ChrisK Posted January 10, 2003 Share Posted January 10, 2003 On the spur of the moment a few months back I ordered a set of jazz reissues that are being marketed by Acoustic Sounds and shipped 2 records each month over the next year. They are 45 rpm double sided recordings of "the best jazz ever" according to Analogue Productions. Not cheap at $50.00 each, I almost (and should have, considering the price) cancelled my subscription before the first records (Bill Evans, "Waltz for Debby" and "Realxin' With The Miles Davis Quintet") arrived earlier this week. Boy am I glad I didn't! These things sound incredible! I will be waiting with great anticipation for the subsequent records. You can see the full list at http://store.acousticsounds.com/fantasyjazz.cfm Highly recommended!!!! I believe I now know why Kelly, Allan and others go ga-ga over some of their favorite recordings. I used to think people were nuts considering the prices paid for certain recordings. Not anymore. As usual, it takes me longer than most to figure something out. BTW, since I was one of the first 100 morons to order the whole set, the inserts are autographed by the recording engineers (I think that's who they are, can't read their names.). I guess that's a big deal for some collectors. Just for the record, I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies involved in this project. Regards, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I thought long and hard about purchasing any of those LPs. I elected not to spend that much money on a LP. Have you compared the sound with the other LP releases ? - tb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted January 11, 2003 Author Share Posted January 11, 2003 I compared WFD to a previous 180g reissue and there really is a difference. The 45 has a much blacker background. It is also more detailed and delicate, if that makes any sense. The piano sounds so real it's spooky. You can hear and feel so much more of the audiences presence. Uh-Oh...I'm scaring myself...I'm beginning to sound like one of THEM...hellllp meeeee.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 I have a Charley Byrd 45 RPM Direct to Disk from Crystal Clear Records which takes my breath away every time I play it - even though most of the pieces on the record are simply not my thing. In other words the sonics are so good that I find myself glued to my chair and wishing that most of the music I really like were recorded as well. I do not mean to imply BTW that this a great recording of bad music. I really enjoy some of the pieces and even those that are not to my liking are exceptionally well recorded. I suspect that others who have a greater appreciation of Byrd's playing than I would be as utterly dazzled by the sound as I am. You wanna talk sonics ? - Let's talk about a recording that is so good that a listener who doesn't even like the music cannot bring himself to interupt the performance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 lynn - Direct to Disk has to be one of the purest forms of recording music... I've only heard of few of them, but each of them are amazing. - tb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 First of all, those are GREAT recordings anyway, even in the regular 9.96 OJC release, they are wonderful for the content alone. But I bet these sound amazing. It is TWO records to fit the beast in since it's 45rpm. This is definitely a hands on medium. Remote control digital crowd yawners need not apply. But GREAT stuff. I was wondering when someone was going to break down and get one of these. Other ones to consider from the collection when they are released: Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus John Coltrane: Soultrane Sonny Rollins: Way Out West Wes Montgomery: Full House Bill Evans: Sunday at the Village Vanguard Miles Davis: Cookin' Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section CAnnonball Adderley: Know What I Mean Thelonius Monk/Rollins: Billiant Corners All the above are GREAT recordings, whether in 45rpm or the regular LP. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Fifty bucks for a reissue of a Miles Davis Prestige seems AWFULLY steep to me--you can still get yellow-label "New Jersey" deep-grrove pressings from the late 1950's in NM condition for that price or less!! Only the New York address versions fetch in the hundreds of dollars! And I'll GUARANTEE you that the 1950's pressing will sound better--the master tapes these reissues are using are now nearly FIFTY years old and the problems can be pretty obvious--drops-outs here are there, etc. Don't get me wrong--I love the idea of there being a market for these--and I've bought some of the "Classic Records" Blue Note monos recently for $25 plus shipping because you just can't get them any other way unless you want to pony up HUNDREDS of dollars. I have also bought some of the 45rpm Classic 4-LP sets for $40 if they are of really hard to find titles--or if my orignal is not all that nice ("Cool Struttin'" for example). Why did you have to say these new issues sound friggin' good? Now I have to buy one to check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisK Posted January 11, 2003 Author Share Posted January 11, 2003 Allan, Thanks for telling me about the "yellow-label "New Jersey" deep-grrove pressings from the late 1950's in NM condition". Now I have to try and find one. Seriously though, these records sound good to me compared to what my limited experience allows. Allan, you really should be sharing your records more instead of "Bogarting" them. Do you have a "yellow-label "New Jersey" deep-grrove pressings from the late 1950's in NM condition" for sale? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Sorry if I came off sounding like a prig! But I have seen nice copies of the Miles LPs routinely sell for 25-40 bucks in really nice shape--on ebay and elsewhere. I bought a New Jersey "Cookin'" on ebay in MINT condition last year for $35. It is now my listening copy. I sell records all the time--some to memebers of this board. I don't list anything here, but if there's something you really want, let me know. By the way, I like original pressings with the occasional pop and mild surface noise over pristine "audiophile" pressings 99% of the time. If you ever get the chance to really compare I'll bet you'd agree!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 ---------------- On 1/11/2003 1:34:50 AM tbabb wrote: Direct to Disk has to be one of the purest forms of recording music... I've only heard of few of them, but each of them are amazing. - tb ---------------- I couldn't agree more! When I still had my tube preamp, I played my LPs all the time (Denon DP-62L manual 'table with a Sumiko Blue Point MC cartridge)! I miss not being able to listen to my vast vinyl collection, among them a rather healthy amount of direct-to-disc (DTD) recordings. While my musical tastes are more classical oriented (I'm new to jazz, and I like what I hear), the majority of my DTD LPs are of compositions written for the classical pipe organ. One of my personal favorites has to be a two record set that came out in 1977 by Crystal Clear Records; "Virgil Fox - The Fox Touch", Vol. One and Two, played on the 1976 Ruffatti pipe organ at the Garden Grove Community Church, Garden Grove, CA; music by Bach, Franck, Widor, and others. The late Dr. Virgil Fox was a well known virtuoso organist who's very first recordings were DTD in the '30's for RCA Victor...these particular DTD LPs were his last, recorded simultaneously along with analog tape, and also with the latest digital tape technology at the time (these albums were later coined, "The first Digital Tape recordings made in the United States!"...I have no idea if this is true or not). I also have the CD version, and these DTD albums blow the CD out of the water, even with my direct-drive Denon! There's more air, more presence, the acoustics of the church are all around me in my little music room. The CD lacks the ambiance of the DTD records, and while the soundstage is there, the dynamics are somewhat compressed. I love my DTD LPs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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