What was the last vinyl you bought?

......well bought for me. Leonard Cohen, Live in London, John Mayer, where the light is, and a box set of 9 records of the 3 concerts Deep Purple's, Made In Japan came from. A perfect better half, buying me these for my birthday!

I've heard a lot of stuff about blue note, but never see it cheap at the stores I'm hitting.

Gone from $.99 vinyl run through an RCM to now a whole $13.99 for the 180 gram vinyls. 

For me Its just like buying black boxes...you have to get broke in to spending on it a little at a time.

I'm wanting The Beatles Mono Set and that sets me back half a Stageline.

Music Matters 33rpm just went up from 35$ to 40USD per record and they recently stopped the online wholesale distribution channel so you can only get them through Music Matters after their current inventory is gone.

With oil prices at their lowest in years, inflation close to zero and wages rising at less than 2.5%, I wonder what is the justification for a 14% price increase? 

They can keep them, $40 is just to much for one album.  I'm not into collecting super rare stuff, or paying that much for new vinyl.  There is a lot of vinyl I see priced very high and I don't get it...it seems to sit there too.  Guess they just can't make it on volume so have to make it on price.

Richard Strauss:   Thomas Albertus Irnberger (violin), Michael Korstick (piano)

 Dialoghi:  Elinor Frey (cello), David Fung (piano)

Johann Sebastian Bach:  Glenn Gould (organ)

The Art of the Fugue (1-9)

Johann Sebastian Bach:  Glenn Gould (piano)

The Goldberg Variations (1982)

Ludwig van Beethoven:  Wilhelm Furtwängler

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125

Originally Posted by Florestan: Johann Sebastian Bach:  Glenn Gould (piano)

 

The Goldberg Variations (1982)

 

Doug,

Can you post your impression on the quality of vinyl when you get it?

I am guessing this is the new Razor & Tie reissue?

Yeah. I hear you.

Most of them are rip off for the money they are charging. I have grown to distrust many reissue houses and this whole vinyl racket.

Music Matters 33 reissues, to me, worth the cost and very fair for what I get for the sound and packaging and the presentation of the art it contains. and these records are all sourced from the original analogue tape with a remastering engineer with a good track record. ( subjectively, I like Kevin Gray's work as I have experienced very little issues on his records I own )

Since there is no chance in hell I'll be able to afford the mint original pressing on these older Blue Notes, 40 bucks is still very much reasonable to me. I am not a collector either. I just like a few titles.

If you want to dip in the toe to the vast catalogue of Don Was Blue Note, 75th Anniversary reissues can be had for 18 bucks per record.  

BLUE NOTE RECORDS 75TH ANNIVERSARY VINYL INITIATIVE

These are all digitally remastered by Bernie Grundmann. 

Jazz is a hard sell and most are not into it. Personally I would never spend a kind of money of the Beatle's mono box set.

Clive, 

I do not have the inside information to why the increase in pricing nor know margin on speciality records but I think in spite, their 33 releases are still worth it. In fact, I was amased how they can earn any profit with the old pricing. When you live outside the US, tho, I do understand that the shipping adds significant amount to the record.

Just a few corrections, the Blue Note 75th Anniversary reissues (Don Was) are not all remastered by Bernie Grundman, there are a few different mastering houses being used, Bernie Grundman and another two different studios (one of them in Japan if I remember correctly), if not more. Also, they are released in two different pressings, the US pressing and the EU pressing, with the EU being considered superior because of better quality physical discs. They are all digitally sourced for cutting.

Concerning Music Matters, they are now all cut by Kevin Gray (the 33rpm series), and they are priced very reasonably if one considers the technical excellence that presides over the remastering process and sources used, and the huge cost of "mint" condition original pressings. But not only that they also sound better than the originals, not being deliberately compressed and EQ'ed as the originals were, the MM series really gives you more of the sound of the Master Tapes

Hi guys, agree with the comments above regarding the cost of the MM 33series.The only reason I continue to be a sudscriber and bare the very high shipping cost to the UK currently $37.36 is the SQ and pressing of the all AAA remastering, the quailty of the gatefold sleeves, and the staggeringly beautiful BW reproduction from the original negatives of the artist featured on the records. I truly believe that by subscribing to this series  it is the only way I will ever be able to acquire this historical catalogue of fantastic music and have something of worth in musical terms to pass on to my daughter, hopefully not any time soon. Also these reissues are not going to be around for ever.

