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. guidedbyvoices

    guidedbyvoices Old Dan's Records

    Location:
    Alpine, TX
    Good pick up on Maiden Voyage. It’s been $75 and I noticed it dropped to $50. And there’s rumors The Kicker may be a 2020 Tone Poet, that and/or Oblique. I prefer Oblique but Kicker is interesting for being kind of Idle Moments Part Two with the same lineup a few weeks later. It’s good but not quite great, but if it comes out on TP it’s be a first day buy for me, just because I love Idle Moments.

    In terms of 33 / SRX / 45 I prefer 33 just for the convenience, so all things being equal if a title was on SRX, being a 33, that’s what I would pick up. I do have 45s and enjoy them but I don’t play them as much, usually just a night I have time for concentrated listening. If I’m spinning while working it can be a pain to flip every 8 minutes. They sound great, have some titles I love only on 45, but I don’t find the difference in sound on my system and my ears is worth losing the convenience of the 33
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2019
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  2. Bryce

    Bryce I drank what?

    Location:
    New York City
    Hey, I prefer the 45s to the 33s in most instances where I've compared.

    In terms of the best drum sound captured on a MM, to my ears it can be found on Wayne Shorter's Soothsayer (Tony Williams). This is another one, like Inventions (also amazing percussion), that is a little harder to find these days, but well worth seeking out. Hopefully they repress Soothsayer on SRX.
     
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  3. guidedbyvoices

    guidedbyvoices Old Dan's Records

    Location:
    Alpine, TX
    I would love to get Soothsayer but yeah the prices it goes for is crazy. If it comes out on SRX it’ll be a day one for me.
     
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  4. Bryce

    Bryce I drank what?

    Location:
    New York City
    Oblique is my favorite Blue Note record period. Can't wait for the Tone Poet version of that.
     
  5. GreatTone

    GreatTone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Falls Church, VA
    That's one of my favorite jazz albums, period!
     
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  6. I’m with you on the 33s. Yeah the 45s have a slight edge but when it comes down to pure musical enjoyment I prefer the 33s. I have about 40 33s and maybe ten 45s. They get less play.
     
  7. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    You might, as an aside, keep an eye out for the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UD1S (One-Step) 45 releases. They're expensive (as well as lavishly boxed) at $125, but they have been largely stellar in sound quality. The latest release is Monk's Dream, and those who have it are saying that it sounds amazing, like being in the room with the musicians. For jazz, Charles Mingus' Ah Um will be out soon and it can be pre-ordered. They are a limited release and have been selling out (and reselling for more more money). I have a number of the sold-out previous releases, one of them being Bill Evans' Sunday At The Village Vanguard, and to me, it's substantially superior to all of the previous editions including the Analogue Productions 45rpm. I'm tempted at getting the Monk myself, but do have the Mingus on a pre-order.

    Regarding 45 vs 33, 45s are a potentially superior format for sound. That's physics. It allows for greater dynamics, better instrumental definition, and greater soundstage. Whether the mastering and cutting engineers take advantage of it is another story. You could have better mastering on a 33 vs inferior mastering on a 45.

    When Rudy Van Gelder was recording and then also cutting the records, he favored a forward upper midrange and limiting the bass. It made for a punchy sounding record that was easy to play on the lower end systems of the time. When Analogue Productions and Music Matters first started putting out Blue Note reissues, they didn't try to replicate the original sound of the records. Instead, they were wow'd by the sound of the master tapes and tried to put out records as faithful to the quality of the sound of those. The results were more dynamic and warmer, with more extended bass. Not everyone liked the change from the original Van Gelder cut releases. But to many, including me, they sound more like real instruments in a room and liveliness of the dynamics makes for more interesting music, though they may not grab the ear initially without that forward upper midrange (which makes cymbals and the top edge of saxes sizzle).

    All along the way, changes occurred in the Music Matters mastering, including changing facilities and mastering lines like cable upgrades. Also, Kevin Gray took over as cutting and mastering engineer from the Steve Hoffman/Kevin Gray mastering tandem, with Joe Harley continuing to be part of the process. For the first few years, all of the releases were cut at 45. Only years later were 33s introduced into the line. They were met by mixed reviews, to some degree. Some were thankful to have some of these records at the more convenient to listen to speed of 33, and some appreciated that they sounded more punchy. But others lamented that they didn't have the ease and spaciousness of the 45s (I'm one of them), and some also were disappointed that many of the albums were repeats of the 45s, rather than taking an opportunity to put out some different ones.

