Does anyone have any more info on the 6 TBM record that are being reissued? I believe they are being done in Japan, I caught wind of them on Reddit. From what I gather they are going to be from the tape. Couldn’t find too much out about them but I’m looking forward to them. I have the Impex offerings which are incredible but my OG TBM stuff is very impressive to me.
Thank you, I’ve seen this. Not really much information provided, ultimately I’m wondering where these are being pressed.
Appears they're coming from Craftman Records. It's a Japanese label (all analog) so I'm assuming they'll be pressed there...and with the utmost care and detail, no doubt. It's a shame four of the titles they chose are already out on Impex. There are so many other TBM rarities they could be reissuing. But, who knows, maybe it's all due to licensing, etc.
Yeah, It's surely a licensing situation where these titles are intended for exclusive release in the domestic market. The Impex versions of these are licensed primarily for USA and other markets outside of Japan. I've seen where several other international releases, of Japanese artists, have a strict no sales allowed in Japan stipulation. They appear to be just licensing the most popular TBM titles domestically so it's not really so much of a retread situation. I assume that sales of these titles in Japan would be lucrative enough to warrant an exclusive distribution agreement within the domestic market. I'd also wager for those outside Japan that want these, they'll have a rather high admission price in addition to import and international shipping fees abroad.
Terrible news, I didn’t know, thank you. I’ve been falling in love with his music over the last year or so. Hell of a player, yet add him to the list of greats I will never see live.
Recent Impex stuff that Kevin Gray did definitely did not sound AAA (not that they advertised that it was, I’m just sayin’) so if these are they could be great. Craftman’s AAA One Steps have been amazing, but let’s hope they don’t reverse course and not do these AAA. It’s a bit concerning that there is no info about that. As far as some of the same titles being recycled, there are some rumors that many of the master tapes for the TBM catalog are lost, so there may be limits as to what can be done.
late to this, but a member here did reach out to Impex and they confirmed that the KPG 45's are AAA, FWIW
Interesting. Did the member ask them why with every possible selling point they list that they don’t mention anything about using an analog source? My gawd, they dance around every possible angle to celebrate these things without a single mention of AAA. What company in today’s world of AAA being such a huge selling point would fail to mention this? Bizarre….. Three Blind Mice The Three Blind Mice 45 Box on 180g 45RPM 6LP Box Set Return of the Revered Three Blind Mice 45-RPM Box w/ Improved Jackets, Exclusive Wood Lift-Top Box and New Insert w/ Rare Photos & Notes by Tom Schnabel Featuring 3 Highly Sought After & Acclaimed Titles including Isao Suzuki's Blow Up and The Yamamoto Trio's Midnight Sugar & Misty Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu (Midnight Sugar, Misty) and Kevin Gray (Blow Up) Finally returning after a long and mysterious absence, Impex’s new pressing of the highly collectible Three Blind Mice 45 Box has been improved in almost every way: a new full-cover wood box, newly rendered LP jackets with improved clarity and color, a deluxe four-color insert with session photos and brand new notes by noted radio personality and audiophile Tom Schnabel (“Rhythm Planet”/ KCRW Los Angeles). For all those who missed out on that first, very limited run, here's a chance to have the Japanese jazz recordings that even 40 years later still set the standard for you-are-there reality. Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu (Misty, Midnight Sugar) and Kevin Gray (Blow Up) and pressed at RTI, thislimited-edition (3,000) set will live up to and surpass all of your most demanding expectations. Just another way Impex Records is redefining definitive! Isao Suzuki's Blow-Up is virtuosity and class all rolled up into one! A great combination of upbeat blues and mellow grooves, the album was awarded the 'Jazz of Japan Award' and the 'Jazz Disk Award' from Swing Journal in 1973. The Yamamoto Trio's Midnight Sugar was recorded on March 1, 1974 at Aoi Studio, Tokyo. OnMidnight Sugar the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio plays two of Tsuyoshi’s own blues improvisations followed by jazz ballads that became standards for the Trio. It earned the 'Best Engineering Award' and 'Jazz Disc Award' from Swing Journal in 1974. It is Yamamoto’s unmistakable skill and his jazz feeling which adds that certain touch of liveliness and spontaneity and makes Midnight Sugar a unique experience of the highest order. The Yamamoto Trio's Misty is a stone cold killer and top of the line reference material recorded at Aoi Studio in Tokyo, on August 7, 1974. Touring with the Micky Curtis Band through France, England and Switzerland, Yamamoto had the chance to explore several international experiences that he would later use as inspiration here. Misty earned both the 'Best Engineering Award' and 'Jazz Disk Award' from Swing Journal in 1974. Yamamoto is highly musical and his expressions are natural here, neither overly technical nor serious, his performance is both relaxed and melodious. Blow-Up: Isao Suzuki, bass & cello Kunihiko Sugano, piano Takashi Mizuhashi, bass George Otsuka, drums Misty & Midnight Sugar: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, piano Isoo Fukui, bass Tetsujiro Obara, drums Features: • 180g 45rpm 6LP box set • Mastered by Tohru Kotetsu & Kevin Gray • Pressed at RTI • Deluxe four-color insert with session photos & brand new notes by Tom Schnabel • New full-cover wood box, newly rendered LP jackets
Sad RIP Isao Suzuki. Just bought Orpheus will listen to the vinyl tonight. Love TBM hard to get in Canada, if anyone known the best way to get them feel free to share.
