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. AnalogJ

    AnalogJ Hearing In Stereo Since 1959

    Location:
    Salem, MA
    I don't know if there's a specific thread for this, but has anyone come up with a list of the still available at retail or less, 45rpm Analogue Productions titles worth picking up, taking their sound quality into account? As the MM titles get more and more expensive, and with not all preferring the 33s, this may be a good time to revisit some still available AP titles. I was able to pick up a reasonably priced copy of the AP of Maiden Voyage on Discogs, inspired by the strong recommendations of those on this thread.
     
  2. Levi's Tubs

    Levi's Tubs Less cool than West Coast

    Keep an eye on Acoustic Sounds. They've been periodically running a sale on AP Blue Note 45 releases. I picked up a bunch a couple months ago when they had like 20 on sale for 25. I missed a Lou Donaldson and Jackie McLean recently for $35 that have since bounced up to $50.
     
  3. Sneezyachew

    Sneezyachew Forum Resident

    Location:
    Providence, RI
    Had to go for that Matador 33 while I could... This thread is bad news.
     
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  4. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    I’ll do a top personal MM 5 since it’s hard lol, in no particular order.

    Blakey - Indestructible, any format (I have the 45 and the rare SRX33)
    Shorter - speak no evil (every listen I hear something new)
    Tina - true blue (every track is a banger)
    Morgan - toss up between search for the new land And sidewinder (musically I just find them absolutely perfect)
    Byrd - Royal Flush (Donald and herbie to me is one of my favorite duos, right there with Morgan/shorter)

    honorable mentions
    The thing you do
    Mosaic (my first ever MM)
    Procrastinator, though Gigolo is right up there
    Any other shorter
    Any horace parlan/tucker/harewood set, as I assure you it is always going to be fire, though us three is my favorite
    Mobley - workout (tonal color is perfect on this one)
    Any grant green - obviously biased
    Any herbie - they all rock
    Any dorham - duh
    This list can probably be longer and thus not useful anymore, I shall stop while ahead

    BN dream team
    Trumpet - Lee morgan, Kenny Dorham, Donald Byrd
    Tenor - Wayne shorter, Tina Brooks
    Piano - Herbie Hancock, Horace Parlan, Sonny Clark (wish herbie Nichols was repped on MM)
    Bass - Ron Carter, Richard Davis, toss up between Butch Warren Or Bob Cranshaw (sorry Paul)
    Drums - Billy Higgins (Fire), Elvin Jones, Tony (though his best output I like to listen to is his stuff with Miles)
     
  5. musictoad

    musictoad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Awesome post @recstar24

    Glad to see I'm not the only one who holds Indestructible as their favorite Blakey. Although Mosaic is on my list to grab when I get an opportunity.

    I also need The Gigolo. Morgan is my favorite trumpeter. Search and Procrastinator are both amazing. I have to confess, I see so much love for Dorham on here and he's my least cared for of the heavily featured trumpeters. I'd take Morgan, Hubbard, and Byrd all over Kenny.

    Speaking of which, I'm getting my Byrd on while I wait for Royal Flush and spinning Byrd in Flight. I love that feeling when I haven't pulled something out for a while and get to rediscover it. Freaking hell this album sounds incredible right now.
     
  6. beyondmiles

    beyondmiles Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    I’m glad the Inner Urge SRX sold. I was stupidly tempted, but glad the temptation is no longer there. Same with Adam’s Apple. Haven’t seen a copy (SRX or otherwise) since I’ve been trying to grab MMJ and was thinking about it but still trying to keep my MAC purchase price for a record at $100.

    On a separate note, found some time to actually clean a few records (with a plain ol’ Spin Clean) and makes the listening experience that much better. Of course I started with my MMJ records but only got through 20 of the 26 titles and I’ve got 5 more coming tomorrow. Still have 400 other records to go...but starting with MMJ, then my AP, then MoFi and on down the list. I probably should invest in a record cleaning machine...but I’d rather spend the money on records!
     
