Fired up my copy of Contours after a weekend in the mountains. Been yearning for more Rivers since I first laid ears on Fuchsia Swing Song about a year ago. With FSS, it was the visceral tonal quality of Rivers' saxophone that immediately caught my ear. With Contours, its Rivers' technique; meticulously weaving in, out, and around the other players, leaving pockets of space and accent, creatively molding the sounds into his own musical shape...or umm, contour . As with the previous two Tone Poet releases, there's great clarity and separation in the instruments letting you experience all the nuances of the recording. The thing I love about jazz is that there is a certain calm when listening passively, but so much to experience when you actively engage, which is certainly the recommendation for this one.
A very nice collection you have!!! And wouldn't you know it, I went to purchase "FSS" this morning and MMJ raised the price again over night...not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is I guess...
What outer sleeve protectors are folks using for these releases? These and the MMJ sleeves are so nice, I feel like I should give them better protection than what I'm currently using (the thin plastic liners that they ship with ).
Thanks to everyone for the recommendations. I just ordered samples of the 4 12-inchers, to judge what best fits my needs.
I tried numerous outer sleeves for my MMJs attempting to find a cheaper alternative to the Sleeve City Ultimate Outer 5.0’s that everyone above recommended, they were all too tight (these were all 12-3/4”x-2-3/4” sleeves of various brands) and one was too loose (a 13”x13” sleeve). After all the trial and error I ended up on the Sleeve City, it truly is an excellent sleeve and fits the MMJs nicely (plus it’s so transparent the covers still look amazing while in the Sleeve).
Two quick things. First there was some discussion here (or was it the Music Matters Jazz thread) about these heavy jackets being too large and stiff at the spine to accommodate the Sleeve City outer sleeves. I will repeat my recommendation. Take the album jacket and initially insert it backward such that the open side of the outer sleeve is against the spine. You couldn't slide the record out and play it this way. But it will gently stretch the back spine of the Sleeve City outer sleeve to better accommodate the record jacket when you're ready to re-insert it the right way. Otherwise you can get tears, splits or other malformations at the top and bottom of your clear outer sleeve as you try and jam that fat spine in there. Second, while the offer might expire before you have sampled what they are sending you, there is an offer that expires March 21, 2019 for 15% off at Sleeve City. The code at checkout is LUCKYSAVINGS.
Hands down my favorite as well. I pull the sleeve up where the open end is at the top of the album and they fit and look perfect! I have these on all of my audiophile vinyl and collections like The Beatles mono vinyl box...I use 3 Mil for my other titles... Those Sleeve City 5.0 just make my collection look like fine works of art, and for what we spend on the vinyl, this is a small price to pay for making our investment look its best!
That sounds like a good tip. I use maybe somewhat of an unorthodox style of putting records into the outer sleeve: I insert the open end of the record’s jacket into the outer sleeve first so that the spine of the record jacket is facing out of the opening of the outer plastic sleeve. I’ve never seen anyone else do it this way but it’s the way I’ve always done it. The MMJs fit perfectly in the Sleeve City 5.0 this way, I’ve never tried it the more conventional way of inserting the bottom of the record jacket into the sleeve first, it might actually be a little tight that way and your stretch tip sounds like it’d come in handy.
I actually practiced what I preached this morning on the newly arrived Contours album without much success. I know from experience my result was better than it would have been had I not done it my way. But it is still most unsatisfactory. What I'll do is remove the jacket and re-insert it so that the "stretch marks" are on the bottom/back side of the jacket rather than the top/front. Here's my result with the "stretch marks" on the top/front of the jacket. Can you believe that was the best I could do!! Below is a variation on a theme. All I've done is re-insert the jacket so the "stretch marks" are on the back/bottom (not shown.) Ha! They are the Benson & Hedges 100s of the record jacket world. They don't need to be "a silly one millimeter longer." What we really need is for whomever makes those great jackets to downside them a touch.
My Contours came from Amazon shoddily packaged and with a small tear on the bottom of the spine. I have half a mind to return. Etcetera came to me perfectly packaged without a blemish in sight.
Maybe if Contours sells well someone will finally press a decent version of Dimensions and Extensions?
Anyone else have a strange pitch warble on one of the very first piano notes on side 2 track 1 of Contours? I have two copies and both have this. Otherwise, both pressings are excellent. Just can’t tell if it’s in the recording, a tape issue or a minor pressing issue.
Stop telling Joe Harley that you’re going to purchase MMJ albums! He just keeps raising the prices each time! Pretty soon, a $35 Elvin Jones album is going to be $125 if we keep going like this!
If they make the jacket smaller, it’ll be hard to fit the records in and they’ll just hear more complaints from more people. This is the standard size (maybe a bit thicker spine) for a Stoughton tip on gatefold.
I don't know anything about "standard" size for a Stoughton Tip On gatefold, but I have other gatefolds and they easily fit inside the Sleeve City 5.0 clear outer sleeves. Are we to infer that only the Stoughton Tip On gatefold can accommodate the fantastic artwork on the MMJ and Tone Poet series? I appreciate the artwork but if they could take the size of the jacket down a notch that would be ideal. Anyhow, none of this is like a deal-breaker for me. Just sayin'....
The thicker spine is the issue. I still haven’t received my contours, but my Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, is the widest spine in my collection for albums under 3 discs. It’s very excessive for one disc.
Sorry for the minor detour - but thats how I do it as well! I always have the spine facing out of the opening - I cant imagine doing it any other way! Otherwise you have the spine slightly obscured by the outer sleeve and kind of defeat the point of the dust cover by having it open! And I'm a Sleeve City 5.0 person too. Back to Tone Poet - I'm still in a holding pattern on the Wayne Shorter and Sam Rivers albums - Amazon France still has them arriving in April...but the Chick Corea is simply outstanding. I was listening again on Sunday and I am just loving that set.
Yep, I’ve noticed that wobble whilst listening to contours on Spotify. I guess that means it’s on the mastertapes.