Not sure I would trust anything they claim in the marketing material, as the Impex reissue of Midnight Sugar has KPG in the deadwax, so I don't think it was cut by Tohru Kotetsu despite the sleeve credit.
I know Gray cut Midnight Sugar in the Impex box. But it's not as though everything Gray does is all analog from analog master tapes. If we don't trust their marketing materials, why are we trusting an email response? But speaking of marketing materials, here is their hype for Friday Night In San Francisco. Notice anything different about it? Features: • Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the Original Analog Master Tapes! • Numbered Limited Edition 100% Analog 180g Vinyl LP! • Limited To 3000 Numbered Copies! • Plated and pressed at RTI, supervised by Rick Hashimoto
Indeed. I'm highlighting the discrepancy between the marketing materials and the actual LPs. I find it quite difficult to believe that they shipped the tapes outside of Japan, personally. So, I would be interested in more positive confirmation than email correspondence in light of this discrepancy.
I mean, if it was some random label I would be more inclined to be suspicious, but Impex is generally solid (and the info came from a well-known member here) so it was enough for me to get Blow Up and Misty. that said, labels really can say whatever they want, it's not like they are going to be sued or anything, so perfectly reasonable to trust your instincts if you feel there was a digital source / steps (I would love to have the One Steps of these, but they are pretty expensive now).
The three titles in the Impex box have been done so many times it’s pretty easy to just score late ‘70s/early 80s reissues on eBay. If one doesn’t care about obi strips I’d be inclined to bet you could grab all three for far less than the cost of the Impex box. These are all coming out on Craftman soon anyway. 180 Gram. They’ve always been a AAA label but so far no info. If they are AAA my bet is that they will trounce the versions in the box, but we will have to wait and see….
If you got them from Dusty Groove, I'd be careful. They already cancelled two of my preorders and I placed the order very early...
I need you to help explain more of what you are saying. I'm not disagreeing with anything you have said, just seeking to understand better. I like TBM but not everything they put out. I have the 3 LP Impex box and the sound is excellent. So what I'm asking is how in the world could Craftman trounce them? If they do, I would surely invest in at least Blow Up. Thanks in advance Tim...
Well here is the thing, Scotti. These are great recordings. Well known to be some of the very best, so yes the Impex box sounds decent because of that. But as I suspect just about anyone who owns originals of these albums will tell you, or anyone who owns the Craft AAA One Steps at 45rpm, these recordings can sound transcendent. I had a friend who thought like you and is a big fan of Blow Up, but I convinced him to trust me and try the Craftman 2x45 version a few years ago. He spent like $100 on it (it’s like twice that now) as it was out of print and long gone at the original price of $50. After playing it he called me to say his jaw was on the floor. He could not believe how great it sounded. Obviously we don’t yet know what the new 33s from Craftman will sound like, of course. But I am pre-ordering a few and I’m very hopeful that they will retain the level of amazement that the Craftman 45s had. And Craftman only did Blow Up and Girl Talk, so it’s exciting to see them tackling some other titles even if most are the usual TBM suspects.
ill weigh in here having multiple copies from first pressings all the way through the latest from Think! about 8 years ago - They all sound good, you really can't go wrong with any of them - there is not a bad recording in the bunch. Some are cut a touch hotter than others (IMO the Nippon Phonograms) but really this is diminishing returns. If you have a clean/silent copy of any of these records there just isn't more to be discovered, they just sound a bit different, not better or worse. The thing with Craftman is their attention to detail on packaging where they try to replicate everything as the original - so it will be an original copy obi, types of paper used, this type of thing.
I also have the Craftman 2x45 and to me they're great, but again diminishing returns IMO...I'd happily trade my 45s for other titles that I am missing.
