What is new in my music library? (recent purchases I enjoy)

[garylkoh]

Another very good D2D that Gary Koh just mentioned in another thread is Les Brown goes direct to disc. Gary and Joe turned me onto this one some time ago. Think I will get a back up before the prices go up.

+1

Copies are still available cheap. I can't understand why this album is still so cheap - unless there is vastly more copies compared to other direct cuts. All my copies play consistently excellent. Shoot me, but I prefer Les Brown to Harry James, and sonically prefer this to the King James Version.

Another good value direct cut album is the Joe Sample/Ray Brown/Shelly Mann on East Wind. (Sean, I'll bring this one to the club meeting tomorrow night.)

 

[audioarcher]

+1

Copies are still available cheap. I can't understand why this album is still so cheap - unless there is vastly more copies compared to other direct cuts. All my copies play consistently excellent. Shoot me, but I prefer Les Brown to Harry James, and sonically prefer this to the King James Version.

Another good value direct cut album is the Joe Sample/Ray Brown/Shelly Mann on East Wind. (Sean, I'll bring this one to the club meeting tomorrow night.)

View attachment 15162

Cool. Look forward to it! I'll bring a couple things as well.

 

[puroagave]

+1

Copies are still available cheap. I can't understand why this album is still so cheap - unless there is vastly more copies compared to other direct cuts. All my copies play consistently excellent. Shoot me, but I prefer Les Brown to Harry James, and sonically prefer this to the King James Version.

Another good value direct cut album is the Joe Sample/Ray Brown/Shelly Mann on East Wind. (Sean, I'll bring this one to the club meeting tomorrow night.)

Gary, since you like the EW D2D of "The Three" seek out the inner city records version cut from tape. it has the identical front cover/artwork and is often mistaken for the import. you can find them cheap in LA shops under 5 bucks. they recorded the album in different takes, the performance on the inner city LP is completely different and imo superior to the D2D session, the song list is unchanged - its kind of weird when you hear both versions back to back for the first time.

the century records D2Ds like the Les Brown were always slow sellers. along with the entire crystal clear catalog among other D2D labels, you could find sealed cut-outs for under 10 bucks sometimes 5, by contrast the MK for duke still fetched 100 bucks 20-yrs ago. steve McCormack used to have boxes of them when he ran the mod squad and would sell you one of his autographed for c-note.

 

[garylkoh]

Gary, since you like the EW D2D of "The Three" seek out the inner city records version cut from tape. it has the identical front cover/artwork and is often mistaken for the import. you can find them cheap in LA shops under 5 bucks. they recorded the album in different takes, the performance on the inner city LP is completely different and imo superior to the D2D session, the song list is unchanged - its kind of weird when you hear both versions back to back for the first time.

the century records D2Ds like the Les Brown were always slow sellers. along with the entire crystal clear catalog among other D2D labels, you could find sealed cut-outs for under 10 bucks sometimes 5, by contrast the MK for duke still fetched 100 bucks 20-yrs ago. steve McCormack used to have boxes of them when he ran the mod squad and would sell you one of his autographed for c-note.

Thanks, Rob. Is there a catalog number on the inner city LP of The Three?

I have the entire Crystal Clear catalog - but there were only a few that I like musically and have multiple copies of them. The problem with the Crystal Clear is that some titles the white vinyl sounds better, other times the black vinyl sounds better. It's like sometimes they pressed the white vinyl first, other times they pressed the black vinyl first. I think what killed Crystal Clear was that they made a "Limited Edition" re-issue that was lower quality (not Direct to Disc) on some of the more popular titles (like Huracan). Once you bought one of those, you won't buy any more albums from them.

Last time Steve came to visit me, he brought me all his test pressings of the M&K discs for safekeeping as he doesn't have a turntable

 

[Dre_J]

Thanks, Rob. Is there a catalog number on the inner city LP of The Three?

IC 6007

Dre

 

[Ronm1]

I have the entire Crystal Clear catalog - but there were only a few that I like musically and have multiple copies of D

Gary
This touch's on a subject in another thread. Sonic quality vs music enjoyment. We've all gotten media from Phile oriented labels crossing our fingers that the musical enjoyment registers as well as the sonics.
Just one of those bugaboos in this hobby. C'est la vie!

 

[garylkoh]

Gary
This touch's on a subject in another thread. Sonic quality vs music enjoyment. We've all gotten media from Phile oriented labels crossing our fingers that the musical enjoyment registers as well as the sonics.
Just one of those bugaboos in this hobby. C'est la vie!

Yes - I agree. Many times I've found an audiophile pressing less pleasurable than the less highly regarded standard pressing. However, that doesn't keep me from continuing to try.

 

[LL21]

Glad everyone is liking my Sheffield Lab Harry James LP suggestion. Lloyd, do post when you get your digital version, I will be interested to hear your thoughts.
Now, IF I could just source another M&K For Duke in Mint condition at a reasonable price....Since we are talking DtoD LP's,I like 'For Duke" a LOT better than Harry James; BUT they are both great.

Hey Davey, It just arrived and will try tomorrow! Thanks for the referral!

 

[DaveyF]

Lloyd, If you like Big Band, I think you will like it. As I said, I will be very interested in your thoughts.

 

[flez007]

 

[garylkoh]

Oooooo........

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Lovely pressing:

 

[flez007]

 

[LL21]

Lloyd, If you like Big Band, I think you will like it. As I said, I will be very interested in your thoughts.

Hi Davey! Great albums! I want to listen to them again...I remember when I first heard the Sheffield Labs Stravinksy Firebird, I found it a bit tame...but it has grown on me over the years. I feel the same will happen with these albums. A bit less verve than I am used to in big band, where some of the 'even older' names Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorset, etc used to really drive those bands and the rhythm thing quite hard. (And the more modern big bands are REALLY driving...Harry Connick, Michael Buble, etc) That said, I really enjoyed these and do think they will grow on me. Thank you for the recommendation...very glad I got these and will look forward to listening to them again later in the weekend.

 

[garylkoh]

 

[rockitman]

I recently bought all of the Speakers Corner Mercury Living Presence re-issues. Any one have any experience with these ?

 

[DaveyF]

Hi Davey! Great albums! I want to listen to them again...I remember when I first heard the Sheffield Labs Stravinksy Firebird, I found it a bit tame...but it has grown on me over the years. I feel the same will happen with these albums. A bit less verve than I am used to in big band, where some of the 'even older' names Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorset, etc used to really drive those bands and the rhythm thing quite hard. (And the more modern big bands are REALLY driving...Harry Connick, Michael Buble, etc) That said, I really enjoyed these and do think they will grow on me. Thank you for the recommendation...very glad I got these and will look forward to listening to them again later in the weekend.

Lloyd, what are your impressions of the SQ of the CD's?

 

[flez007]

I recently bought all of the Speakers Corner Mercury Living Presence re-issues. Any one have any experience with these ?

CD?

 

[LL21]

Lloyd, what are your impressions of the SQ of the CD's?

Interesting question...I like the SQ...its good. Plus, its rare to hear older big band music really well recorded. I have some Glenn Miller that is hard to listen to as an audiophile, but its great music.

That said, when compared with Tin Pan Alley, Rodriguo y Gabriela, Hans Zimmer, and some of the more recent large-scale works I have been acquiring, it is not quite as good as that.

Seems the LPs remain superior and it appears of demonstration quality...many here have said the CDs would not be the same despite these having been remastered in 2013 from the original discs or whatever. Nevertheless, this is quite a fun set of albums to listen to (as I write this) with good SQ.

 

[rockitman]

CD?

lol..no vinyl...