Shrdlu Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 This is a fine collection. Here's the list http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/series.aspx?sid=7 They have little or nothing in common, but most that I've heard have great sound, and I personally love the LP-style covers. The first batch have been around for awhile now, and are said to expire in May 95. But I saw a lot in what appeared to be a closeout sale at Borders a couple of days ago. It was a warning that they may vanish fairly soon. So, ... I do know, from an email from Verve's Ken Druker, that they only made one production run of each CD, and won't be doing more. My email to him was sent to submit some corrections to the personnel on the Cal Tjader reissue (the main point there being that Richard Davis is on all but one track, as the original LP notes said). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 Uh-oh. I've been wanting to pick up Carmen McRae's BIRDS OF A FEATHER and the Margaret Whiting Kern songbook, but haven't found them at a cheap enough price (they're still listed at the old $17.99 price). And our local Borders doesn't carry 'em... hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 The first batch have been around for awhile now, and are said to expire in May 95. CRAP! I only have 92 years to pick these up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzkrow Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 SHRDLU: Which of the Verve mini-lps did you see on sale at Borders-if you remember! How much were they selling them for? Thnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 (edited) Thanks for the tip, Shrdlu! I want to pick up some more of these titles. I do know that the BMG music club has a few of the LP facsimile titles. I picked up the: Count Basie - King of Swing Alice Coltrane - Universal Consciousness Woody Herman - 1963 Stan Getz - Cool Sounds Stan Kenton - The Formative Years Dizzy Gillespie - Afro Stan Getz - Reflection Mel Torme - Ole I know there are a few others available. I'd just do an advanced search on the BMG website and search under label for Verve. :rsmile: Edit to add: My current member special is: Buy one at regular price, then get unlimited for $1.99/each plus shipping. That's the best deal I've found with BMG, especially if you buy in mass quantity. Edited October 23, 2003 by AfricaBrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Do not hesitate to pick up this one: A great — albeit challenging — session, that will be sorely missed when it goes out-of-print. Sound samples here. Review here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 (edited) I've been hot and cold on this series. On the plus side, they have worked in some very worthy obscure stuff (Billy Mitchell, Al Grey, the Rivers mentioned above). I'm not a big fan of the mini-LP sleeves, and compared to the old Elite series (which would probably have been a much better option for the obscure titles noted above) the liners are skimpy (the originals are there, but frankly that was never Verve's strong suit in the old days, and the Eliltes had things like new interviews with the artists). The sound quality is fair on some, good on others, but in general I thought the Elite remasterings were superior. Most importantly, the lack of extra material seems inexcusable to me, particularly considering the price point. Often the Elites would add rare EPs, related sessions issued under other artists' names, alternate takes, etc. So I've been passing on many of these mini-LPs, mostly in a form of protest at the poor price for value ratio...Universal can and has done better. I'm also not sure anything posted here would really verify that they are going OOP any sooner than they are advertised to...just because some individual retailer is putting them on what appears to be a closeout doesn't mean they'll disappear altogether before the "expiration date" listed on the packages. I wonder if anyone has any info directly from Universal that this is the case? Edited October 23, 2003 by DrJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 As I've taken the pains, see the complete (chronological) listing of the LPRs here. I like the series quite well, as I don't have any of the music on these discs. Recommendations for the first four batches would be the sublime Desmond/Brubeck disc, Ella's Whisper Not, the nice Getz, Gillespie, Basie discs, the Mulligan if you don't go for the Mosaic, the Bobo and Tormé if you like that kind of stuff, also the Gilberto if you're into bossa. The McRae is my favorite vocal album of these, but the Vaughan comes close. And then the Woody Herman is a real winner (begging for a Mosaic of his Phillips stuff!!). Re: Montgomery (I've got it), I'd rather pick up the 2CD comp. of his Verve Jazz Sides (called Impressions, if I remember right). It contains the same music (and more, in fact, the complete sessions with the Wyn Kelly trio), without any string overdubs (they're not too bad, but I rather take the music as it was recorded...) ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 (edited) I´ve picked up these 7... planning to get some more! Good sound and interesting dates! Edited October 23, 2003 by EKE BBB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WD45 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Do not hesitate to pick up this one: A great — albeit challenging — session, that will be sorely missed when it goes out-of-print. Sound samples here. Review here. ah, Thom Jurek: It is an underrated masterpiece and among the most rewarding and adventurous listening experiences in the history of jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Do not hesitate to pick up this one: A great — albeit challenging — session, that will be sorely missed when it goes out-of-print. Sound samples here. Review here. I second that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted October 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Wow, did I say 1995? I sure was tired when I posted that! '05 obviously. (That makes me sound even older!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted October 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 SHRDLU: Which of the Verve mini-lps did you see on sale at Borders-if you remember! How much were they selling them for? Thnx From memory: the Mulligan (of course), a Getz, the O'Day, the Herman, the Basie, and the Montgomery (I really like that one, and have the 2 CD set as well). Perhaps others, but all were from the first set of issues. They were going for $12. I still maintain that this sounds like a warning of their soon disappearance. I've seen it all before, and I have learned that official expiry dates are not always honored. And Ken Druker did tell me that they make just the one production run. I wouldn't pay the full $18 for these, as there always seem to be sales about, if you look around. I have never paid the official price for them. How are the Getz's and that Basie? I have never heard them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 In the last few groups that Verve has done, starting with (I believe) the Sonny Stitt New York Jazz, they've given up the mini lp concept and gone to digi paks, probably because they were to expensive. So the more recent ones are cheaper but they're not really mini lp. Overall, I found this to be a good series. All the ones that I've bought are good and I found the sonics good as well. I particularly like the Sonny Stitt, Billy Mitchell, Count Basie and Woody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 Zweitausendeins in Germany sells a lot of these for 6.99 Euro. The regular price in Europe is 10 Euro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluerein Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Now for a change the US mini LP addicts have to buy the European versions of the LPR series because in Europe they continue to issue them as mini LP's while in the US the last two batches are digipacks!!! Long live Verve Europe!!!! Or is that a little too much. Cheers, Reinier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkertown Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Uh oh...I really wish I didn't know that... That's gonna be tough to resist. Mini LPs = Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 as Claude pointed out: zweitausendeins.de has several for sale at the moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 (edited) does anyone else have a problem with the sound on Carmen Mcrae's "Birds of a Feather"? I am far from an audio snob, but this sounds awful to me; very echo-y with some distortion . I compared the song 'Baltimore Oriole' from the LPR to the Smithsonian American Popular Song collection and she sounds more up front without the echo-y sound. Is it just me? Also is there a Japanese version of 'Birds"? Edited October 28, 2003 by Claypone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I don't have that one, but I find the sound quality in this series to be spotty in the extreme - some sound wonderful, others, like they did a low-fi dub from less than great vinyl (not saying they did, just that this is what it sounds like). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I don't care about the sound that much, as none of this music was readily available before... Can anyone comment on the Brook Benton and Frank D'rone releases? Never heard of these two (men & albums)! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I guess I'm with the King on this one as I didn't have any of these on vinyl previously. Just glad to have them, esp. the Sonny Stitt release. I know that Verve has recently released all of Bird's masters in a set but for those who might not want to buy a complete set, releasing a Verve LPR or digipack might be a neat idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 (edited) I don't care about the sound that much, as none of this music was readily available before... Can anyone comment on the Brook Benton and Frank D'rone releases? Never heard of these two (men & albums)! ubu Brook Benton was a wonderful uptown R&B* singer, who had several hits in the late 1950s / early 1960s: AMG bio - click here. *Uptown R&B: a term coined by Charlie Gillett, author of the invaluable rock history The Sound of the City. Edited October 28, 2003 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 I've picked up a few more of these lately. The original larger mini LP sleeve ones were overpriced at list IMHO, but this was on joining BMG and getting a bunch of free discs. Dizzy Gillespie - AFRO, and Basie - KING OF SWING. Both highly recommended and in good sound. Have been saving Alice Coltrane UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS for the right mood, which may be this evening so can't comment on that one yet. Of the Digipack types, Giuffre THE EASY WAY is superb and again in great sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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