So this company is selling its whole catalogue in mp3/flac on a USB drive, updates available for a small monthly fee for new releases. The initial cost is quite expensive but there’s even transfers from their old 78s issues.
I’m not sure if this is a good idea but it made me wonder whether there was a single label you would want all their recordings. I can’t think of a single label I have that much of an obsession with but I suppose there may well be some hidden treasures hidden in a label you were never aware off.
My attempt at Blue Note obsessiveness. The Music Matters Blue Note 45rpm issues. In Gatefolds with Wolff’s wonderful photography from the session being recorded.
Originally there were going to be 60 issues so I budgeted for it. These were $50 each on a subscription direct from Music Matters in the USA. There’s 66 on that shelf - All with my subscriber number on - at that point they were obviously issuing more than 60 and sadly as the £ grew weaker against the $ and circumstances changed I had to drop it. Apparently MM issued 112 titles in the end with Blue Note themselves taking it up to 160 odd (although I may be wrong here)
Blue Note is special but for me this period from the 50s/60s are where it’s at.
Complete run obsessives span quite a spectrum in terms of collecting. Still sealed / 1st press / audiophile press etc. The buzz is in filing rather than listening. The BN 1500 series is some of the most collectable of any label and yet, setting aside RVG’s recording prowess and often great cover art, about 1/3rd of it is pretty average.
Whilst this may sound negative it still places 2/3rds of this phase of BN’s output on a very high pedestal indeed, considerably higher than say Vertigo where 60% is bad, 25% is mildly interesting 5% is middling and 10% special.
In all honestly if I find an LP that is solid from track 1 to 10 I’m astounded so complete label runs that feature all 10/10 records is a litteral impossibility.
… I’ve been down that road, particularly with Blue Note. The useful thing that came from it was refining tastes - Bit like Hifi really you need to hear a lot of kit before you can whittle anything like a personal opinion. Reviews or other peoples thoughts are instructive of course but experiential learning is probably the most valuable… In other words, the hard way.
The trouble with Blue note today is because there is a ready market for pretty much any of the titles, they are released and re released ad infinitum (They sell on the strength of the label). Personally I think this is just lazy and elevates many of the titles ‘perceptions’ perhaps a little beyond their true quality. It’s just business I know - Very few All analogue companies are going to delve into Argentinian / Spanish / East or west indian Jazz - it’s just not as well known and in turn not a sure fire seller - although the quality of the music can be astonishingly good.
(For non jazzists) The same economics applies to any genre the all analogue guys look at. It seems supply in a demand is a lot easier than creating one and then supplying it.
And you could argue labels like Prestige had just as much great music on it at the time but would probably never be on the Audiophile reissue roundabout that Blue Notes are on.
Anal Prod and several others have delved into Prestige and again the RVG aspect sends pules racing so looking at titles he had a hand in for the label:
Eric Dolphy, Out There
Gene Ammons, Boss Tenor
John Coltrane, Lush Life
Miles Davis, Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet
Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus
Coleman Hawkins, The Hawk Relaxes
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Kenny Dorham, Quiet Kenny
Red Garland, Red Garland’s Piano
Modern Jazz Quartet, Django
I’d say 30% of the above is pretty average. It’s always fun to stand outside of todays hype and read some of the contemporary reviews in downbeat etc. There you can note several of the above listed as 3 out of 5 stars and when you listen critically they were often right.
I have said this many times, but Jazz, above all genres, is just an entirely different (often unfathomable for those outside) world. The versions / pressings of many records are legion … and make your head hurt.
Are there record collectors who don’t play any of their records? Evan Eisenberg’s The Recording Angel is a bit of an eye opener. I can see that rarity and value might inhibit, which is why I don’t haunt Discogs.
When it comes to high end collecting there are many who don’t play their records, this can be simply down to the records being still sealed. The risk here is owners don’t know if the shrink has tightened and buckled the record (Or if the record has been 're-shrunk"). Preserving the artifact to maximize profit is often the primary motivator.
Most who buy unsealed high end will play at least once to confirm condition and quality of pressing as these things affect their ‘investment’. There are lots who have two copies of things, one play one collect and so on.
Investment ‘stackers’ will buy with a view to profit - This can be speculation on new records (RSD, ltd releases, etc) or vintage rarities. The latter tends to be curated / focused in a way that when eventually blasted out in auction they attract a lot of big fish and in turn profit.
There are those who are not interested in financials and more interested in the art and artifact in many ways these guys show a little integrity - it’s not all about the rarity and value but rather the quality of content.
As with a life nothing is quite so defined but the number of profiteers in the the game in recent years is growing rapidly. General collectors will grip and flip to ‘fuel’ their collections so trading is a major factor across the board, condition is always key. (No different to hifi really)