    I largely watched from the sidelines from the beginning. Many of the Blue Note records were new to me (aside from the Horace Silver titles, who I learned about from the connection with Steely Dan's "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" intro.). I had to read through the many pages of this thread, as well as do a lot of listening on You Tube to decide whether it was a title I wanted to listen to more. I tried to get a variety of music, from music I could immediately connect with, to ones that would challenge me (and likely drive my wife out of the room). I probably have about 35 Blue Notes now. I discovered that there was a sort of Blue Note formula that many titles could settle into (i.e., State a bluesy theme, then each musician takes turn improvising, then state the theme again.). I started, though, to pay attention to which artists were surprising me more (Tina Brooks and Grant Green come to mind), and which were going outside the Blue Note box (Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter for their harmonic and compositional complexity). That's me. Your journey may be different.

    Jeff
     
  8. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man

  9. I just took The Real McCoy and Evolution for their first spins. Both are great records. Very different from one another, but both excellent. The sound is phenomenal, as usual. I can't get enough of the MMJ 45s! Each time I buy more I give them a spin and think, "****, I have to get more before they are OOP!"

    I have a little over 30, and my to buy list of MMJs is currently around 20-25 :help:
     
  10. guidedbyvoices

    guidedbyvoices Old Dan's Records

    Location:
    Alpine, TX
    I have about 30, and each time I do a big buy I think ‘this is crazy, I think im good and will stay clear of these’. For me I swore early on only essentials. I have 3 more I’m itching to pull the trigger on and either a few price drops or some new SRX titles of stuff currently out of stock will make a deep dent in my budget
     
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  11. Francisx

    Francisx Forum Resident

  12. Hershiser

    Hershiser Forum Resident

    If you zoom it, it is a reflection of the label from the turntable.
     
  13. Briskit

    Briskit “I don’t know karate, but I know ka-razy!”

    Location:
    St Kilda
    Whoa, dude!
    That’s a real white whale of mine. Were you on the the MM train from early on? I came late and never seen a remotely affordable copy.
     
  14. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man

    It's a reflection of the label. The album sleeve is laminated and very glossy.
     
  15. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA

    Get the AP stereo of Moanin'. It's fantastic!
     
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  16. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man

    No, not really. I've maybe had it a couple of years — it was my first MM alongside Somethin' Else and Blue Train. I've got a few more since then but because they're so expensive I've had to slow down.
     
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  17. Briskit

    Briskit “I don’t know karate, but I know ka-razy!”

    Location:
    St Kilda
    OOP for some time. Besides which, 45rpm just ain’t my thing. I have the AP 45 of Sidewinder. Sounds awesome - rarely gets an outing. The flipping just breaks up the flow too much. Same with my only MM 45 - Goin up by Freddie Hubbard.
     
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  18. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Not out of print. Back ordered. Still in print.

    The AP 45 ROCKS! I have played it for friends and wow'd them.
     
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  19. Hershiser

    Hershiser Forum Resident

    I was inspired last night to add a few more titles to my collection. So at 1:30am east coast time I ordered:

    Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk (SRX)
    H. Silver - Song For My Father (SRX)
    Johnny Griffin - Vol. 2 A Blowing Session (SRX)
    Hank Mobley - Another Workout
    Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues

    Received a shipping notice with tracking this morning! $275

    The only SRX title I had was Blue Train.
     
  20. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Imagine the cost of entry to seeing a set of all those acts if they were still alive.
     
  21. :tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:
    Cool. Was this like a drunk dial ?
     
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  22. Hershiser

    Hershiser Forum Resident

    Food drunk. Couldn’t sleep from a late dinner!
     
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  23. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    Late night buying for late night listening. Seems perfectly rational.
     
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  24. A sizable portion of my collection may or may not have been purchased late night after a few beers ;).

    Gotta love the internet.
     
  25. musictoad

    musictoad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    The best part is then listening to them with a drink (or three). :D
     

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