Regards Graham.

They are excellent quality Graham and if you enjoy them you don't need to justify the cost. How many of of us have bought records we don't like, now that's more of a waste.

ATB

Steve

Indeed Steve are you thinking of the LZ reissues by any chance

Regards Graham. 

I accept your point, Steve, but in this case I already have many of these titles on CD, several of which have benefitted greatly from the Rudy van Gelder remastering. Although I'd like to have them on vinyl, as it does generally sound better, that would (arguably) be a waste. Actually, it wasn't the absolute price I was getting at, but the 14% increase. 

The 2015 reissue is by Sony Classical

 

Originally Posted by kuma:

 

Originally Posted by Florestan: Johann Sebastian Bach:  Glenn Gould (piano)

 

The Goldberg Variations (1982)

 

Doug,

 

Can you post your impression on the quality of vinyl when you get it?

 

I am guessing this is the new Razor & Tie reissue?

 

Well, I had a choice.  The Sony Music Canada - distribution or the Razor & Tie which claimed it as an Import.  I couldn't find out what the Razor & Tie was all about but I selected it because it was in stock and I made the bold assumption that Import meant Germany?  Of course, it cost me quite a bit more and so I'd be chuffed if it turns out to be the same or worse?

Kuma - do you have any information about Razor & Tie (hopefully positive?).  I expect my delivery around November 9th.

Thanks for your correction. 

I assumed they were all done by Grundman and in the US since one of the Don Was reissue I bought had his credit on it. ( this one was also made in the EU not US, IIRC. ) I can't certainly vouch for a *better quality* tho cuz, it had to go back to a supplier for excessive warp, off center hole and poor packaging.

Do you know who other two engineers in japan for remastering?

I would love to know who the other outfits are. These kind of information are pretty hidden and hard to get in their press releases.

That to me, is still remained to be seen as I have never ABed with the original master tape.

If so, you are one lucky soul!

They are clearly aimed at different market for the effort from Don Was Blue Note reissues.  They are going for a wider audience to keep the cost down for production and that particular audience is less likely to have a revealing equipment so that the ultimate production excellence isn't matter much.

Originally Posted by Vinyl Gourmet: The 2015 reissue is by Sony Classical

 

Originally Posted by Florestan: Well, I had a choice.  The Sony Music Canada - distribution or the Razor & Tie which claimed it as an Import.  I couldn't find out what the Razor & Tie was all about but I selected it because it was in stock and I made the bold assumption that Import meant Germany?  Of course, it cost me quite a bit more and so I'd be chuffed if it turns out to be the same or worse?

Kuma - do you have any information about Razor & Tie (hopefully positive?).  I expect my delivery around November 9th.

Doug,

Turned out that Razor & Tie is only acting as distributor for these Gould reissues ( specifically '55 and '81 Goldberg Variations. Not the Art of Fugue or any other Gould reissues currently available )

I've asked Mark from 'Analog Spark'  ( this is a new company under Razor & Tie just to deal with these analogue reissue distribution ) to see which one is which because as you saw there are two titles floating around on internet. One says *import* and another 'Razor & Tie'.

Here's the reply I got back from Analogue Spark, aka Razor & Tie when I asked if the import version is the same as Razor & Tie release.

I’m not sure what version the import is, but I would assume it’s the same. Just to be safe, I would suggest purchasing the Razor & Tie version which is ours. 

Our version is the Sony LP (we are distributing for them in the USA) and they were pressed at MPO in France. 

For the most part, we produce/manufacture our own titles, however for this title we are only distributing.

And when I asked him technical info regarding who cut the lacquers:

I’m not sure who cut lacquers and unfortunately I don’t have a contact that I can pass on. Sorry I’m unable to provide this info.

We try to provide as much info as we can for our own reissues, but since we are only distributing this title, we don’t have full access to all information.

So this is as much as I know about Razor & Tie ( aka Analog Spark )

Doug, so I'd assume if it's the current Sony remaster LP, it should have been pressed in France. Not Germany. 

VG,

I made a wrong assumption regarding Andreas Meyers. He's in the US and worked for Sony NY prior so very high possibility that he did have an access to the original master. Not far generation copy. ( so that's a good sign! if the pressing hasn't been screwed up like Don Was Blue Note! )

Why not?  I have zero Beatles vinyl.

What is the alternative?