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  7. neubian

    neubian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    Yes, you will be amazed how a RCM (I am a VPI user) will increase your listening pleasure.

    Yeah... the choices we have to make, but once you get over a few hundred records, I think an RCM becomes a priority.
     
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  8. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Audio Desk Pro X...if you don't think cleaning records makes them sound better, you have no idea what your not hearing, especially from records of this caliber. Ultrasonic cleaners are the way to go if you can swing it.
     
  9. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Yes, in the last month I've ordered 10 titles and 3 of them are now OOP and at least 3-5 on my wishlist went OOP before I could sample and order.
     
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  10. Johan1880

    Johan1880 Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Funny you mention the Audio Desk Pro. I just got home from my record dealer where I swapped some rare sealed jazz vinyl - including some MMJ - for that machine.
     
  11. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Do you have the Dolphy Musical Prophet on Resonance? I just ordered a copy off Discogs with an offer of $100 last week.

    Last night I listened to Larry Young Live in Paris on Resonance and it is very good. The Nathan Davis Live in Paris on Sam Records was the gem I played yesterday though.
     
  12. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Just curious, how much different is a records going to sound on an Ultrasonic cleaner than a VPI 16.5? I know the Ultrasonic is better, not disputing that. Would it be similar to say a turntable upgrade from a Scout to a Prime? Just using VPI as an example.
     
  13. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Dolphy is one of my favorites. I slept in my car for hours making sure I was first in line at my local shop to get the only copy the store got of this on RSD. The way the store I shop is located, you can just pull right up in the front of the store and chill in your car. Two coffee shops right next door. "Musical Prophet" is quite the gem. Sure hope you enjoy it!
     
  14. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    You already have a good cleaner. Good example you provided. It really depends on your budget, because a good Ultrasonic cleaner is going to cost you. I just checked your profile, and you have a really nice setup! But before I would spend around $4000 on a cleaning machine, I would ask yourself, are there any other upgrades I want to do to my system first? You already have a good cleaner, and yes upgrading will make you hear a difference, but I would just make sure your gear is where you want it to be first, since you already have a good cleaner, then explore. My big problem is I want to upgrade and get a TT that will cause me to cut back buying many of the records I want, so I am holding off until I get the music I want first. Plus, the one I have sounds just fine, it's just I have heard what better ones can do for the sound and it has turned me into an absolute mess.

    You might want to check out what cleaners your go to HiFi shop has on demo, and if they have a good Ultrasonic cleaner, see if you could bring a few of your favorite records in and get them cleaned so you can check out first.

    edit - sorry to derail, but we are talking of ways to make our records like these great MMJ titles sound even better.
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2020
  15. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    You don’t have to pay 4 grand for an ultrasonic cleaner. There are many d.i.y. options in making one yourself. Im not the most mechanically inclined person and I was able to in an afternoon. Ok, a buddy who is mechanically inclined did help guide me through some texts, but honestly it’s not that difficult. And much much cheaper.
     
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  16. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    That's a great idea. I don't have a real preference for 33/45, it depends on length of the album and pricing. For practicality on albums less than 40 minutes, I'd rather have a 33 but I will go either way. If it's KG@CA or KG@ATM or KG/SH@ATM, it's just splitting hairs because at the end of the day it's great music and great sound. I know there will be some differences. It's all a privilege and I'm grateful.
     
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  17. captouch

    captouch Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    I agree with @mpayan . You can DIY for considerably less. The ultrasonic tank itself costs about $100 for an inexpensive one. If you want to buy the spinner thing, it costs $300 ballpark, so you can be done for <$500 that way. Or if you’re willing to build the stand and spinner thing yourself, you can do the whole thing for <$200.

    As to your question about how different it is. In my experience, a vacuum based machine, which you could do for ~$150 if you’re okay with supplying your own vacuum, works well for probably 80% of records. It sucks out debris and grit pretty well. But some records, esp old ones, that stuff really stuck tightly in the grooves and just sucking doesn’t get them out.

