years ago. That one also has the bonus tracks. I have that one also.

    The old "run of the mill" OJC CD also had the bonus tracks and decent sound, but not quite as good as the JVC CD from Japan.

    Actually, this album has a lot of choices on CD/SACD, and many of them are quite nice sounding.
     
    anth67 likes this.
  24. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    that's right.....
     
    ceynon likes this.
  25. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    I concur with the last paragraph. That said, a key point to discern the goodies is that if it was mastered with added echo or not.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2017

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