    With ultrasonic, they’re submerged, have tiny bubbles working to dislodge things, and typically you run at elevated temps (say 35-40C) that expands the grooves a tiny bit to help as well. The records that don’t respond to vacuum cleaning often get much better with ultrasonic cleaning. Sometimes, though, things are so stuck in there, it will take repeated ultrasonic cleaning or some pre-scrubbing/treatment to supplement what the ultrasonic does. Most don’t require this though.

    And the proportion of records being fine with vacuum vs ultrasonic (I said 80/20) will really depend on how many newer vs really old records you buy.
     
  18. Subagent

    Subagent down the rabbit hole, they argue over esoterica

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    I went from an Okki-Nokki to an Audiodesk Pro. I'm not sure that, with care and attention, that there is any noticeable difference in the final sound. For me it was all about time management (which is in part a euphemism for "I'm lazy."). I just pop that record in there and use those minutes to straighten up the room, or pick the next album, or whatever. Automation!
     
  19. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Great points. Actually, you reminded me to update my profile. I took a break from this site for a while. I've moved a few times and made a few minor upgrades (cart + phono). I'm probably $15K invested in audio and $50K+ invested in vinyl. That's a lot...damn. The only other upgrade I've debated is a dedicated line and I'm on the fence. It seems like overkill to some degree and it became a headache researching. It was it's own rabbit. The only rabbit holes I enjoy are music research related!

    I start to feel guilty about some of this stuff when the world is in chaos and my heart and soul hurts for those embedded in the struggle. I do think music is at least a healthy diversion. It was interesting last night as I was spinning Larry Young's Live in Paris and Nathan Davis Live in Paris. It was my first time playing them. Two substantial and talented black artists who chose to self exile due to the treatment they received in their home in America. I don't want take this into any type of tangent, it's more of an appreciation of the stars that are aligning. This music is a history lesson.
     
  20. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Good points. I have probably 500 original pressings and 1,000 reissues or modern releases. As far as jazz, I'm buying 95% reissues at this point.
     
  21. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Good comments and hear where you are coming from. But I don't want to keep commenting about this anymore on this thread, and respect those that say the DIY versions do just as good a job of say one that runs $3 to $4000...
     
  22. Subagent

    Subagent down the rabbit hole, they argue over esoterica

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    Oh for sure! Didn't want to start anything either. I think it's safe to say that record cleaning is important and each of us need to find our comfort level in getting it done. I have nothing but respect for those who DIY. Maybe even a bit of jealousy!
     
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  23. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    My new list to review over the next week/month, any comments or insight is greatly appreciated. This will likely be my last run of purchases from MMJ for a while...or so I say.

    1. Joe Henderson - Our Thing $60
    2. Joe Henderson - Inner Urge $75
    3. Sonny Rollins - Volume 1 $65
    4. Larry Young - Unity $65
    5. Donald Byrd - The Catwalk $35

    Some of the previous are still on the list too.
    6. Thad Jones - The Magnificent
    7. Gil Melle - Patterns in Jazz
     
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  24. Elofan

    Elofan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Id say get them all and rather sooner than later...that’s how i missed The Soothsayer...damn
     
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  25. beyondmiles

    beyondmiles Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Our lists have a bit of overlap, haha!

    Im listening to Unity right now. I wasn’t sold on it for a while, and even when I got my copy second hand, was a little skeptical waiting for it to arrive but it’s such a great spin. I don’t have any other Larry Young but will grab the BN80 Into Somethin’ and there are a few Jimmy Smith titles on my to-buy list. The organ is such an underrated instrument in jazz IMO. Such a different vibe that I find myself reaching for.

    The Patterns in Jazz is the last one on my list I keep teetering on. Being an earlier BN title (compared to all the others I own), it definitely is a different style but every time I sample I feel like I hear something new I didn’t catch on a previous listen. I should just add it...
     
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